by Matthew Brenan (age 13)
I’ve always felt more connected to Lloyd Alexander than other writers because, at the start of each book, he addresses the readers and shares his insights about the book, and at the end there’s a piece of biography as fascinating as the events in The Chronicles of Prydain.
Lloyd Alexander was born in the US city of Philadelphia in 1924. He was a bright kid, and from early on he pursued multiple avenues of interest: music, art, reading and writing. By the time he finished school, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. The choice, however, was made for him when World War II started in 1939.
Lloyd Alexander enlisted in the army and, after trying out for multiple positions, he was sent away for specialised training. The training was for recruits in intelligence, a branch of the military where data is analysed to help officers devise a strategy. Alexander was to be sent to Europe – to Wales, France, and Germany – and so he had to learn French to communicate effectively. He was a fast learner, and after just 12 months he was ready to assist in the war effort.
The first two months of service Lloyd spent in Wales, where he was enchanted by the countryside and castles that he had grown up reading about. His time in Wales inspired his most well-known book series, The Chronicles of Prydain.
Alexander spent the rest of the war in France and Germany, and when the war ended in 1945, he moved to Paris. While in Paris, he studied French literature, including the writings of a poet called Paul Éluard. Alexander was inspired by Éluard’s poems and wanted to share them with English speakers, so he contacted him and became the sole translator of his works.
Also while in France, Alexander met Janine Denni, a single mother struggling to care for her daughter. He and Denni fell in love, were married, and moved back to Drexel Hill.
This is when Lloyd became a writer. He wrote book after book, but no one wanted to publish them, and soon Lloyd had to get a job. He continued writing, but nothing was published until seven years later, when he wrote the book And Let the Credit Go, which was inspired by his time working as a banker’s assistant after high school.
Alexander wrote several more books for adults before he decided to try writing for children. His first children’s book was called Time Cat. It was about a boy and cat visiting different historical time periods. Lloyd researched each period, including one set in Wales, but what he discovered, along with his memories of his time in Wales, made him save it for another book – or another five books – which he wrote as a series, one book per year.
These five books make up The Chronicles of Prydain. They are: The Book of Three (1964), The Black Cauldron (1965), The Castle of Llyr (1966), Taran Wanderer (1967), and The High King (1968).
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