Creators: Lloyd Alexander

Creators

A growing list of inspirational Artists, Writers, Filmmakers, and Poets.

Lloyd Alexander

Lloyd Chudley Alexander (1924-2007) has one of the most hilarious middle names ever.  Go ahead, say it to yourself: Chudley.  Along with having a hilarious middle name, Mr. Alexander is a celebrated author of over 40 books, most of them fantasy.  In west Philadelphia, born and raised, on the playground is where he spent most of his days.

The works of his that I am most familiar with are his Chronicles of Prydain.  As young man, Lloyd visited Great Britain and fell in love with it's folklore.  King Arthur was already a close childhood friend, but what struck him in that later time were the legends of Wales, and by proxy, a fierce love of the letter 'y' and hatred of the letter 'i.'  The books he came to write were Newbery Medal winners that have been in publication since the early 60s.  The first of which is "The Book of Three," and the Second, "The Black Cauldron," were cobbled together to make the 1985 Disney movie.

A pretty crappy movie I might add.  The computer game was alright, But don't let that turn you off on the books.

The stories themselves are fun recreations of many classic welsh legends into one cohesive character-driven story about Taran, assistant pig keeper. But apart from enjoying the stories, What i like most about Lloyd Alexander is his writing style.  It is concise yet it it paints a crystal clear image of the scene:

Autumn had come too swiftly. In the northernmost realms of Prydain many trees were already leafless, and among the branches clung the ragged shapes of empty nests. To the south, across the river Great Avren, the hills shielded Caer Dallben from the winds, but even here the little farm was drawing in on itself. For Taran, the summer was ending before it had begun. That morning Dallben had given him the task of washing the oracular pig. Had the old enchanter ordered him to capture a full-grown gwythaint, Taran would gladly have set out after one of the vicious winged creatures. As it was, he filled the bucket at the well and trudged reluctantly to Hen Wen's enclosure. The white pig, usually eager for a bath, now squealed nervously and rolled on her back in the mud.

Also, he has a great talent for creating a voice for each of his characters. write a page full of dialogue with no credits and you would still be able to know who was talking. Like the hilarious Eilonwy's similes:

"I'm not sure I'm going to help you any more at all, after the way you've behaved; and calling me those horrid names, that's like putting caterpillars in somebody's hair."

And he also writes awesome stuff like this:

“Child, child, do you not see? For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are.” 

“Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart.”

“Long ago I yearned to be a hero without knowing, in truth, what a hero was. Now, perhaps, I understand it a little better. A grower of turnips or a shaper of clay, a Commot farmer or a king--every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone.
Once you told me that the seeking counts more than the finding. So, too, must the striving count more than the gain.”

He also liked cats alot