Averil Constance Demuth (1906–2000) was an English writer of children's stories, several of which have a fantasy element.

Life

Averil Constance Demuth was born on 5 January 1906 in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. In the 1920s Demuth wrote words for music composed by

Norman Demuth Norman Demuth (15 July 1898 – 21 April 1968) was an English composer and musicologist, currently remembered largely for his biographies of French composers. Biography Early life Demuth was born in Croydon, Surrey, at 91 St James' Road. On lea ...

. However, her first story was ''Trudi and Hansel'' (1938), set in the

Austrian Tyrol Tyrol (; german: Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a state (''Land'') in western Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical Princely County of Tyrol. It is a constituent part of the present-day Euroregion Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino ( ...

. The girl Trudi, the boy Hansel, the cow Lotti, the dog Berni, the hen Griselda and the raven Kraak all go up the mountain to see Riese the giant, and then all come down again.

Eleanor Farjeon Eleanor Farjeon (13 February 1881 – 5 June 1965) was an English author of children's stories and plays, poetry, biography, history and satire. Several of her works had illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Some of her correspondence has also been ...

gave the book a positive review: " Nora Lavrin's delicious crayon illustrations are the gay and unsophisticated complement to Averil Demuth's Tyrolean tale ... I like this book very much". A biographical sketch of Demuth appeared in the children's book club magazine ''Young Wings''. ''The House in the Mountains'' (1940), illustrated by Grace Huxtable, was set in Kandergurgl, a little Swiss village. Max, Lisel and the other children encounter a witch, a wicked baron, Ruffin the dog, Mr Fooks the fox and Mr Trog the bear in a story with kidnappings, magic, secret passages and a ransom. In 1941 she was living in

Heston Heston is a suburban area and part of the Hounslow district in the London Borough of Hounslow. The residential settlement covers a slightly smaller area than its predecessor farming village, 10.8 miles (17.4 km) west south-west of Charing ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. She married Anthony Cockbain in Penzance in 1941, though he died in November 1942, after only one year of marriage. ''The Enchanted Islands'' (1941) was followed by ''Sea Gypsies'' (1942), a holiday story of Peter and Petronel on an "enchanted island", where the "little people" were as real as humans. The '' Manchester Guardian'' reviewer welcomed the book: "This story is very well done".''The House of the Wind''(1953) was an adventure story set in

. One reviewer remarked that the story "spurns the hygenic world of normal holidays and enters into Lyonese and ancient magic without being objectionably fey". In 1968 Demuth edited a book about the

Minack Theatre The Minack Theatre ( kw, Gwaryjy Minack) is an open-air theatre, constructed above a gully with a rocky granite outcrop jutting into the sea. The theatre is at Porthcurno, from Land's End in Cornwall, England. The season runs each year from May ...

: six people connected to the theatre described their activities, and Demuth herself gave a historical account of the theatre.''The Times'', 26 August 1968, p. 9. She died on 16 May 2000 in Penzance.

Works

* (with Norman Demuth) ''Two ships: unison song''. London: Oxford University Press, 1926. The English choral songs, no. 57. Music by Norman Demuth, words by Averil Demuth. * (with Norman Demuth) ''Spindrift: unison song''. London : Edward Arnold & Co., 1930. Singing class music, No. 370. Music by Norman Demuth, words by Averil Demuth. * ''Trudi and Hansel: a story of the Austrian Tyrol''. London: J.M. Dent and Sons, 1938. Illustrated by Nora Lavrin. * ''The house in the mountains: a Swiss story''. London. Illustrated by Grace Huxtable. (American edition illustrated by Ninon MacKnight.) * ''The enchanted islands: a modern fairy tale''. London: H. Hamilton, 1941. Illustrated by Grace Huxtable. * ''The sea gypsies''. London: H. Hamilton, 1942. Illustrated by Grace Huxtable. * ''The house of the wind''. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1953. Illustrated by Fritz Wegner. * (ed.) ''The Minack open-air theatre: a symposium ''. Newton Abbott: David Charles Ltd., 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demuth, Averil 1906 births 2000 deaths English children's writers