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Elwyn Brooks White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985) was an American writer. He was the author of several highly popular books for children, including ''
Stuart Little ''Stuart Little'' is a 1945 American children's novel by E. B. White. It was White's first children's book, and it is now widely recognized as a classic in children's literature. ''Stuart Little'' was illustrated by the subsequently award-winnin ...
'' (1945), '' Charlotte's Web'' (1952), and ''
The Trumpet of the Swan ''The Trumpet of the Swan'' is a children's novel by E. B. White published in 1970. It tells the story of Louis (pronounced "LOO-ee" by the author in the audiobook, a reference to trumpeter Louis Armstrong, a point that is made explicit in the ...
'' (1970). In a 2012 survey of ''School Library Journal'' readers, ''Charlotte's Web'' came in first in their poll of the top one hundred children's novels. In addition, he was a writer and contributing editor to ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' magazine, and also a co-author of the
English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
style guide A style guide or manual of style is a set of standards for the writing, formatting, and design of documents. It is often called a style sheet, although that term also has multiple other meanings. The standards can be applied either for gene ...
''
The Elements of Style ''The Elements of Style'' is an American English writing style guide in numerous editions. The original was written by William Strunk Jr. in 1918, and published by Harcourt in 1920, comprising eight "elementary rules of usage", ten "elementary ...
.''


Life

E.B. White was born in
Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of t ...
, the sixth and youngest child of Samuel Tilly White, the president of a piano firm, and Jessie Hart White, the daughter of
Scottish-American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ameireaganaich Albannach''; sco, Scots-American) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scotch-Irish Americans, d ...
painter William Hart. Elwyn's older brother Stanley Hart White, known as Stan, a professor of landscape architecture and the inventor of the vertical garden, taught E.B. White to read and to explore the natural world. While attending
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
, White was a private in the Student Army Training Corps (SATC). In early 1918, the War Department created the SATC to hasten the training of soldiers for the war in Europe. Students continued to take college courses while training for the military. Unlike the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), SATC students were required to live and take all meals on campus, adhered to a strict military schedule of study and training, and required a pass to go off campus on weekends. The SATC program was disbanded in December 1918, and there is no evidence White served on active military duty or went overseas.E.B. White; Personal
Encyclopedia.com Encyclopedia.com (also known as HighBeam Encyclopedia) is an online encyclopedia. It aggregates information from other published dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference works including pictures and videos. History The website was launched by ...
. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
Elwyn Brooks "E.B." White, writer, was born 122 years ago today
''Frank Beacham's Journal''. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
White graduated from
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
with a
Bachelor of Arts degree Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in 1921, where he was elected to
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
. He got the nickname "Andy" at Cornell, where tradition confers that moniker on any male student whose surname is White, after Cornell co-founder
Andrew Dickson White Andrew Dickson White (November 7, 1832 – November 4, 1918) was an American historian and educator who cofounded Cornell University and served as its first president for nearly two decades. He was known for expanding the scope of college curricu ...
. While at Cornell, he worked as editor of ''
The Cornell Daily Sun ''The Cornell Daily Sun'' is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University and hired employees. ''The Sun'' features coverage of the university and its environs as well as stories from the Associa ...
'' with classmate
Allison Danzig Allison "Al" Danzig (February 27, 1898 – January, 27 1987) was an American sportswriter who specialized in writing about tennis, but also covered college football, squash, many Olympic Games, and rowing. Danzig was the only American sportswrite ...
, who later became a sportswriter for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. White was also a member of the
Aleph Samach Aleph Samach () was a junior honor society at Cornell University that existed from 1893 until 1981. It was founded on four pillars: leadership, loyalty, service, and honor. Unlike most collegiate secret societies, which have primarily senior mem ...
and
Quill and Dagger Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key at Yale University. In 1929, ''The New York Times'' stated ...
societies and Phi Gamma Delta ("Fiji") fraternity. After graduation, White worked for the United Press (now
United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...
) and the
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
News Service in 1921 and 1922. From September 1922 to June 1923, he was a cub reporter for ''
The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington (s ...
''. On one occasion, when White was stuck writing a story, a Times editor said, "Just say the words." He was fired from the ''Times'' and later wrote for the ''
Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was foun ...
'' before a stint in Alaska on a fireboat. He then worked for almost two years with the Frank Seaman advertising agency as a production assistant and copywriter before returning to New York City in 1924. When ''The New Yorker'' was founded in 1925, White submitted manuscripts to it. Katharine Angell, the literary editor, recommended to editor-in-chief and founder
Harold Ross Harold Wallace Ross (November 6, 1892 – December 6, 1951) was an American journalist who co-founded ''The New Yorker'' magazine in 1925 with his wife Jane Grant, and was its editor-in-chief until his death. Early life Born in a prospector' ...
that White be hired as a staff writer. However, it took months to convince him to come to a meeting at the office and additional weeks to convince him to work on the premises. Eventually, he agreed to work in the office on Thursdays. White was shy around women, claiming he had "too small a heart, too large a pen." But in 1929, after an affair which led to her divorce, White and Katherine Angell were married. They had a son, Joel White, a naval architect and boat builder, who later owned Brooklin Boat Yard in
Brooklin, Maine Brooklin is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 827 at the 2020 census. History Brooklin was originally part the larger town of Sedgwick. Brooklin broke off and formed its own town in 1849. A few weeks later, ...
. Katharine's son from her first marriage,
Roger Angell Roger Angell (September 19, 1920 – May 20, 2022) was an American essayist known for his writing on sports, especially baseball. The only writer ever elected into both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Baseball Writers' Associa ...
, spent decades as a fiction editor for ''The New Yorker'' and was well known as the magazine's baseball writer. In her foreword to '' Charlotte's Web'',
Kate DiCamillo Katrina Elizabeth DiCamillo (born March 25, 1964) is an American children's fiction author. She has published over 25 novels, including ''Because of Winn-Dixie'', '' The Tiger Rising'', ''The Tale of Despereaux'', ''The Miraculous Journey ...
quotes White as saying, "All that I hope to say in books, all that I ever hope to say, is that I love the world." White also loved animals, farms and farming implements,
seasons A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
, and
weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmosphere, the ...
formats.
James Thurber James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist and playwright. He was best known for his cartoons and short stories, published mainly in ''The New Yorker'' and collected ...
described White as a quiet man who disliked publicity and who, during his time at ''The New Yorker'', would slip out of his office via the fire escape to a nearby branch of
Schrafft's Schrafft's was a candy, chocolate and cake company based in Sullivan Square, Charlestown, Massachusetts. The famous Schrafft's neon sign is a significant landmark in Boston, although the former factory it sits above, constructed in 1928, has been ...
to avoid visitors who he didn't know: Later in life, White had
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
and died on October 1, 1985, at his farm home in North Brooklin, Maine. He is buried in the Brooklin Cemetery beside Katharine, who died in 1977.


Career

E.B. White published his first article in 1925, then joined the staff in 1927 and continued to contribute for almost six decades. Best recognized for his essays and unsigned "Notes and Comment" pieces, he gradually became the magazine's most important contributor. From the beginning to the end of his career at ''The New Yorker,'' he frequently provided what the magazine calls "Newsbreaks" (short, witty comments on oddly worded printed items from many sources) under various categories such as "Block That Metaphor." He also was a columnist for '' Harper's Magazine'' from 1938 to 1943. In 1949, White published ''Here Is New York'', a short book based on an article he had been commissioned to write for ''
Holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...
''. Editor
Ted Patrick Theodore Roosevelt Patrick, Jr. (born 1930) is an American deprogrammer and author. He is considered to be the "father of deprogramming." Early life Ted Patrick was born in a red-light district of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in which he was surrou ...
approached White about writing the essay telling him it would be fun. "Writing is never 'fun'", replied White. That article reflects the writer's appreciation of a city that provides its residents with both "the gift of loneliness and the gift of privacy." It concludes with a dark note touching on the forces that could destroy the city that he loved. This prescient "love letter" to the city was re-published in 1999 on his centennial with an introduction by his stepson,
Roger Angell Roger Angell (September 19, 1920 – May 20, 2022) was an American essayist known for his writing on sports, especially baseball. The only writer ever elected into both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Baseball Writers' Associa ...
. In 1959, White edited and updated ''
The Elements of Style ''The Elements of Style'' is an American English writing style guide in numerous editions. The original was written by William Strunk Jr. in 1918, and published by Harcourt in 1920, comprising eight "elementary rules of usage", ten "elementary ...
''. This handbook of grammatical and stylistic guidance for writers of
American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...
was first written and published in 1918 by
William Strunk Jr. William Strunk Jr. (July 1, 1869 – September 26, 1946) was an American professor of English language, English at Cornell University and author of ''The Elements of Style'' (1918). After revision and enlargement by his former student E. B. White, ...
, one of White's professors at Cornell. White's reworking of the book was extremely well received, and later editions followed in 1972, 1979, and 1999.
Maira Kalman Maira Kalman is an American artist, illustrator, writer, and designer known for her painting and writing about the human condition. She is the author and illustrator of over 30 books for adults and children and her work is exhibited in museums a ...
illustrated an edition in 2005. That same year, a New York composer named
Nico Muhly Nico Asher Muhly (; born August 26, 1981) is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. A prolific composer, he has composed for many notable symphony orchestras ...
premiered a short opera based on the book. The volume is a standard tool for students and writers and remains required reading in many composition classes. The complete history of ''
The Elements of Style ''The Elements of Style'' is an American English writing style guide in numerous editions. The original was written by William Strunk Jr. in 1918, and published by Harcourt in 1920, comprising eight "elementary rules of usage", ten "elementary ...
''is detailed in Mark Garvey's ''Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style''. In 1978, White won a special Pulitzer Prize citing "his letters, essays and the full body of his work"."Special Awards and Citations"
The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
He also received the
Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...
in 1963 and honorary memberships in a variety of literary societies throughout the United States. The 1973 Oscar-nominated Canadian animated
short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...
'' The Family That Dwelt Apart'' is narrated by White and is based on his short story of the same name.


Children's books

In the late 1930s, White turned his hand to
children's fiction Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...
on behalf of a niece, Janice Hart White. His first children's book, ''
Stuart Little ''Stuart Little'' is a 1945 American children's novel by E. B. White. It was White's first children's book, and it is now widely recognized as a classic in children's literature. ''Stuart Little'' was illustrated by the subsequently award-winnin ...
'', was published in 1945, and '' Charlotte's Web'' followed in 1952. ''
Stuart Little ''Stuart Little'' is a 1945 American children's novel by E. B. White. It was White's first children's book, and it is now widely recognized as a classic in children's literature. ''Stuart Little'' was illustrated by the subsequently award-winnin ...
'' initially received a lukewarm welcome from the literary community. However, both books went on to receive high acclaim, and '' Charlotte's Web'' won a
Newbery Honor Newbery is a surname. People * Chantelle Newbery (born 1977), Australian Olympic diver * David Newbery (born 1943), British economist *Eduardo Newbery (1878–1908), Argentine odontologist and aerostat pilot * Francis Newbery (disambiguation), s ...
from the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
, though it lost out on winning the Newbery Medal to '' Secret of the Andes'' by
Ann Nolan Clark Ann Nolan Clark, born Anna Marie Nolan (December 5, 1896 – December 13, 1995), was an American writer who won the 1953 Newbery Medal. Biography Born in Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1896, Clark graduated from New Mexico Normal School (now New Mexic ...
. White received the
Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal The Children's Literature Legacy Award (known as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal until 2018) is a prize awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to writers or illustrat ...
from the U.S. professional children's librarians in 1970. It recognized his "substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature." That year, he was also the U.S. nominee and eventual runner-up for the biennial
Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...
, as he was again in 1976. Also, in 1970, White's third children's novel was published, ''
The Trumpet of the Swan ''The Trumpet of the Swan'' is a children's novel by E. B. White published in 1970. It tells the story of Louis (pronounced "LOO-ee" by the author in the audiobook, a reference to trumpeter Louis Armstrong, a point that is made explicit in the ...
''. In 1973 it won the Sequoyah Award from Oklahoma and the
William Allen White Award The William Allen White Children's Book Award is a set of two annual awards for books selected by vote of Kansas schoolchildren from lists prepared by committee. As a single award it was established in 1952 by Ruth Garver Gagliardo, a children's ...
from Kansas, both selected by students voting for their favorite book of the year. In 2012, the ''
School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
'' sponsored a survey of readers, which identified ''Charlotte's Web'' as the best children's novel ("fictional title for readers 9–12" years old). The librarian who conducted it said, "It is impossible to conduct a poll of this sort and expect hite's novelto be anywhere but #1."


Awards and honors

*1953
Newbery Honor Newbery is a surname. People * Chantelle Newbery (born 1977), Australian Olympic diver * David Newbery (born 1943), British economist *Eduardo Newbery (1878–1908), Argentine odontologist and aerostat pilot * Francis Newbery (disambiguation), s ...
for ''Charlotte's Web'' *1960
American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal Two American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medals are awarded each year by the academy for distinguished achievement. The two awards are taken in rotation from these categories: *Belles Lettres and Criticism, and Painting; *Biography and Mus ...
*1963
Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...
*1970
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award The Children's Literature Legacy Award (known as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal until 2018) is a prize awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to writers or illustrat ...
*1971 National Medal for Literature *1977 L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award, ''Letters of E.B. White'' *1978 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for Letters


Other

The E.B. White Read Aloud Award The E.B. White Read Aloud Award was established in 2004 by The Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC) to honor books that its membership felt embodied the universal read aloud standards that were created by the work of the author E.B. Whit ...
is given by The Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC) to honor books that its membership feel embodies the universal read-aloud standards that E.B. White's works created.


Bibliography


Books

*''Less than Nothing, or, The Life and Times of Sterling Finny'' (1927) * * *'' Ho Hum: Newsbreaks from the New Yorker'' (1931). Intro by E.B. White, and much of the text as well. *''Alice Through the Cellophane'', John Day (1933) *''Every Day is Saturday'', Harper (1934) *''Quo Vadimus: or The Case for the Bicycle'', Harper (1938) *''
A Subtreasury of American Humor ''A Subtreasury of American Humor'' is a 1941 anthology edited by E. B. White and Katharine Sergeant Angell White, Katharine White, of contemporary United States humor writers. Both editors were long-time contributors of ''The New Yorker'', and t ...
'' (1941). Co-edited with Katherine S. White. *'' One Man's Meat'' (1942): A collection of his columns from '' Harper's Magazine'' *''The Wild Flag: Editorials From The New Yorker On Federal World Government And Other Matters'' (1943) *''
Stuart Little ''Stuart Little'' is a 1945 American children's novel by E. B. White. It was White's first children's book, and it is now widely recognized as a classic in children's literature. ''Stuart Little'' was illustrated by the subsequently award-winnin ...
'' (1945) *''Here Is New York'' (1949) *'' Charlotte's Web'' (1952) *''The Second Tree from the Corner'' (1954) *''
The Elements of Style ''The Elements of Style'' is an American English writing style guide in numerous editions. The original was written by William Strunk Jr. in 1918, and published by Harcourt in 1920, comprising eight "elementary rules of usage", ten "elementary ...
'' (with
William Strunk Jr. William Strunk Jr. (July 1, 1869 – September 26, 1946) was an American professor of English language, English at Cornell University and author of ''The Elements of Style'' (1918). After revision and enlargement by his former student E. B. White, ...
) (1959, republished 1972, 1979, 1999, 2005) *''The Points of My Compass'' (1962) *''
The Trumpet of the Swan ''The Trumpet of the Swan'' is a children's novel by E. B. White published in 1970. It tells the story of Louis (pronounced "LOO-ee" by the author in the audiobook, a reference to trumpeter Louis Armstrong, a point that is made explicit in the ...
'' (1970) *''Letters of E.B. White'' (1976) *''Essays of E.B. White'' (1977) *''Poems and Sketches of E.B. White'' (1981) *''Writings from "The New Yorker"'' (1990) *''In the Words of E.B. White'' (2011) *''The Fox of Peapack'' *''Farewell to Model T'' *''An E.B. White Reader''. Edited by William W. Watt and Robert W. Bradford.


Essays and reporting

* * *


References


External links


"E.B. White, The Art of the Essay No. 1"
''
The Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published works by Jack Kerouac, Phil ...
'', Fall 1969 – interview by George Plimpton and Frank H. Crowther * (audio-video)
miNYstories
based on ''Here Is New York'' * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:White, E.B. 1899 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American essayists 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American poets 20th-century American short story writers American children's writers American cultural critics American humorists American letter writers American male essayists American male journalists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male poets American male short story writers American opinion journalists American people of Scottish descent American social commentators Anthologists American copywriters Cornell University alumni Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Humor researchers Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal winners Deaths from dementia in Maine The New Yorker people The New Yorker staff writers Newbery Honor winners Novelists from Maine Novelists from New York (state) People from Brooklin, Maine Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Pulitzer Prize winners Seattle Post-Intelligencer people The Seattle Times people Social critics Urban theorists Writers about activism and social change Writers from Mount Vernon, New York Writers of books about writing fiction Writers of style guides Hanna-Barbera people Mount Vernon High School (New York) alumni Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters