Russell Hoban (1925–2011)
Author of Bread and Jam for Frances
About the Author
Russell Hoban was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania on February 4, 1925. He attended art school in Philadelphia and during World War II, he served in the Army and earned a Bronze Star. He taught art in New York and Connecticut, and also worked as an advertising copywriter and a freelance illustrator show more before beginning his career as a writer. He began publishing children's books in the late 1950s, including What Does It Do and How Does It Work?, Bedtime for Frances and the six other books featuring Frances, The Story of Hester Mouse Who Became a Writer, What Happened When Jack and Daisy Tried to Fool the Tooth Fairies, and The Mouse and His Child, which was adapted as an animated film in 1977. In 1973, he published his first adult novel, The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz. His other books for adults include Turtle Diary, Pilgermann, and Ridley Walker. He received the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award for Ridley Walker. He died on December 13 at the age of 86. In 2015 he made the Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist for his title Jim's Lion wth illlustrator Alexis Deacon. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Photograph courtesy of Lisa Greenstein, 2005.
Series
Works by Russell Hoban
Riddley Walker / The Medusa Frequency 43 copies
How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen/ A Near Thing for Captain Najork (Flippers 2 Books in 1) (1974) 14 copies
What does it do and how does it work?: Power shovel, dump truck, and other heavy machines (1959) 4 copies
The Second Mrs Kong 2 copies
Dark Oliver 1 copy
A Bargain for Frances ; Best Friends for Frances ; Egg Thoughts & other Frances Songs ; Glynis Johns 1 copy
Bernard Le Clochard 1 copy
Associated Works
The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud (1998) — Author — 1,548 copies
The Vintage Book of Amnesia: An Anthology of Writing on the Subject of Memory Loss (2000) — Contributor — 216 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 1, September 1976 — Contributor — 2 copies
Turtle Diary [1985 film] — Original story — 1 copy
The Marizipan Pig [1990 TV episode] — Original book — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Hoban, Russell
- Legal name
- Hoban, Russell Conwell
- Birthdate
- 1925-02-04
- Date of death
- 2011-12-13
- Burial location
- Mortlake Crematorium, London
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA
- Place of death
- London, England, UK
- Cause of death
- congestive heart failure
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA
Wilton, Connecticut, USA - Education
- Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art
- Occupations
- novelist
advertising artist
advertising copywriter
children's book author
TV art director
illustrator (show all 7)
librettist - Relationships
- Hoban, Lillian (wife)
Hoban, Brom (son)
Hoban, Tana (sister)
Hoban, Phoebe (daughter)
Hoban, Wieland (son) - Organizations
- United States Army (WWII)
- Awards and honors
- Bronze Star
Whitbread Book Award (1974)
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1982)
Members
Discussions
Young Reader series, about a family of skunks or badgers? in Name that Book (January 2012)
Children's book about clockwork mice in Name that Book (April 2009)
Reviews
Lists
Five star books (1)
Favourite Books (1)
Sonlight Books (2)
Best Dystopias (1)
Backlisted (1)
Unread books (1)
Read These Too (1)
al.vick-series (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 109
- Also by
- 27
- Members
- 25,750
- Popularity
- #813
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 446
- ISBNs
- 703
- Languages
- 16
- Favorited
- 59
Quirky middle-aged single introverts ✅ mild existential introspection ✅ environmentally conscious anti-establishment animal rescue ✅ Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban couldn’t fail in seducing me with it’s heartwarming tale. The two said introverts coincidentally (due to the fact they don’t know each other) decide at the same time to do something about the two giant sea turtles at their local zoo which are kept cramped in a tiny tank. The turtles serve as the fulcrum to the lives of Neaera H. a scatty children’s author and new owner of a stolid water beetle and William G. a hard-up divorcee who has lost everything to his ex-wife, but this isn’t a particularly sentimental or predictable tale. It is rather an examination on middle age, loneliness, authenticity and self awareness.
The second role of the turtles is a metaphorical one: they are a symbol of being true to oneself, of concentrating on what is important in your life and accepting who you are. I have collected a lot of Hoban’s works after I read a review drawing comparisons between him and #kurtvonnegut. After my first venture I wouldn’t particularly agree with this, however there is no doubt he was a talented writer and I’m looking forward to the ten or so others of his books I’ve bought, happy in the knowledge he’s good and my unrestrained purchasing seems like it won’t end up being foolish!… (more)