Brian Jacques, 1939-2011
I read this sad news last night while browsing Churchill’s Cigar: Brian Jacques, the author of the Redwall series of children’s books, died on Sunday after emergency heart surgery. He was 71.
Here is the link to his NYT eulogy: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/arts/09jacques.html.
Like Bobblehead and many other Millennials, I was also addicted to the Redwall books. I read the first installment, Redwall, in sixth grade and was mesmerized by the writing and story; I went on to read Mossflower, Mattimeo, and Salamandastron that year. It was the Harry Potter of our childhood (minus the insanity and nerdiness), and I remember being jealous when a friend became the first person to check out The Bellmaker from the school library. For the next few weeks I hounded him to finish it.
When I was in fifth grade, Jacques paid a visit to Grant Wood as part of a grand tour of Iowa City elementary schools. (Bobblehead mentioned seeing him at Hoover.) He sat near the entrance of the gym in the same blue plastic chair we used in our classrooms, and the students sat cross-legged in a fan around him. Being the second oldest in the school, we got a front row seat. His visit was a huge deal, but at the time I had no clue who he was. Like I said, I read Redwall a year later, so I was unfamiliar with his work. I knew he was an author, and the interest and excitement he drew from our teachers and librarians was palpable, but he did not spark any interest in me. During his talk, Jacques bitched out a rambunctious classmate of mine who was acting up, and I remember thinking that was insanely cool. I have always regretted not reading Redwall before his visit. Damn you, R.L. Stine!
Though I came to a point when I could no longer read novels about anthropomorphic mice, squirrels, and badgers, Jacques’s work influenced me a lot and I enjoyed reading his series. The children’s literary world has lost a legend.
Here is the link to his NYT eulogy: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/arts/09jacques.html.
Like Bobblehead and many other Millennials, I was also addicted to the Redwall books. I read the first installment, Redwall, in sixth grade and was mesmerized by the writing and story; I went on to read Mossflower, Mattimeo, and Salamandastron that year. It was the Harry Potter of our childhood (minus the insanity and nerdiness), and I remember being jealous when a friend became the first person to check out The Bellmaker from the school library. For the next few weeks I hounded him to finish it.
When I was in fifth grade, Jacques paid a visit to Grant Wood as part of a grand tour of Iowa City elementary schools. (Bobblehead mentioned seeing him at Hoover.) He sat near the entrance of the gym in the same blue plastic chair we used in our classrooms, and the students sat cross-legged in a fan around him. Being the second oldest in the school, we got a front row seat. His visit was a huge deal, but at the time I had no clue who he was. Like I said, I read Redwall a year later, so I was unfamiliar with his work. I knew he was an author, and the interest and excitement he drew from our teachers and librarians was palpable, but he did not spark any interest in me. During his talk, Jacques bitched out a rambunctious classmate of mine who was acting up, and I remember thinking that was insanely cool. I have always regretted not reading Redwall before his visit. Damn you, R.L. Stine!
Though I came to a point when I could no longer read novels about anthropomorphic mice, squirrels, and badgers, Jacques’s work influenced me a lot and I enjoyed reading his series. The children’s literary world has lost a legend.
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