Literate Lifetime
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Lofting, Hugh, 1886-1947We have 2 books for this author.
Hugh John Lofting (Maidenhead, Berkshire, England January 14, 1886 - Topanga, California September 26, 1947) was a British author, trained as a civil engineer, who created the character of Doctor Dolittle — one of the classics of children's literature. After serving in World War I, in which he was seriously wounded, he and his family moved to Connecticut in the U.S.A. He was married three times and had three children, one of whom, his son Christopher, is the executor of his literary estate. "For years it was a constant source of shock to me to find my writings amongst 'Juveniles,'" Lofting reported. "It does not bother me any more now, but I still feel there should be a category of 'Seniles' to offset the epithet." Doctor Dolittle
 Hugh Lofting's doctor from Puddleby-on-the-Marsh who could speak to animals first saw light in the author's illustrated letters to children, written from the trenches during World War I when actual news, he later said, was either too horrible or too dull. The stories are set in early Victorian England. The Story of Doctor Dolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts Never Before Printed (1920) began the series. The sequel, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922), won Lofting the prestigious Newbery Medal. Eight more books followed, and after Lofting's death two more volumes, composed of short unpublished pieces, appeared. The series has been adapted for film and television many times, for stage twice, and for radio. Other Works for Children
The Story of Mrs Tubbs (1923) and Tommy, Tilly, and Mrs. Tubbs (1936) are picture books aimed at a younger audience than the Doctor Dolittle books. They concern the titular old woman, her pets (whom she can talk to) and how the animals help her out of trouble. Porridge Poetry (1924), is the only non-Dolittle work by Lofting still in print, and is a light-hearted, colourfully illustrated book of poems for children. Noisy Nora (1929), is a cautionary tale about a girl who is a noisy eater. The book is printed as if hand-written, and the many illustrations often merge with the text. The Twilight of Magic (1930) is, by contrast, aimed for older readers set in an age when magic is dying and science beginning. This work is the only one of Lofting's books to be illustrated by another (Lois Lenski). Epic poem
Victory for the Slain (1942) is Lofting's only work for adults, a single long poem in seven parts about the futility of war; the refrain "In war the only victors are the slain" permeates the poem. It was published only in the United Kingdom. Bibliography
External links
This biographical information was gathered from the Hugh_Lofting page, courtesy of the Wikipedia project. BooksThe Story of Doctor DolittleThe Voyages of Dr. Dolittle |
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