Elizabeth Enright
Elizabeth Enright (1909-1969) was an American author and illustrator renowned for her contributions to children's literature. Born in Oak Park, Illinois, she grew up in New York City and developed an early passion for art, which led her to study at the Art Students League in New York and in Paris. Enright initially pursued a career as an illustrator, collaborating with various authors during the 1930s. However, she gained recognition as a writer after creating her first children's book, "Kintu: A Congo Adventure," in 1935.
Her work is characterized by its engaging plots and vivid characterizations, often reflecting both the challenges and joys of childhood. Notably, she won the Newbery Award for her book "Thimble Summer" in 1939 and received further accolades for "Gone-Away Lake," which was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1963. In addition to her children's books, Enright wrote short stories for adults and taught creative writing at Barnard College. Her literary legacy is marked by a blend of humor and optimism, celebrating family life and childhood experiences. Enright passed away in 1969 and is remembered as a significant figure in American literature.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Elizabeth Enright
Children's Literature Writer
- Born: September 17, 1909
- Birthplace: Oak Park, Illinois
- Died: June 8, 1968
- Place of death: Wainscot, Long Island, New York
Biography
Elizabeth Enright was born on September 17, 1909, in Oak Park, Illinois. Her father, Walter Enright, was a political cartoonist; her mother, Maginel Wright Enright, was a book and magazine illustrator and sister of the great American architectFrank Lloyd Wright. Enright spent summers on her uncle Frank’s farm in Spring Green, Wisconsin, but she grew up in New York, where her parents relocated soon after her birth. She early on had artistic leanings, starting to draw at age three. Intending to become an illustrator after she graduated from high school, she studied in Greenwich, Connecticut, and at the Art Students League in New York City between 1927 and 1929. During part of 1930 she studied in Paris, France. In 1930, she also married Robert M. Gillham, and the union produced three sons.
In the 1930’s, she illustrated several children’s books written by authors Marian King and Nellie M. Rowe. She began writing her own stories when a set of drawings she had been working on inspired her to write a story around it; the result was her first children’s book, Kintu: A Congo Adventure, published in 1935. She continued writing children’s books, using her own children’s interests and reading levels to help her create stories that would intrigue other young readers. She also wrote short stories for adult readers, publishing in such periodicals as Ladies Home Journal, Harper’s Magazine, Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, and The New Yorker. Her reviews of children’s literature appeared in the The New York Times Book Review, and from 1960 to 1962 she taught creative writing at Barnard College in New York City.
In spite of these varied pursuits, Enright is best known for her children’s books. Readers enjoy them because while they depict some of the less pleasant aspects of childhood, they emphasize the joy of childhood and family life to present an optimistic, hopeful view of life. She creates keen characterizations and interesting plots, and her work conveys touches of humor.
Enright received national recognition for her work. In 1939, she won the Newbery Award for Thimble Summer, her second published book. Gone-Away Lake won the New York Herald Tribune’s Children’s Spring Book Festival Award in 1957, and Tatsinda was named one of the festival’s honor books in 1963. Also in 1963, the American Library Association nominated Gone-Away Lake for the prestigious international Hans Christian Anderson Award. Enright was given an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1966 from Nasson College in Springvale, Maine. Her career successfully spanned writing and illustration, combining her love and talent for art with her love of writing. Her children’s novels, her short stories for adults, her literary criticism, and her creative writing instruction formed a well-respected career. She died in 1969 at her home in Wainscot, Long Island, New York, and was buried near her childhood retreat of Spring Green, Wisconsin.