Irene Hunt
Irene Hunt was an American author and educator born on May 18, 1907, in Pontiac, Illinois. After the loss of her father at a young age, she grew up on her grandparents' farm, where her grandfather's storytelling inspired her narrative style. Hunt began her career as a teacher, instructing French and English in Illinois and later teaching psychology at the University of South Dakota. Her writing journey began out of a desire to provide her students with quality historical fiction, leading to the publication of her first novel, *Across Five Aprils*, in 1964. This book, rooted in the experiences of the Civil War, quickly gained acclaim and recognition as a classic in children's literature, earning a Newbery Honor. Following this success, she published *Up a Road Slowly*, which won the Newbery Medal in 1967 and explored themes of loss and growth. Throughout her life, Hunt authored several novels that tackled various subjects, although her initial works remained the most celebrated. She spent her later years in Largo, Florida, before passing away on her 94th birthday in 2001. Her literary contributions are noted for their strong character development and historical authenticity, resonating not just in the U.S. but also internationally.
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Irene Hunt
Writer
- Born: May 18, 1907
- Birthplace: Pontiac, Illinois
- Died: May 18, 2001
- Place of death: Champaign, Illinois
Biography
Irene Hunt was born on May 18, 1907, in Pontiac, Illinois, the daughter of Franklin P. Hunt and Sarah Land Hunt. Her father died when she was about seven years old, and the feelings of loss and sadness haunted her throughout her life. She and her mother moved to her grandparents’ farm, where sher grew close to her grandfather, a veteran of the Civil War with a love for telling stories.
Hunt was a teacher before she became a writer. From 1930 to 1945, she taught French and English in Oak Park, Illinois. She attended college during those years, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1939. She completed a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in 1946. Hunt taught psychology at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion from 1946 until 1950, when she returned to Illinois. From 1950 to 1965, she taught in the public schools in Cicero, Illinois, and began to write because she felt that her students did not have access to good historical fiction. She worked at night at her kitchen table and submitted several manuscripts before one was accepted.
Her first novel, Across Five Aprils, was published in 1964. It is the story of a young boy’s experiences as his world and family changes during the Civil War. Many of the details and events in the novel grew out of the stories Hunt’s grandfather had told her years before. The book was immediately popular with critics and teachers. It was designated a children’s book because of the age of its protagonist, although Hunt had not written the novel with a particular readership in mind. With the success of Across Five Aprils, Hunt left teaching to concentrate on writing, although she continued to work as an educational consultant. For her next book, Up a Road Slowly, Hunt drew on her own experiences to tell the story of a seven-year-old girl who loses her mother and over ten years comes to terms with her loss. Hunt wrote six more novels dealing with the story of Johnny Appleseed, the Great Depression, women’s suffrage, and race, among other subjects. These sold well but did not reach the popularity or critical recognition of her first two books.
After living most of her life in Illinois, Hunt retired to Largo, Florida, in the late 1990’s. She died in Champaign, Illinois, on May 18, 2001, her ninety-fourth birthday. Hunt’s work is recognized for its strong characterization and historical accuracy. Although her characters and settings are American, several of her novels have been published in Canada, Europe, and South Africa. Across Five Aprils and Up a Road Slowly are considered classics of children’s literature and have each won several important awards. Across Five Aprils was an American Library Association Notable Book and a Newbery Honor Book in 1965. Up a Road Slowly won the Newbery Medal in 1967. The Everlasting Hills won the Parents’ Choice Award.