Isabelle Holland
Isabelle Holland was a Swiss-American author born on June 16, 1920, in Basel, Switzerland. Raised in various locations due to her father's work with the U.S. Foreign Service, she had a diverse educational background, attending schools in Guatemala, St. Louis, and England. Holland pursued higher education at the University of Liverpool and later earned a B.A. from Tulane University. Her career began in the U.S. War Department's Censorship Bureau, and she subsequently worked in publishing and publicity for notable companies, including Crown Publishers and G. P. Putnam's Sons. Holland initially wrote fiction for adults but found success writing children's and young adult literature, with her works praised for their characterizations and realism. Despite some criticism for being overly moralistic, she received accolades, including a National Book Award finalist designation and recognition from the Church and Synagogue Library Association. Holland's literary contributions extended to short stories and a film adaptation of her novel, "The Man Without a Face." She passed away on February 9, 2002, in New York City, leaving behind a legacy in children's literature.
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Isabelle Holland
Writer
- Born: June 16, 1920
- Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland
- Died: February 9, 2002
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Isabelle Holland was born on June 16, 1920, in Basel, Switzerland, to American citizens, Philip Holland, a consul with the U.S. Foreign Service, and Corabelle Anderson Holland. When she was three years old, her father was posted to Guatemala City, Guatemala, and the family moved there; Holland entered the United States for the first time en route to her new home. Her nanny, Bridget (Dolly) Moore, took care of Holland and her older brother in Switzerland and Guatemala.
Holland studied at a small school in Guatemala operated by a missionary’s wife. When she was seven, she attended school in St. Louis, Missouri, before moving to Birkdale, near Liverpool, England. She attended private and boarding schools in England, where she usually was the sole American pupil. She enjoyed writing, winning a story competition sponsored by Tiger Tim magazine.
In 1938, Holland enrolled at the University of Liverpool. Two years later, she moved with her mother to the United States because Joseph Kennedy, the American ambassador to Great Britain, mandated that dependents of State Department officials leave England during World War II. Holland and her mother resided in her uncle’s home at New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1942, Holland completed a B.A. at Tulane University’s Sophie Newcomb College and then accepted employment with the U.S. War Department’s Censorship Bureau in New Orleans.
In 1944, Holland moved to New York City and initially worked as a secretary at Life magazine. She edited fiction, read manuscripts, and wrote copy for book advertisements for several publishers. After an extended trip to Great Britain, Holland decided to settle permanently in the United States. In 1956, she began directing publicity for Crown Publishers. By 1960, she performed publicist duties for J. P. Lippincott Company, where she oversaw the promotion of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) and befriended Lee. In 1967, Holland worked as the publisher’s assistant at Harper’s Magazine before directing publicity at G. P. Putnam’s Sons from 1968 until 1969, when she resigned to focus on her writing. Holland died on February 9, 2002, in New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Holland initially published fiction for adult readers. Her readers and editors enthusiastically responded to the child characters in her novels, leading Holland to write books for children and young adults. She also wrote short stories for such diverse magazines as Country Gentleman and Collier’s. Holland taught children’s writing classes in the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies. She took a class at The New School about Manhattan history and conducted archival research to create authentic settings for her novels.
Reviewers praised the characterizations and realism of Holland’s novels. Some critics, however, described her writing as too didactic and moralistic, and editors occasionally censored material in her books that was deemed inappropriate for children. In 1976, the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters designated Holland’s book, Of Love and Death and Other Journeys, a National Book Award finalist for children’s literature. The Church and Synagogue Library Association honored two of Holland’s novels, Abbie’s God Book and God, Mrs. Muskrat, and Aunt Dot, with its Helen Keating Ott Award in 1983. Icon Entertainment International distributed a 1993 film adaptation of Holland’s novel, The Man Without a Face.