Edward McMaken Eager
Edward McMaken Eager was an American author born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1911, known for his contributions to children's literature and theater. After spending time at Harvard University and achieving early success with his play "A Pudding Full of Plums," Eager moved to New York City, where he expanded his career into radio, television, and lyric-writing. He collaborated with Alfred Drake on plays such as "The Liar" and "The Gambler" and wrote lyrics for musicals like "Sing Out Sweet Land."
Eager's most notable works are his fantasy novels for children, beginning with "Half Magic," published in 1952, which follows four siblings who find a magic coin that grants partial wishes. This book, along with subsequent titles like "Knight's Castle" and "Magic by the Lake," blends magical elements with everyday life, drawing inspiration from the works of British author E. Nesbit. Eager's storytelling often incorporates historical contexts and literary references, appealing to young readers through imaginative adventures.
He was married to Jane Eberly and had one son, Fritz, who inspired Eager's poetry collection "Red Head." Eager's literary legacy includes several award-winning books, culminating in "Seven-Day Magic," which allows children to travel through time with a library book. Eager passed away from lung cancer in 1964, leaving behind a significant impact on children's literature.
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Edward McMaken Eager
Writer
- Born: 1911
- Birthplace: Toledo, Ohio
- Died: October 23, 1964
- Place of death: Stamford, Connecticut
Biography
Edward McMaken Eager was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1911. He attended the Tome School in Towson, Maryland, but spent summers in the Indiana countryside. He studied at Harvard University. However, after the early success of a play he authored, A Pudding Full of Plums, he decided to leave the university before completing his degree work.
Eager relocated to New York City, continued to write plays, and broke into radio, television, and lyric-writing. He coauthored the plays The Liar, The Gambler, Dr. Willy Nilly, and Rugantino with Alfred Drake. Eager wrote the lyrics for several musicals, including the 1944 productions of Sing Out Sweet Land and Dream with Music, and prepared several operas for television, such as NBC-TV broadcasts of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, and Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underground.
At the age of twenty-seven, he married Jane Eberly, a former classmate. They had one child, a son named Fritz. In 1951, when Eager was forty years old, he published his first book for children. Entitled Red Head, the book of poetry was dedicated to his redheaded son. In 1953, the family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut, where Eager introduced his son to the joys of the outdoors that he had known as a boy. The setting also inspired Eager to write the children’s books that made him famous.
A year later, Eager published Half Magic, the first in a series of fantasy books that were popular with seven- to twelve-year-old readers. Another book in the series, Knight’s Castle, won the Ohioana Book Award for 1957. It was followed by Magic by the Lake and The Time Garden. The series is set in Eager’s native Ohio and follows the adventures of four siblings who find a magic coin that grants half of each wish they make. Since the children are avid readers, many of their wishes are literary, such as a visit to King Arthur’s court. Knight’s Castle is set in Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. The Time Garden introduces a magical toad named Natterjack and a magical thyme plant that help the children travel back to the American Revolution and the Civil War eras. The children from E. Nesbit’s The Phoenix and the Carpet also appear in this volume. Edith Nesbit was the British author of both realistic and magical adventure stories for children, such as The Wouldbegoods and the Psammead series, of which The Phoenix and the Carpet is the second volume. Eager acknowledged Nesbit’s work as the inspiration for his stories. However, in Nesbit’s works, magical and realistic worlds remain distinct, while in Eager’s stories, magic elements appear amid the everyday.
Eager produced three additional fantasy books, and the final book, Seven-Day Magic, also won an Ohioana Book Award for 1963. In this book, children are able to travel in time with the aid of a library book. Eager died of lung cancer the following year.