Evangeline Walton
Evangeline Walton, born Evangeline Ensley on November 24, 1907, in Indianapolis, Indiana, was a notable author known for her adaptations of mythological themes, particularly from Celtic origins. Suffering from recurring health issues, including pneumonia, throughout her childhood, she was home-schooled and developed a deep interest in mythology through extensive reading. In the 1940s, she relocated to Tucson, Arizona, seeking a more favorable climate. Walton's writing career began in earnest in the mid-1930s, and she is best remembered for her quartet based on the Welsh mythological cycle, the Mabinogion, as well as her historical novels set during the Viking invasion of Britain. A feminist voice in her time, her works emphasized the significance of women throughout history and often embraced themes of nature's femininity. Throughout her career, she received several accolades, including a Special World Fantasy Award in 1985 and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989. Additionally, Walton was engaged in various cultural pursuits such as dancing, opera, and travel. She passed away from pneumonia on March 11, 1996, after battling lung cancer.
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Evangeline Walton
Author
- Born: November 24, 1907
- Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Died: March 11, 1996
Biography
Evangeline Walton was the pseudonym of Evangeline Ensley. She was born on November 24, 1907, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the daughter of Marion Edmund Ensley and Wilma Eunice (née Coyney) Ensley. As a child, Walton suffered from recurring pneumonia most winters. She was treated with silver nitrate, which left her with a permanent subcutaneous residue that turned her skin blue gray for the rest of her life. An understandable sensitivity about her appearance caused her to be somewhat reclusive.
As a result of her poor health, she was educated at home by a number of private tutors and by her great-aunt, Calista Fellows. During her childhood she read extensively from several libraries and became particularly interested in mythology. In the 1940’s, she moved to Arizona for the climate and lived in Tucson until her death.
Walton had been a storyteller and a writer from childhood. Short stories written in her twenties finally saw print in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. When she started writing seriously in the mid-1930’s she adopted the name of a Walton ancestor because that part of the family had Native American blood. Her first novel, The Virgin and the Swine, was published in 1936. Many of her novels were adaptations of Celtic myth and she is best known for the quartet of books that were an adaptation of the Welsh myth cycle, the Mabinogion. She was something of a feminist long before the term was coined as her fiction pays tribute to the importance of women in the past. She openly adheres to the principle that the earth, then and now, is inherently feminine. She also wrote several historical novels set at the time of the Viking invasion of Britain.
Walton received a Special World Fantasy Award in 1985 and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention in 1989. She as a member of The National Association of American Pen Women, The Society of Friends, and the Opera Guild of Southern Arizona. Her other interests included dancing, both ballroom and ballet, opera, travel, history, and mythology. In 1965, Walton underwent surgery for lung cancer. She died of pneumonia on March 11, 1996.