George Selden
George Selden was a notable 20th-century children's author from Connecticut, whose literary contributions are characterized by their imaginative themes and engaging narratives. Born to a doctor and a music-loving mother, Selden's early interests in nature, archaeology, and literature shaped his future pursuits. He attended Loomis Preparatory School and Yale University, where he was an active member of the literary community. After receiving a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Italy, he returned to the U.S. in the mid-1950s to pursue writing, initially struggling with playwriting before finding his niche in children's literature.
Selden's first significant work, "The Dog That Could Swim Under Water," set the stage for his later success, though he was not particularly fond of it. He became widely recognized for "The Cricket in Times Square," inspired by a subway experience, which earned him a Newbery Honor and marked a departure from traditional rural animal stories to urban settings. This book led to a beloved series that included "Tucker's Countryside," which received the Christopher Book Award. Throughout his career, Selden also engaged in archaeological studies and authored biographies of historical figures. He passed away in the late 1980s, leaving behind a legacy of over fifteen published works that continue to resonate with young readers.
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George Selden
Author
- Born: May 14, 1929
- Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut
- Died: December 5, 1989
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
George Selden, a twentieth century children’s author, was born in Connecticut to Hartwell Green Thompson, a doctor, and Sigrid Thompson. In childhood, Selden developed a love of nature, archaeology, and music (particularly opera, through his mother’s influence). Selden attended Loomis Preparatory School from 1943 to 1947, and he received his bachelor of arts degree from Yale University in 1951. While at Yale, Selden was a member of the Elizabethan Club and contributed regularly to the Yale literary magazine. In 1951, Selden received a Fulbright Scholarship to travel to Perugia and Rome, Italy, where he studied Latin and Greek.
In the mid-1950’s, Selden returned to the United States and settled in New York City, where he hoped to begin his writing career. He allowed himself three years to launch his career, and it began unsuccessfully with some failed attempts at play writing Through a friend at Viking publishing house, Selden was encouraged to try children’s books. Selden did not hold his first book, The Dog That Could Swim Under Water: Memoirs of a Springer Spaniel in high regard, but critics note that it contains themes and stylistic hallmarks that he would later perfect in other books.
Throughout the late 1950’s, he published several well- received children’s titles. Most of these works centered on the theme of talking animals, which Selden used to satirize human behavior by putting the animals in unlikely situations or foreign worlds. The inspiration for Selden’s most-noted work came one evening as he was riding the subway and heard a cricket chirping in the Times Square subway station. The chirping cricket inspired Selden’s book The Cricket in Times Square, which became a Newbery Honor winner and was the first children’s animal story set entirely in an urban world.
The Cricket in Times Square was a best seller and grew into a series of seven titles. This series included the popular book titled Tucker’s Countryside, which won the 1969 Christopher Book Award. Selden also received the William Allen White Children’s Book Award in 1978 for his book titled Harry Cat’s Pet Puppy.
In addition to his work as a children’s author, Selden continued to pursue his interests in archaeology and in writing biographies of Heinrich Schleimann (who discovered ancient Troy) and Sir Arthur Evans (who discovered the remains to ancient Minoa). He lived the remainder of his life in New York City, where he produced more than fifteen books before his death from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the late 1980’s.