Margery Bianco
Margery Bianco, originally born Margery Williams in England on July 22, 1881, was a notable author best known for her children’s literature. After moving to the United States with her family in 1890, she experienced a diverse upbringing that influenced her writing. Although she began her literary career with novels for adults, it was the publication of "The Velveteen Rabbit" in 1922 that marked a significant turning point, leading her to focus primarily on children's stories. This beloved tale, which explores themes of love and the transformation of toys into real companions, resonated with readers and set the tone for her subsequent works. Bianco also authored a range of other children's books, often incorporating elements of animal affection and adventure, such as "Poor Cecco" and "The Adventures of Andy." Throughout her career, she garnered critical acclaim, including the Newbery Honor Book Medal for "Winterbound" in 1936. Bianco's contributions to literature have left a lasting legacy, particularly in the realm of children's fiction, and she continued to write until her passing on September 4, 1944. Her work remains cherished for its imaginative storytelling and emotional depth.
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Subject Terms
Margery Bianco
- Born: July 22, 1881
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: September 4, 1944
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Margery Bianco was born Margery Williams in England on July 22, 1881. Her father, a barrister who died in 1888, had liberal views on education that included encouraging his two young daughters to learn to read and to develop a wide variety of interests. Bianco moved with her family to the United States in 1890, first to New York and then to a farm in Pennsylvania. Over the next seven years, she traveled back and forth between the United States and England, receiving little formal education outside of her schooling at the Convent School in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, where she studied from 1896 to 1898. She wrote her first novel, The Late Returning, when she was seventeen, although it was not published until 1902. Three more novels followed in quick succession: Spendthrift Summer (1903), The Price of Youth (1904), and The Bar (1906). Like most of her writing for adults, these books stirred little interest after their initial releases. An exception was The Thing in the Woods (1913), a werewolf tale set in rural Pennsylvania and filled with local color that Williams had absorbed during her years in the United States. In 1924, a slightly revised edition appeared in the United States attributed to Harper Williams, though the degree to which Williams was involved with its publication is unknown.
In 1904 Margery Bianco married Francesco Bianco, who later worked as a manager in the rare books department of Brentano’s in Paris. The couple lived in London between 1904 and 1907, and they had two children, Cecco and Pamela (who would earn distinction as an artist and illustrate one of her mother’s books). The Biancos settled in Paris in 1907, and Margery Bianco’s years there inspired an illustrated book, Paris (1910). The family moved back to London in 1911, and then in 1914 to Turin, where Francesco had attended school. Francesco’s service in the Italian army kept the family in Italy through the end of World War I. In 1921, the family moved again to the United States. The following year saw a turning point in Bianco’s writing: She published The Velveteen Rabbit: Or, How Toys Become Real, which had been inspired in part by Bianco’s discovery of Walter de la Mare’s fantasies for children readers several years before. The story of a toy rabbit brought to life through the love of its young owner, The Velveteen Rabbit marked a shift in her career; Bianco now began to write for younger readers. The book also introduced a theme—toys that come to life through the sentimental attachments of children—that would serve as the basis for much of her writing for the next few years, including Poor Cecco: The Wonderful Story of a Wonderful Wooden Dog Who Was the Jolliest Toy in the House Until He Went Out to Explore the World (1925), The Little Wooden Doll (1925), The Adventures of Andy (1927) and The Skin Horse (1927). These books were also infused with a love for animals, which Bianco would elaborate along different lines in The Apple Tree (1926), The Good Friends (1934), the story collection More About Animals (1934), and the nonfiction book All About Pets (1929). Bianco was awarded the Newbery Honor Book Medal for Winterbound (1936), about a teenager’s management of a household of children in the absence of parental supervision. With Other People’s Houses (1939), is generally regarded a forerunner of contemporary genre of young adult fiction. Bianco’s final years included several picture books, among them Forward, Commandos! (1944), the last book published in her lifetime. She died after a brief illness on September 4, 1944.