Arthur Ransome
Arthur Ransome (1884-1967) was an English author known for his influential children's literature and his complex life as a journalist and cultural observer. Born in Leeds, he began writing at a young age and developed a passion for the Lake District, which influenced much of his work. Ransome's literary career took a significant turn when he moved to Russia in 1913, where he reported on events surrounding World War I and the Russian Revolution, engaging with key political figures like Lenin and Trotsky. His experiences in Russia helped shape his writings, including his book *Old Peter's Russian Tales* and numerous articles for British newspapers.
Returning to England, Ransome achieved great success with his children's books, particularly the *Swallows and Amazons* series, which celebrated adventure and exploration. His work garnered critical acclaim, winning awards such as the Carnegie Medal. Ransome's literature, characterized by imaginative storytelling and relatable young characters, has continued to resonate with readers, leading to the formation of fan clubs like the Arthur Ransome Society. He remains a significant figure in children's literature, with many of his works still in print and adapted for various media.
Arthur Ransome
English children's novelist, nonfiction writer, and journalist.
- Born: January 18, 1884
- Birthplace: Headingley, Leeds, Yorkshire, England
- Died: June 3, 1967
- Place of death: Manchester, England
Biography
Arthur Michell Ransome was born on January 18, 1884, at Headingley in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, to Cyril Ransome and Edith Rachel Boulton Ransome. His father taught history at Yorkshire College. Ransom started writing stories as a child and enjoyed holidays exploring the Lake District.
Ransome attended Old College in Windermere before starting studies at Rugby in 1897, the year his father died. He aspired to become a professional author, but when he briefly attended Yorkshire College he focused on science courses to appease his mother’s concern for his career possibilities. He left school when he was seventeen and settled in London, securing employment with Grant Richards, a publishing firm. Ransome enjoyed living in London, and he socialized with writers and artists. He vacationed with author W. G. Collingwood and his family in Coniston Water and other areas of the Lake District that he had enjoyed as a child. Ransome married Ivy Constance Walker on March 13, 1909. They had one daughter.
Shaken by a 1913 libel lawsuit over his critical study of Oscar Wilde and unhappily married, Ransome arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June, 1913, studied Russian, and researched native folktales. He retold some of these Russian folktales in his book, Old Peter’s Russian Tales, published in 1916. He also reported on Russia, including covering that country’s experiences during World War I and the subsequent Russian Revolution, for the Daily News. Ransome interacted with Vladimir Ilich Lenin and other prominent Bolsheviks, promoted Bolshevism in his writing, and criticized international efforts to influence Russian politics. In 1917, Ransome met Evgenia Petrovna Shelepina, who worked for Leon Trotsky and would later be his wife.
The British Foreign Office seemingly distrusted Ransome’s acceptance of Bolshevism, and he was arrested and his passport was confiscated. However, researchers in 2002 located records proving that Ransome actually was a secret agent, reporting to the British intelligence service in an attempt to impede the efforts of Russian revolutionaries. Ransome, however, described and supported the Russian Revolution in his public writings, most notably in Six Weeks in Russia, 1919 and The Crisis in Russia.
The Daily News ceased publishing Ransome’s work in 1919. Relocating to Estonia, Ransome contributed articles to the Manchester Guardian, developing a professional relationship with editor C. P. Scott, who arranged for Ransome to report from Egypt in 1924 and China during 1925 and 1926. After divorcing his wife in 1924, Ransome married Shelepina on May 8, 1924, and they settled in England.
Ransome purchased the cottage Low Ludderburn near Windermere and focused on writing fiction. His novel, Swallows and Amazons, initiated a series of children’s books featuring holiday adventures. Ransome illustrated several of his novels. He died on June 3, 1967, in the Royal Hospital at Cheadle in Manchester, England.
Critics admired Ransome’s imaginative portrayal of young characters. The British Library Association presented its debut Carnegie Medal for outstanding children’s literature in 1936 to Ransome’s novel, Pigeon Post. In 1969, the American Library Association awarded the Caldecott Medal to The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship: A Russian Tale. Many of Ransome’s novels were best-sellers worldwide, selling several million copies. Readers organized fan clubs, including the Arthur Ransome Society, to celebrate the author whose works sustained their appeal and were reprinted and adapted for film and television long after his death.
Author Works
Children's Literature:
The Child's Book of the Seasons, 1906
Nature Books for Children, 1906
Pond and Stream, 1906
Highways and Byways in Fairyland, 1906
The Things in Our Garden, 1906
A History of Story-Telling: Studies in the Development of Narrative, 1909
The Imp and the Elf and the Ogre, 1910
Old Peter's Russian Tales, 1916
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp in Rhyme, 1919
The Soldier and Death: A Russian Folk Tale Retold by Arthur Ransome, 1920
Swallows and Amazons, 1930 (illustrated by Helene Carter)
Swallowdale, 1931 (illustrated by Clifford Webb)
Peter Duck, 1932 (illustrated by Ransome)
Winter Holiday, 1933 (illustrated by Ransome)
Coot Club, 1934 (illustrated by Ransome and Carter)
Pigeon Post, 1936 (illustrated by Ransome)
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea, 1937 (illustrated by Ransome)
Secret Water, 1939 (illustrated by Ransome)
The Big Six, 1940 (illustrated by Ransome)
Missee Lee: The Swallows and Amazons in the China Seas, 1941 (illustrated by Ransome)
The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship: A Russian Tale, 1968
The Picts and the Martyrs: Or, Not Welcome At All, 1943 (illustrated by Ransome)
Great Northern?, 1947
Swallows and Amazons for Ever, 1983
The War of the Birds and the Beasts, and Other Russian Tales, 1984
Coots in the North, and Other Stories, 1988
Nonfiction:
Bohemia in London, 1907
The Book of Friendship, 1909
The Book of Love, 1909
Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Study, 1910
Oscar Wilde: A Critical Study, 1912
Radek and Ransome on Russia, 1918 (with Karl Radek)
The Truth about Russia, 1918
Six Weeks in Russia, 1919, 1919 (also known as Russia in 1919)
The Crisis in Russia, 1921
Racundra’s First Cruise, 1923
The Chinese Puzzle, 1927
Rod and Line, 1929, 1967
Fishing, 1955
Mainly about Fishing, 1959
The Autobiography of Arthur Ransome, 1976
Wereham Memories: Horse-Work and Horse-Play, Reminiscences of a Norfolk Horseman, 1994
Arthur Ransome in Revolutionary Russia, 1995
Signalling from Mars: Letters of Arthur Ransome, 1997
Ransome the Artist: Sketches, Illustrations, and Paintings, 1998
Racundra’s Third Cruise, 2002
Arthur Ransome’s Long-Lost Study of Robert Louis Stevenson, 1954, 2011
Edited Texts:
Voyage Alone in the Yawl Rob Roy by John MacGregor, 2001
Bibliography
“Arthur Ransome.” The Arthur Ransome Society (TARS), www.arthur-ransome.org.uk/?page‗id=46. Accessed 15 June 2017. A brief biography of Ransome, with links to a bibliography of his works, a timeline of his life, and further reading and resources.
Chambers, Roland. The Last Englishman: The Double Life of Arthur Ransome. David R. Godine, Publisher, 2012. A biography of Ransome.
Chambers, Roland. “Whose Side Was He On?” The Guardian, 10 Mar. 2005, www.theguardian.com/world/2005/mar/10/russia.books. Accessed 15 June 2017. Examines the so-called secret life of Ransome in light of the UK National Archives’ release of papers that proved the author was a spy and possibly a double agent.
Lovelock, Julian. Swallows, Amazons and Coots: A Reading of Arthur Ransome. The Lutterworth Press, 2016. Presents a full-length critical study of Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series.
Tucker, Nicholas. “Arthur Ransome and Problems of Literary Assessment.” Children’s Literature in Education, vol. 26, no. 2, 1995, pp. 97–105. Examines the functions of children’s literature as seen in Ransome’s work.