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Esther Louise Forbes

エスター・ルイーズ・フォーブス

Esutā Ruīzu Fōbuzu

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1891-06-28 （Westborough, Massachusetts, U.S.）
Died
1967-08-12 （Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.） age 76
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Westborough (birthplace) → Worcester (moved 1898–) → Madison, Wisconsin (around 1916) → New York City (circa 1926) → Worcester (returned 1933 onward)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Historian, Children's writer, Biographer
Active Years
1926-1954
Affiliations
Houghton Mifflin Company (editorial staff), American Antiquarian Society (member), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow)
Memberships
American Antiquarian Society (member; first woman elected), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow)
Influenced By
Harriette Merrifield Forbes (mother), New England historical research and local historical sources, Contemporary writers (e.g., Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings)
Influenced
Later children's authors and historical novelists

Education

Bancroft School
Period: 初等・中等教育（就学期）
Country: United States
Attended during childhood in Worcester
Bradford Academy (later Bradford College)
Period: 1909–1912
Year of Graduation: 1912
Country: United States
Junior college attendance from 1909 to 1912.
University of Wisconsin (coursework)
Period: 1916（講義受講）
Country: United States
No clear record of degree; attended courses while in Madison with her sisters.

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for History
1943
Work: Paul Revere and the World He Lived In
Category: 歴史
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Newbery Medal
1944
Work: Johnny Tremain
Category: 児童文学
Organization: American Library Association
Result: 受賞
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer novel award
1947
Work: The Running of the Tide
Organization: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Result: 受賞
Honorary Doctor of Letters
1943
Organization: Clark University
Result: 授与
Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1949
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Johnny Tremain

1943 Young adult / Historical novel

A historical novel following Johnny Tremain, a young apprentice in Boston, depicting his coming-of-age against the backdrop of events leading up to the American Revolution.

Coming of ageRevolution and citizenshipNew England history
Adaptations
  • [Film/Television (adaptation)] Johnny Tremain (1957)

Paul Revere and the World He Lived In

1942 Biography / History

A carefully researched biography of Paul Revere that portrays his life and the social world of late 18th-century America, noted for its archival research and detailed depiction of the era.

BiographySocial history of the Revolutionary eraArchival-based historical depiction

The Running of the Tide

1948 Novel (general fiction)

A 1948 novel presenting a human drama set against the sea and tidal themes (detailed synopsis available in specialist sources).

Nature and human relationshipFate and choice

Rainbow on the Road

1954 Novel

A 1954 novel, one of her later works, dealing with travel and human relationships.

TravelHuman relationships

A Mirror for Witches

1928 Historical novel

A historical novel about witchcraft beliefs and trials in 17th-century New England; one of Forbes's early notable works.

Witch trialsReligion and superstitionNew England history

O Genteel Lady!

1926 Novel

Her first novel (1926), selected as a Book of the Month Club choice on publication.

Social mannersCharacter study

Bibliography

  • O Genteel Lady! (1926)
  • A Mirror for Witches (1928)
  • Miss Marvel (1935)
  • Paradise (1937)
  • The General's Lady (1938)
  • Paul Revere and the World He Lived In (1942)
  • Johnny Tremain (1943)
  • The Boston Book (1947)
  • America's Paul Revere (1948)
  • The Running of the Tide (1948)
  • Rainbow on the Road (1954)

Adaptations

  • Johnny Tremain (film/TV adaptation, 1957)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed, archival-based descriptionClear, accessible prose (especially in works for younger readers)Empirical, reconstruction-focused historical writing
Recurring Motifs
New England history and landscapeCivic virtue and coming of ageSocial change around the Revolution

Health

  • Rheumatic heart disease
    晩年（死因）
    Affected her health in later years and was the cause of death in 1967.

Legacy

Forbes is highly regarded for both her historical novels for young readers and her scholarly biography. Johnny Tremain became a staple in school literature and Paul Revere and the World He Lived In won a Pulitzer Prize, illustrating her role bridging historical scholarship and popular literature. She is also noted for being the first woman elected to membership in the American Antiquarian Society.

Museums

  • American Antiquarian Society (holds research notes and related materials) Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. Opened in 1812
  • Clark University Archives (manuscripts donated) Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.

Academic Societies

  • American Antiquarian Society
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Archives

  • Clark University (manuscript collection)
  • American Antiquarian Society (research notes and materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Johnny Tremain became common in school curricula and children's literature and has been adapted for screen.

Trivia

  • She was the first woman elected to membership in the American Antiquarian Society.
  • Won the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for History for Paul Revere and the World He Lived In.
  • Johnny Tremain received the 1944 Newbery Medal.
  • Royalties from her historical novels were donated to the American Antiquarian Society after her death.