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Virginia Esther Hamilton

ヴァージニア・エスター・ハミルトン

Virginia Esther Hamilton

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1936-03-12 （Yellow Springs, Ohio, U.S.）
Died
2002-02-19 （Dayton, Ohio, U.S.） age 65
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Yellow Springs, Ohio (early life) → New York City (lived for a period) → Returned to family farm in Yellow Springs → Dayton, Ohio (later life / death)

Career

Occupations
Author
Active Years
1967-2002

Education

Antioch College
Country: United States
Received a full scholarship; later transferred to Ohio State University
Ohio State University
Country: United States
Transferred; specific degree information not available

Awards

Newbery Medal
1975
Work: M.C. Higgins, the Great
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALA/ALSC)
Result: winner
National Book Award for Young People's Literature
1975
Work: M.C. Higgins, the Great
Category: Young People's Literature
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: winner
Hans Christian Andersen Award (Writing)
1992
Organization: International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)
Result: winner
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now Children's Literature Legacy Award)
1995
Category: lifetime achievement
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALA/ALSC)
Result: winner
MacArthur Fellowship
1995
Organization: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Result: recipient
Regina Medal
1990
Organization: Catholic Library Association
Result: winner
De Grummond Medal
Organization: University of Southern Mississippi
Result: winner
Coretta Scott King Award (multiple honors)
Organization: Coretta Scott King Award Committee (ALA)
Result: winner/honoree
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
1974
Work: M.C. Higgins, the Great
Organization: Boston Globe / The Horn Book Magazine
Result: winner
Edgar Allan Poe Award (Edgar)
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: winner/honoree

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

M.C. Higgins, the Great

1974 Children's / Young Adult literature

Follows an African-American boy and his family in a story that intertwines community, family and environmental change. Published 1974; explores coming-of-age and the transformation of home.

African-American experiencefamilycommunityenvironment/land

The Planet of Junior Brown

1971 Children's / Young Adult literature

A novel about boys isolated in the city that combines psychological detail with themes of friendship and redemption. Adapted into a film in 1997.

isolation and friendshippsychological explorationcoming-of-age
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Planet of Junior Brown / Clement Virgo (1997)

Zeely

1967 Children's literature

One of Hamilton's early novels; received recognition as an American Library Association Notable Book.

youth perspectivecommunity

The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales

1985 Folktales / Children's picture book

A collection of African-American folktales that brings oral traditions into contemporary children's literature. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon.

folktalesoral traditioncultural identity

Bibliography

  • Zeely (1967)
  • The House of Dies Drear (1968)
  • The Planet of Junior Brown (1971)
  • M.C. Higgins, the Great (1974)
  • The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales (1985)
  • Drylongso (1992)
  • Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny (2004, posthumous)
  • Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl (2003, posthumous)
  • Virginia Hamilton: Speeches, Essays, and Conversations (2010, posthumous, edited)

Adaptations

  • The Planet of Junior Brown (1997 film, dir. Clement Virgo)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
incorporation of oral tradition and folktale elementsdetailed psychological and character portrayalpoetic and concentrated prose
Recurring Motifs
ancestors and folklorecommunity and familyliberation and self-discovery

Health

  • Breast cancer
    晩年（診断年は明確でないが2002年没まで）
    Suffered from breast cancer in later life and died of the disease in 2002. The illness affected her health though she continued creative work into her later years.

Legacy

Introduced the African-American experience into children's literature in a distinctive way, calling much of her work "Liberation Literature." She was the first Black author to win the Newbery Medal and is regarded as a major pioneer in children's literature. Her lifetime achievements were recognized with awards such as the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. Her work continues to be read and honored through conferences, awards, and archival collections.

Archives

  • Kent State University Special Collections & Archives (Virginia Hamilton papers)
  • Library of Congress (Virginia Hamilton papers)

In Popular Culture

  • Featured on a Supersisters trading card (1979)
  • Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth held annually at Kent State University
  • The Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award established by the American Library Association (2010)

Quotes

  • She described her work as "Liberation Literature."
    Source: The New York Times (obituary / articles) (2002)

Trivia

  • With M.C. Higgins, the Great she won both the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award in 1975, becoming the first Black author to win the Newbery.
  • In 1995 she became the first children's writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.
  • The American Library Association established the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award in 2010 to honor her legacy.
  • Several works were published posthumously (e.g., Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl; Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny).