Newbery Medal (John Newbery Medal)
1 appearances
-
Edition 21 (1942) Winner
Walter D. Edmonds
ウォルター・ディー・エドモンズ
Walter D. Edmonds
Pen Names:
Wat（Common nickname）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1903-07-15 （Boonville, New York）
- Died
- 1998-01-24 （Concord, Massachusetts） age 94
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
Career
- Occupations
- writer, novelist, children's author
- Active Years
- 1929-1995
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Choate School (Choate Rosemary Hall) | — | — | — | 1919- | United States |
| Harvard University | — | — | — | — | United States |
The Choate School (Choate Rosemary Hall)
Period:
1919-
Country:
United States
Served as managing editor of the school's literary magazine.
Harvard University
Year of Graduation:
1926
Country:
United States
Edited The Harvard Advocate and studied with Charles Townsend Copeland while at Harvard.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Lewis Carroll Shelf Award | — | — | Living Arts Corporation (Lewis Carroll Shelf Award Collection) | 受賞 |
| 1942 | Newbery Medal | The Matchlock Gun | — | Association for Library Service to Children | 受賞 |
| 1976 | National Book Award (Young People's Literature) | Bert Breen's Barn | 子ども向け文学 | National Book Foundation | 受賞 |
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
1960
Organization:
Living Arts Corporation (Lewis Carroll Shelf Award Collection)
Result:
受賞
Newbery Medal
1942
Work:
The Matchlock Gun
Organization:
Association for Library Service to Children
Result:
受賞
National Book Award (Young People's Literature)
1976
Work:
Bert Breen's Barn
Category:
子ども向け文学
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Rome Haul
1929 Historical novel / Regional novelA novel about life along the Erie Canal, later adapted as a play and a film.
laborcommunitymodernization
Adaptations
- [Play / Film] The Farmer Takes a Wife (play / film) (1935)
Drums Along the Mohawk
1936 Historical novelA historical novel set in upstate New York during the American Revolutionary period, portraying the life and trials of a settler family. It became a bestseller and was adapted into a film.
settlementwar and daily lifefamily
Adaptations
- [Film] Drums Along the Mohawk (film) / John Ford (1939)
Chad Hanna
1940 Historical novel / Human dramaFollows the coming-of-age and travels of the young Chad Hanna, notable for its vivid characterizations.
coming of agejourneycommunity
The Matchlock Gun
1941 Children's historical fictionA short children's story about family courage and sacrifice. Winner of the Newbery Medal.
couragefamilylife in wartime
Bert Breen's Barn
1975 Children's novelA coming-of-age story centered on the boy Bert. Winner of the 1976 National Book Award (Young People's Literature).
growing upfriendshiprural life
Bibliography
- Rome Haul (1929)
- The Big Barn (1930)
- Erie Water (1933)
- Drums Along the Mohawk (1936)
- Chad Hanna (1940)
- Young Ames (1942)
- The Matchlock Gun (1941)
- Bert Breen's Barn (1975)
- The South African Quirt (1985)
- Tales My Father Never Told (1995)
Adaptations
- Drums Along the Mohawk → film adaptation directed by John Ford (1939)
- Rome Haul → adapted as a play and the 1935 film The Farmer Takes a Wife
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realistic, historically researched depiction of past erasAccessible narrative voice with careful character portrayals
- Recurring Motifs
- family and community bondsdetailed depiction of settler life and pioneer spiritthe impact of war on everyday life
Legacy
Walter D. Edmonds is known as a 20th-century American historical novelist and children's author whose meticulously researched period depictions and popular appeal reached wide readership. His work's film adaptation and awards — including the Newbery Medal and a National Book Award — mark his recognition in both children's literature and adult historical fiction.
Archives
- Edmonds papers at Harvard University
In Popular Culture
- The 1939 film adaptation of Drums Along the Mohawk had a lasting presence in American popular culture.
Quotes
-
A novelist has, if he chooses, a greater opportunity for the faithful presentation of a bygone time than an historian; for the historian is compelled to a presentation of cause and effect, and feels, as a rule, that he must present them through the lives and characters of 'famous' or 'historical' figures. My concern, however, has been with life as it was, as you or I, our mothers or wives, our brothers and husbands and uncles might have experienced it.
Source: Preface to Drums Along the Mohawk (1936)
Trivia
- Drums Along the Mohawk remained on bestseller lists for two years and at times ranked second only to Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind.
- Rome Haul was adapted into the play The Farmer Takes a Wife and the 1935 film of the same name.
- He published over 34 books in his lifetime, spanning children's literature and adult historical novels.