Alice Esther Glen

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Alice Esther Glen (born December 26, 1881 in Christchurch , † February 9, 1940 , Christchurch ) was a New Zealand author and journalist. She was the first significant New Zealand children's author.

Life

Esther Glen grew up as the third (according to other information: the second) of twelve children of Robert Parker Glen and Alice Helen White in Linwood . At the age of 11, she won a storytelling competition with a story that she had submitted to Little Folks magazine .

After attending Girls' High School in Christchurch , she went to Australia to work in a kindergarten run by her sister Helen . There she learned about Australian literature for children, such as Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner from 1894, which was very successful in Australia. Up to this point there were no New Zealand children's books. To create a comparable work that explores the experiences of New Zealand children, she wrote Six little New Zealanders , first published in 1917. The story is about three bachelors who raise sheep far out in the Canterbury countryside and who are not used to having children. Over the summer they have a visit from their six nephews and nieces from Auckland , for whom country life is again something new, which leads to a number of weird complications. The work appeared in six editions by 1983. Critics praised the cheerful writing style and realistic drawing of the characters. In 1926 the follow-up volume Uncles three at Kamahi appeared .

From 1922 Glen was in charge of the children's page in the Christchurch Sun newspaper , initially as a freelance journalist, from 1925 she worked there as an editor and reporter and also took care of the women's page. Since then she has been nicknamed Lady Gay , and she encouraged children to send in their own stories, poems and pictures to the newspaper. From 1935 she worked for the Christchurch Press . She also wrote some of the first radio plays for children.

Glen also had a social concern. She founded clubs where children could meet and befriend to outgrow the isolation of country life. During the global economic crisis , the children knitted, sewed and cooked for the poor there. She also worked to ensure that single unemployed women received adequate housing. She supported the establishment of women's shelters and children's homes.

Esther Glen wasn't married and she had no children of her own. She died on February 9, 1940.

Esther Glen Award

In memory of Esther Glens , the Esther Glen Award was launched, which has been awarded annually since 1945 (with exceptions) by the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) to a New Zealand children's book author for the most excellent contribution to children's and youth literature ( "... for the most distinguished contribution to New Zealand literature for junior fiction " ).

It is the oldest and most prestigious New Zealand literary award that is still awarded today.

Works

  • Six little New Zealanders . Cassels , London 1917 (English).
    • The six of us from New Zealand . Susanna Rider Verlag, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-943919-54-7 (translation by Tatjana Kröll, revision by Mona Petri, illustrated by Wendy Rutz).
  • Twinkles on the mountain . LM Isitt Ltd , Christchurch 1920 (English).
  • Uncles three at Kamahi . Whitcombe & Tombs , Christchurch 1926 (English).
    • Holidays on Kamahi . Susanna Rider Verlag, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-943919-33-2 (translation by Susanna Rieder).
  • Robin of Maoriland . Whitcombe & Tombs , Auckland 1929 (English).

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Esther Glen . Storylines , accessed March 30, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Gilderdale : Glen, Alice Esther . In: Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . 1998 (English).
  3. ↑ a b c Glen, Esther 1881-1940 . In: Credo_Reference . Credo , accessed March 31, 2012 (English).
  4. ↑ LIANZA Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award . Christchurch City Libraries , accessed March 30, 2018 .
  5. ↑ The LIANZA Children's Book Awards 2015 Finalists . Library and Information Association of New Zealand , 2015, accessed January 22, 2016 .
  6. ^ New Zealand Literature . In: Credo_Reference . Credo , accessed March 31, 2012 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Glen, Alice Esther
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Glen, Esther
BRIEF DESCRIPTION New Zealand author and journalist
DATE OF BIRTH December 26, 1881
PLACE OF BIRTH Christchurch
DATE OF DEATH February 9, 1940
Place of death Christchurch