Beverly Cleary

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Beverly Cleary (1971)

Beverly Cleary , née Beverly Atlee Bunn (born April 12, 1916 in McMinnville , Oregon , † March 25, 2021 in Carmel-by-the-Sea , California ), was an American writer of children's and youth literature . With over 90 million books sold since 1950, she is one of the best-selling authors in the United States.

life and work

Cleary studied at the University of California ( Berkeley ) in the late 1930s and then at the University of Washington , where she specialized in library science. To finance her studies, she worked as a maid and seamstress. Cleary worked as a librarian in a children's book library after graduating . It struck her that young readers often did not find any actions or characters with whom they could identify in their real life, which was to become an impetus for her next work as a children's book author.

Her first book, Henry Huggins , was published in 1950. It sold well and she wrote other books about Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy. Her book series about the two sisters Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby and about Ralph S. Mouse , a talking mouse , also became very popular . Much of her books are set in middle-class neighborhoods in Portland , Oregon , where she grew up. Cleary's own childhood there inspired many elements of her books. With A Girl from Yamhill (1988) and My Own Two Feet (1995) she also published two autobiographical books about her life up to the publication of her first book. She published a total of more than 40 books; after the publication of Ramona's World in 1999, she retired.

Cleary's works have been translated into over a dozen languages. Although she is less well known in German-speaking countries, many translations of her works were published here from the late 1950s onwards.

Cleary has received many praise, also because in the middle of the 20th century she committed herself to an emotional realism that was rather rare in American children's literature of the time. Literary historian Leonard S. Marcus noted that Cleary gave children insight and courage about what to expect from reading. Cleary never "belittled" children and designed lifelike characters, according to the New York Times in its obituary. Roger Sutton, Editor-in-Chief of Horn Book Magazine , said of her in 2011: “Cleary is funny in a very intelligent way. She's very close to satire, which is why I think adults like her, but she's still very respectful in front of their characters - nobody laughs at the expense of another. ”Pat Pflieger, a professor of children's literature, said in 2006 that Cleary's work has remained because it is characterized by a deep understanding of children's worldview.

From 1940 until his death in 2004 she was married to Clarence Cleary; they became parents of twins. Cleary died in March 2021 shortly before her 105th birthday in Carmel-by-the-Sea , California , where she had lived from the 1960s.

Awards

Statue of her character the Ramona Quimby in Grant Park in Portland

In 1981 Cleary received the National Book Award in the children's book category for her book Ramona and Her Mother , and three years later she received the Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw . For her life's work she has received major awards such as the National Medal of Arts (2003), the Living Legend Prize from the Library of Congress (2000) and the Children's Literature Legacy Award (1975). In 2010 she was the first ever children's book author to receive the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Robert Kirsch Award category .

The Beverly Cleary School in Portland was named after her, and some of her most famous characters have been erected as statues in Grant Park there - near which many of her stories take place - since 1995. A building is named after her at Berkeley University and a professorship at her other university in Washington.

Film adaptations

In 1988, based on Cleary's Ramona books, the Canadian television series Ramona appeared with Sarah Polley in the title role. A film adaptation of her Ramona works came in 2010 as Sister Hearts - Ramonas Wilde Welt (Ramona and Beezus) with Joey King and Selena Gomez in the leading roles in the cinemas.

On the occasion of her 100th birthday, the half-hour documentary Discovering Beverly Cleary was made , in which Cleary also had a say.

Works in German

  • At fifteen , 1959
  • Henry Huggins , 1969
  • The mouse Ralf runs away , 1970
  • Henry and his bike , 1970
  • The mouse and the motorcycle , 1971
  • Stubby tail and long ears , 1972
  • My sister the beast , 1973
  • Renate, the Plague of the Land , 1974
  • Always this Ferdinand! A funny dog ​​story , 1974
  • Renate thinks of something , 1979
  • To school in pajamas , 1982
  • Call, papa! , 1986
  • Ramona , 1989/2000/2003
  • Ramona helps dad , 2000
  • Ramona or a really nice family , 2001
  • Ramona loves mom - mostly , 2001
  • Ramona and the New Baby , 2002
  • Bisus and Ramona , 2002
  • And in the middle of it all , Ramona , 2004

literature

  • Aaron Allen Schiller and Denise HB Schiller: Word Play, Language-Games, and Unfair Labels in Beverly Cleary's Ramona the Pest . In: Peter R. Costello (Ed.): Philosophy in children's literature , approx. 2012, ISBN 0-7391-6823-1 , pp. 175-190.

Web links

Commons : Beverly Cleary  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jennifer Corcoran: HARPERCOLLINS MOURNS THE LOSS OF BELOVED CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR BEVERLY CLEARY. In: harpercollins.com. March 26, 2021, accessed March 28, 2021 .
  2. ↑ Pat Saperstein: Beverly Cleary, Bestselling Author of 'Ramona the Pest,' Dies at 104. In: Variety. March 26, 2021, accessed March 27, 2021 (American English).
  3. ↑ Karen Springen On 4/2/06 at 8:00 PM EDT: Beverly Cleary, Age 90. April 2, 2006, accessed March 27, 2021 .
  4. ↑ Beverly Cleary | California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. Retrieved March 27, 2021 .
  5. ↑ Bruce Haring: Beverly Cleary Dies; Acclaimed Children's Author Of 'Ramona Quimby' Was 104. In: Deadline. March 26, 2021, accessed March 27, 2021 (American English).
  6. ↑ Beverly Cleary | California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. Retrieved March 27, 2021 .
  7. ↑ Beverly Cleary. October 7, 2017, accessed March 27, 2021 .
  8. ↑ Associated Press: Beverly Cleary, beloved children's author, dies aged 104. March 26, 2021, accessed March 27, 2021 .
  9. ↑ Halle Kiefer: Beloved Children's Author Beverly Cleary Dies at the Age of 104. March 26, 2021, accessed March 27, 2021 (American English).
  10. ↑ Author Beverly Cleary dies at 104. Retrieved March 27, 2021 .
  11. ↑ Pamela Paul: The Ageless Appeal of Beverly Cleary . In: The New York Times . April 8, 2011, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed March 27, 2021]).
  12. ^ William Grimes: Beverly Cleary, Beloved Children's Book Author, Dies at 104 . In: The New York Times . March 26, 2021, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed March 27, 2021]).
  13. ^ Beverly Cleary, Age 90 - The Daily Beast. August 16, 2011, accessed March 27, 2021 .
  14. ↑ Bruce Haring: Beverly Cleary Dies; Acclaimed Children's Author Of 'Ramona Quimby' Was 104. In: Deadline. March 26, 2021, accessed March 27, 2021 (American English).
  15. ↑ Unit 3: About the Community | Housing. Retrieved March 27, 2021 .
  16. ^ Job - UW Endowed Professorship_10.3.15. Retrieved March 27, 2021 .
  17. ^ Laurel Graeber: Beverly Cleary, Nearing 100, Is to Be Celebrated at Symphony Space . In: The New York Times . March 31, 2016, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed March 27, 2021]).
personal data
SURNAME Cleary, Beverly
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bunn, Beverly Atlee (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American children's author
DATE OF BIRTH April 12, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH McMinnville , Oregon , United States
DATE OF DEATH March 25, 2021
PLACE OF DEATH Carmel-by-the-Sea , California , United States