Mary Norton

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Mary Norton , nee Kathleen Mary Pearson , (born December 10, 1903 in Highbury , London , † August 29, 1992 in Hartland , Devon ) was a British children's author .

Life

The daughter of a doctor grew up in the small town of Leighton Buzzard with her four brothers in two Gregorian houses called "The Manor House" (now demolished) and "The Cedars". The Cedars was sold in 1920 and is now home to Leighton Middle School. The house and the memories associated with it from her childhood formed the basis for the adventures of the borrowers, the main characters in their most famous books.

Since Mary Norton had her eyesight impaired due to an accident and could only see things near her but not see them far away, her gaze was focused on the little things around her. She restricted her imagination to the house, the garden and the little nooks and crannies and places that were there.

Before she married her first husband Robert Norton in 1927 and moved with him to his family in Portugal , she worked for a short time as a secretary and then for a year or two as an actress with the famous Old Vic Company . Mary and Robert had four children (two sons and two daughters) and did not leave Portugal until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

She started working for the War Office in 1940 and temporarily moved to the United States of America with her family in 1941 . In New York , she worked for the British Purchasing Commission for two years . During this time she also began writing short stories and translations and published her first book ( The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons ) in 1945 , later the sequel Bonfires and Broomsticks . The books were later revised and republished in the complete edition Bedknob and Broomstick (Eng. A great witch ). Walt Disney bought the film rights for little money and brought out the film The Daredevil Witch in Her Flying Bed in 1971 .

After World War II, Mary Norton returned to England with her family and published more books, some of which were made into films. In 1952 she published the first book with the stories about the little borrowers and received the Carnegie Medal for it . In 1960 she received the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award .

Mary Norton said herself that she hadn't written the books for the public, that she never thought anyone might like these borrowers. They were mostly stories she had told her children. She lived with her second husband, Lionel Boncey, on a farm in Essex before they moved to Ireland to County Cork together in 1972 . There she worked on her last book, Dream Trip to the Last Giants .

Lionel Boncey died in 1989. Mary Norton died in 1992 of complications from a stroke .

Works

Witches books

  • Das Zauberbett (The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons, 1945)
  • German Title unknown (Bonfires and Broomsticks, 1947)

Complete Edition: A Great Witch (Bedknob and Broomstick, 1957)

The Borger series

Borger are small beings, only 12 centimeters tall, who live in people's homes. They make their living by "borrowing", that is, they borrow everything they need to live from people. Being seen is the worst that can happen to a borrower. Because if he is seen by people, he has to look for a new home. This happens repeatedly to the Borger family Clocks because their daughter Arrietty is very curious and cheerful and does not want to submit to the daily grind of a Borger life.

  • The Borrowers (1952)

former German title: Die Borgmännchen

  • The Borrowers in the Fields (1955)

Former German title: Die Borgmännchen in Busch und Feld

  • The Borrowers on the River (The Borrowers afloat, 1959)

Former German title: Die Borgmännchen zu Schiff or also Die Borgmännchen. Adventure on the river

  • The Borrowers in the air (The Borrowers Aloft, 1961)
  • The Borrowers at the destination (The borrowers avenged, 1982)

Not belonging to any row

  • Dream Ride to the Last Giants (Are All the Giants Dead, 1975)

Film adaptations

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Norton, Mary
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pearson, Mary (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British children's author
DATE OF BIRTH December 10, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Highbury , London
DATE OF DEATH August 29, 1992
Place of death Hartland , Bideford , Devon