T. A. Barron | |
|---|---|
 Barron in 2008 | |
| Born | Thomas Archibald Barron March 26, 1952 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Princeton University Harvard University |
| Genre | Fantasy, self help, science fiction |
| Notable works |
|
| Website | |
| tabarron | |
Thomas Archibald Barron (born March 26, 1952) is an American writer of fantasy literature, books for children and young adults, and nature books.
Barron [1] spent his early childhood in Harvard, Massachusetts, a town full of apple orchards and New England history (including the childhood home of Louisa May Alcott). [2] His family moved to Colorado and he spent much of his youth on a ranch in the Rocky Mountains. Barron's writing reflects his great passion for nature and the spiritual values of the natural world, as well as his belief in the power of every person.
He studied history and politics [3] at Princeton University, where he was a Trustee, [4] before he won a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University. He also has business and law degrees from Harvard University. To further his education, he spent a year traveling with his backpack around Europe, Asia, and Africa. [5] He served as president of a private equity firm in New York City before changing careers in 1990, when he returned to Colorado with his wife, Currie, and their children to become a full-time writer and conservationist.
Since then, he has written more than thirty novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and nature books. In 2011, he received The de Grummond Medallion for "lifetime contribution to the field of children's and young adult literature." [6] He has also won the Nautilus Award Grand Prize, and many other literary awards.
He is actively involved with environmental and conservation organizations, including The Wilderness Society, Earthjustice, World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, the Alaska Conservation Foundation, and Colorado Open Lands.
In 2001, he founded a national prize to celebrate outstanding young people, who help other people or the environment—the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes (named after his mother). He has produced a documentary film, “Dream Big”, as well as several highly acclaimed videos that honor extraordinary young people of diverse backgrounds for his Inspiring Young Heroes website. He won a Telly Award in 2020 for excellence in video production in the Social Impact category.
To support the experience of Rhodes Scholars at Oxford, he created the Travel Program for Environmental Stewardship, which enables young leaders from around the world to visit inspiring wilderness regions like Patagonia. [7] In addition, he supports the Elizabeth Kiss Fund for Character, Service, and Leadership, which he named in honor of the CEO of the Rhodes Trust, to organize in-depth retreats for Rhodes Scholars.
At Princeton University Barron created the Barron Family Fund for Innovations in Environmental Studies which assists faculty and students involved in the environment and humanities, as well as the Prize for Environmental Leadership given to students who demonstrate outstanding initiative in environmental issues. [3] All this builds on Barron's work decades earlier to help found the High Meadows Environmental Institute. He and his wife also created the Thomas A. and Currie C. Barron Family Biodiversity Research Fund which supports research to protect different species and ecosystems. [8] In addition, he created the Henry David Thoreau Freshman Seminar in Environmental Writing. [9]
Beyond his support of the Rhodes Scholarships and Princeton, T. A. Barron has worked to advance education and environmental protection. He created scholarships for environmental law at Harvard University, [10] as well as scholarships for students in environmental studies at University of California Santa Barbara. [11] He also created scholarships for creative writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts and at Hamline University, [12] and an internship for the conservation of ancient manuscripts at Oxford University's Bodleian Library. [13] At World Wildlife Fund, he helped to establish the Nature Network, a global program to support young environmental leaders. In addition, he founded the Youth in Wilderness program at The Wilderness Society, as well as the organization's scholarships for graduate students working to advance the cause of conservation. Recently, The Wilderness Society honored him with the Robert Marshall Award, its highest award given to citizens active in conservation.
In many of his novels, Barron writes about nature and ecology in mythical settings. Inspired by nature's power of renewal as well as humanity's power of free choice, he says, "I truly believe every person can make a difference — that's why I'm drawn to heroic quest stories." . His books have received the Nautilus Award Grand Prize for literature that helps to renew the spirit and envision a better world, as well as many other awards from the American Library Association, and the International Literacy Association. The Merlin Saga (13 titles) and the novel The Ancient One have been international best sellers; The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy has been a New York Times best seller.
According to Booklist , his books are "completely magical" and "will enchant readers." The New York Times has called his work "august" and "compelling". Fellow author Isabel Allende has said his writing is "brilliant—a real gift"; similarly, author Madeleine L'Engle called his stories "a crescendo of miracles." Fellow writer Terry Tempest Williams has hailed him as the creator of "environmental fables for our time." Robert Coles, M.D. has praised his work by saying, "Here is so much grace." And writer Lloyd Alexander called his books "an intense and profoundly spiritual adventure."
His podcast, Magic and Mountains: The T. A. Barron Podcast , illuminates the magic of Merlin, the wonders and challenges of nature, the experience of creative writing, the inspiration of young heroes, and the invitation to everyone to see your life as a story. [14]
Disney film studios is currently developing a film adaptation of The Merlin Saga. In November 2015, Philippa Boyens was hired to write the script. [15] Ridley Scott was in talks about directing it in 2018. [16] By October 2021, Michael Matthews was attached to direct it, [17] and Gil Netter was set as the film's producer. [18]
The Merlin Saga (2011) is a 12-book series originally sold as three separate series: The Lost Years of Merlin epic, Merlin's Dragon trilogy, and The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy. It also includes the prequel, GIANT (2021). The final book in the series is The Book of Magic, an encyclopedia of the characters and places in the series.
Merlin is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a magician, with several other main roles. The familiar depiction of Merlin, based on an amalgamation of historic and legendary figures, was introduced by the 12th-century British pseudo-historical author Geoffrey of Monmouth and then built on by the French poet Robert de Boron and their prose successors in the 13th century.
John Angus McPhee is an American writer. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourth occasion in 1999 for Annals of the Former World. In 2008, he received the George Polk Career Award for his "indelible mark on American journalism during his nearly half-century career". Since 1974, McPhee has been the Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University.
The Lady of the Lake is a name or a title used by several either fairy or fairy-like but human enchantresses in the Matter of Britain, the body of medieval literature and mythology associated with the legend of King Arthur. She plays several important roles in many stories, including providing Arthur with the sword Excalibur, eliminating Merlin, raising Lancelot after the death of his father, and helping to take the dying Arthur to Avalon. Different sorceresses known as the Lady of the Lake appear concurrently as separate characters in some versions of the legend since at least the Post-Vulgate Cycle and consequently the seminal Le Morte d'Arthur, with the latter describing them as a hierarchical group, while some texts also give this title to either Morgan or her sister.
Morgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgan[n]a, Morgain[a/e], Morg[a]ne, Morgant[e], Morge[i]n, and Morgue[in] among other names and spellings, is a powerful and ambiguous enchantress from the legend of King Arthur, in which most often she and he are siblings. Early appearances of Morgan in Arthurian literature do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a goddess, a fay, a witch, or a sorceress, generally benevolent and connected to Arthur as his magical saviour and protector. Her prominence increased as the legend of Arthur developed over time, as did her moral ambivalence, and in some texts there is an evolutionary transformation of her to an antagonist, particularly as portrayed in cyclical prose such as the Lancelot-Grail and the Post-Vulgate Cycle. A significant aspect in many of Morgan's medieval and later iterations is the unpredictable duality of her nature, with potential for both good and evil.
The Warlord Chronicles or The Warlord Trilogy is a series of three novels about Arthurian Britain written by Bernard Cornwell. The story is written as a mixture of historical fiction and Arthurian legend. The books were originally published between 1995 and 1997 by Penguin and Michael Joseph in the United Kingdom and by St. Martin's Press in the United States. It has been adapted for television as The Winter King.
The Pendragon Cycle is a series of historical fantasy books based on Arthurian legend, written by Stephen R. Lawhead. The cycle was originally planned as a four-book series, but the original publisher opted to stop after the first three books, resulting in an abrupt ending to Arthur and the existence of many unexplored stories and plotlines. The first three books were thus originally called "The Pendragon Trilogy". Lawhead moved to a new publisher a few years later. It was decided to expand on the trilogy by finishing the series, and two additional books were planned. These books, Pendragon and Grail, are interquels that take place in between events covered in Arthur. Lawhead later wrote a final book Avalon, which is not considered to be a true addition to the cycle but rather a "related semi-sequel" to round out the "Once and Future King" aspect of the legend. The film and television rights to the series were purchased by DailyWire+ in November 2022.
This is a bibliography of works about King Arthur, his family, his friends or his enemies. This bibliography includes works that are notable or are by notable authors.
Ian Cedric Audley Player DMS was a South African international conservationist. Ian Player was one of the world's outstanding conservationists and environmental statesmen. He earned his stripes in the rough and tumble era during which Africa's protected areas were being created and tested. With his team, he also pioneered the saving of endangered species when they saved the white rhino from extinction.
Robert Michael Pyle is an American lepidopterist, writer, teacher, and founder of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Much of his life story is told in the 2020 feature film The Dark Divide, where Pyle is played by David Cross.
The Great Tree of Avalon is a fantasy novel by T. A. Barron, published by Penguin Young Readers Group. The book is the ninth novel in the 12-book series known as Merlin Saga. It was originally published as The Great Tree of Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy, the first novel in The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy, and is set in a world made up of a great tree and its seven roots inhabited by creatures.
Shadows on the Stars is a fantasy novel by T. A. Barron, published by Penguin Young Readers Group. The book is the tenth novel in the 12-book series known as Merlin Saga. It was originally published as The Great Tree of Avalon: Shadows on the Stars, the second novel in The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy, and is set in a world made up of a great tree and its seven roots inhabited by creatures.
Russell Errol Train was the second administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from September 1973 to January 1977 and the founder chairman emeritus of World Wildlife Fund (WWF). As the second head of the EPA under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Train helped place the issue of the environment on the presidential and national agenda in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a key period in the environmental movement. He was a conservative who reached out to the business community and Republicans. He promulgated the idea that as the economy of the nation was growing quickly, public as well as private projects should consider and evaluate the environmental impacts of their actions.
William Cronon is an environmental historian and the Frederick Jackson Turner and Vilas Research Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was president of the American Historical Association (AHA) in 2012.
The Eternal Flame is a fantasy novel by T. A. Barron, published by Penguin Young Readers Group. The book is the eleventh novel in the 12-book series known as Merlin Saga. It was originally published as The Great Tree of Avalon: The Eternal Flame, the final novel in The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy, and is set in a world made up of a great tree and its seven roots inhabited by creatures.
Merlin Book 2: The Seven Songs is a fantasy novel by T. A. Barron, published by Philomel Books in 1997. The Seven Songs is the second book in a 12-book series known as The Merlin Saga. This book was originally published as The Seven Songs of Merlin, book two of The Lost Years of Merlin epic, a 5-book series. These books chronicle the childhood of Merlin.
Stories involving the mythical wizard Merlin have been popular since the Renaissance, especially with the renewed interest in the legend of King Arthur in modern times. As noted by Arthurian scholar Alan Lupack, "numerous novels, poems and plays center around Merlin. In American literature and popular culture, Merlin is perhaps the most frequently portrayed Arthurian character."
The Raging Fires is a fantasy novel by T. A. Barron originally published by Penguin in 1998. The Raging Fires is the third book in a 12-book series known as The Merlin Saga. This book was originally published as The Fires of Merlin, book three of The Lost Years of Merlin epic, a 5-book series providing a childhood story for the legendary Merlin, wizard of Arthurian legend.
Mahesh Rangarajan is a researcher, author and historian with a special interest in environmental history and colonial history of British and contemporary India. He has taught Environmental Studies and History at Ashoka University and Krea University, and served as the Vice Chancellor of Krea University. He appears frequently on Indian television as a political analyst. He is also a columnist in the print media writing on wildlife conservation, political and environmental issues. In 2010, he chaired the Elephant Task Force (Gajah) of the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Task Force was formed to formulate measures for the protection of elephants in India.
Joseph Drew Lanham is an American author, poet and wildlife biologist who in 2022 was awarded a fellowship in the MacArthur Fellows Program for his work "combining conservation science with personal, historical, and cultural narratives of nature." Raised in Edgefield, South Carolina, Lanham studied zoology and ecology at Clemson University, where he earned a PhD in 1997. Lanham received his B.A. and M.S. in zoology, and his Ph.D. in Forest Resources. He also currently holds an endowed chair as an Alumni Distinguished Professor. He was also named an alumni master teacher in 2012. He is currently a professor of wildlife science and teaches several classes and lectures on birding. He describes his work in his own words as: "’Connecting the conservation dots’ is how I envision my research mission. My past work has focused on the impacts of forest management and other human activities on songbirds, herpetofauna, small mammals and butterflies. More recently I've begun to investigate how ethnicity relate to wildlife and other conservation issues. I'm also interested in how birders and hunters might bridge philosophical gaps to effect conservation in a more holistic way."
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
