The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles

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The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles is a children's book by Padraic Colum, a retelling of Greek myths. The book, illustrated by Willy Pogany, was first published in 1921 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1922. [1] The central myth retold is that of Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece and the aftermath. Woven into it are other myths, including the myths of Persephone and Prometheus, told by the poet Orpheus during the voyage. [2]

Padraic Colum Irish writer

Padraic Colum was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer, playwright, children's author and collector of folklore. He was one of the leading figures of the Irish Literary Revival.

Willy Pogany Hungarian artist

William Andrew Pogany was a prolific Hungarian illustrator of children's and other books. His contemporaries include C. Coles Phillips, Joseph Clement Coll, Edmund Dulac, Harvey Dunn, Walter Everett, Harry Rountree, Sarah Stilwell Weber, and N.C. Wyeth. He is best known for his pen and ink drawings of myths and fables. A large portion of Pogany's work is described as Art Nouveau. Pogany's artistic style is heavily fairy-tale orientated and often feature motifs of mythical animals such as nymphs and pixies. He paid great attention to botanical details. He used dreamy and warm pastel scenes with watercolors, oil paintings, and especially pen and ink. Painstakingly detailed and confident, Pogany's pen and ink pieces portray the true extent of his talent.

Newbery Medal annual award for writing a childrens book published in the U.S.

The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." The Newbery and the Caldecott Medal are considered the two most prestigious awards for children's literature in the United States. Books selected are widely carried by bookstores and libraries, the authors are interviewed on television, and masters and doctoral theses are written on them. Named for John Newbery, an 18th-century English publisher of juvenile books, the Newbery is selected at ALA's Midwinter Conference by a fifteen-person committee. The Newbery was proposed by Frederic G. Melcher in 1921, making it the first children's book award in the world. The physical bronze medal was designed by Rene Paul Chambellan and is given to the winning author at the next ALA annual conference. Since its founding there have been several changes to the make-up of the selection committee, while the physical medal remains the same.

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References

  1. "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922–Present". American Library Association . Retrieved 2009-12-30.
  2. The Newbery & Caldecott Awards: a Guide to the Medal and Honor Books by the Association for Library Service to Children, page 86