Today is Lloyd Alexander’s 89th birthday. Of course I had to write a tribute.
There aren’t enough words, especially in a blog post, to give the proper idea of the influence this man has had on me. My writing, for one, but in my life as well. His characters, his stories, and more important, the ideas behind his stories, the hidden and subtle threads that wove their way through every tale he told, have all conspired together to shape my world view and my personality.
His own character as well has been an inspiration to me. Everything I read about him indicates he was a kind man, with great humility and a marvelous sense of humor, someone who never lost his sense of wonder at the magic that exists in the world all around us, for those with eyes to see it.
He is one of those giants upon whose shoulders I attempt to stand. I am ever thankful for him.
I wrote, a few years back, a little story set in a post The High King Prydain. I skipped the entire dilemma of “how did Taran and Eilonwy put the kingdom back together?” by focusing on their children, in a settled kingdom that had accepted the departure of the Sons of Don long ago (cheating! I know!). It’s not the most perfect story I’ve ever written, but I am fond of it for the message it conveys. It is, in a small way, part of my tribute to the lessons I’ve learned from Lloyd. If such thing interest you, feel free to read it!
Thank you, Lloyd, for the gifts you scattered on the earth during your lifetime. May your legacy grow ever greater as the years pass.
