Eric P. Kelly
Encyclopedia
Eric Philbrook Kelly was an American
journalist, academic and author of books for young readers, whose book, The Trumpeter of Krakow
, won the Newbery Medal
for children's literature
in 1929. He was a professor of English at Dartmouth College
and a lecturer at the Jagiellonian University
in Krakow
.
. While a student at Dartmouth College (BA, 1906), Kelly was a member of the French club.
After “ten colorless, uneventful, and discouraging years working on newspapers,” Kelly volunteered in 1918 to work with the French ‘Foyer de Soldat’ in Quentin, France. He found himself in charge of athletics and entertainment for 2,000 Polish soldiers in Haller’s Army
. In May 1919, Kelly was shipped across Germany to the newly-recognised state of Poland
in closed boxcars along with the Polish troops. His new base was established in the old Napoleonic fortress of Modlin
, near Warsaw
. He wrote to his mother that “Warsaw is a beautiful city, reminds me in some ways of Denver.”
During the 1919-1920 Polish-Soviet War
, Kelly was posted at Chełm with Haller’s Army on the Bug River
River. In January 1921, Kelly returned to the US where he took a job as a teacher at Mercersburg Academy
. During this period he wrote descriptions of his experience in Poland and warned against the dangers of Bolshevik
propaganda. Six months later, he was hired by his alma mater, Dartmouth College, where he would teach for 33 years. In 1924, he married his wife Katherine but, in spite of his fame as a children’s author, did not have any children of his own.
1925-1926 Kelly went to the Jagiellonian University in Krakow as the first American exchange scholar sent to Poland by the Kosciuszko Foundation
. Kelly served as an instructor of American Literature and Institutions in the Department of English Philology under Prof. Roman Dybowski.
On 4 July 1926, Kelly ceremonially placed a vase filled with earth from Tadeusz Kościuszko
’s North American battlefields at Yorktown
and Saratoga
in the Kościuszko Mound
overlooking Krakow. That same year he started work on The Trumpeter of Krakow which won the Newbery Medal for Children’s literature in 1929. This novel contains the first known reference in any language to the now-popular legend of the hejnał trumpeter shot by a Tartar
arrow.
Kelly spent 1930 as a researcher in Vilnius
and 1931 in Lviv
(both in Polish hands at that time). These inspired further Polish-themed children’s books, The Blacksmith of Vilno and The Golden Star of Halicz. His 1932 book, The Christmas Nightingale, was adapted as a play in 1935.
In 1943-1945, Kelly worked for the US State Department taking care of Polish refugees in León, Guanajuato
, Mexico
.
Kelly was chairman of the Pulitzer Prize
selection committee for the novel in the years 1951, 1952 and 1953. He retired from teaching in 1954, and retired to Chebeague Island, Maine
, and Ojo Caliente, New Mexico
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist, academic and author of books for young readers, whose book, The Trumpeter of Krakow
The Trumpeter of Krakow
The Trumpeter of Krakow, a young adult historical novel by Eric P. Kelly, won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1929....
, won the Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
for children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
in 1929. He was a professor of English at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and a lecturer at the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
in Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
.
Life
Kelly was born in 1884 in Amesbury, MassachusettsAmesbury, Massachusetts
Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Though it officially became a city in 1996, its formal name remains "The Town of Amesbury." In 1890, 9798 people lived in Amesbury; in 1900, 9473; in 1910, 9894; in 1920, 10,036; and in 1940, 10,862. The population was 16,283 at...
. While a student at Dartmouth College (BA, 1906), Kelly was a member of the French club.
After “ten colorless, uneventful, and discouraging years working on newspapers,” Kelly volunteered in 1918 to work with the French ‘Foyer de Soldat’ in Quentin, France. He found himself in charge of athletics and entertainment for 2,000 Polish soldiers in Haller’s Army
Blue Army
The Blue Army, or Haller's Army, are informal names given to the Polish Army units formed in France during the later stages of World War I. The army was created in June 1917 as part of the Polish units allied to the Entente. After the Great War ended, the units were transferred to Poland, where...
. In May 1919, Kelly was shipped across Germany to the newly-recognised state of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in closed boxcars along with the Polish troops. His new base was established in the old Napoleonic fortress of Modlin
Modlin Fortress
Modlin Fortress is one of the biggest 19th century fortresses in Poland. It is located the town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki in district Modlin on the Narew river, some 50 kilometres north of Warsaw...
, near Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. He wrote to his mother that “Warsaw is a beautiful city, reminds me in some ways of Denver.”
During the 1919-1920 Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
, Kelly was posted at Chełm with Haller’s Army on the Bug River
Bug River
The Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...
River. In January 1921, Kelly returned to the US where he took a job as a teacher at Mercersburg Academy
Mercersburg Academy
Mercersburg Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school for grades 9-12 located in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The school's mission is:...
. During this period he wrote descriptions of his experience in Poland and warned against the dangers of Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
propaganda. Six months later, he was hired by his alma mater, Dartmouth College, where he would teach for 33 years. In 1924, he married his wife Katherine but, in spite of his fame as a children’s author, did not have any children of his own.
1925-1926 Kelly went to the Jagiellonian University in Krakow as the first American exchange scholar sent to Poland by the Kosciuszko Foundation
Kosciuszko Foundation
Kosciuszko Foundation is a charitable foundation based in New York City. It was created by Stephen Mizwa to fund programs that promote Polish-American intellectual and artistic exchange.-History:...
. Kelly served as an instructor of American Literature and Institutions in the Department of English Philology under Prof. Roman Dybowski.
On 4 July 1926, Kelly ceremonially placed a vase filled with earth from Tadeusz Kościuszko
Tadeusz Kosciuszko
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...
’s North American battlefields at Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
and Saratoga
Battle of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga conclusively decided the fate of British General John Burgoyne's army in the American War of Independence and are generally regarded as a turning point in the war. The battles were fought eighteen days apart on the same ground, south of Saratoga, New York...
in the Kościuszko Mound
Kosciuszko Mound
Kościuszko Mound in Kraków, Poland, erected by Cracovians in commemoration of the Polish national leader Tadeusz Kościuszko, is an artificial mound modeled after Kraków's prehistoric mounds of Krak and Wanda. A serpentine path leads to the top, approx. above sea level, with a panoramic view of...
overlooking Krakow. That same year he started work on The Trumpeter of Krakow which won the Newbery Medal for Children’s literature in 1929. This novel contains the first known reference in any language to the now-popular legend of the hejnał trumpeter shot by a Tartar
Tartar
Tartar may refer to: *An alternative spelling of the name Tatars, an ethnic group in present-day Russia.* Tartars, the name of the athletic teams from 1927–1999 at Wayne State University in Detroit.*Tartar sauce*Tartar on teeth, hardened dental plaque...
arrow.
Kelly spent 1930 as a researcher in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
and 1931 in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
(both in Polish hands at that time). These inspired further Polish-themed children’s books, The Blacksmith of Vilno and The Golden Star of Halicz. His 1932 book, The Christmas Nightingale, was adapted as a play in 1935.
In 1943-1945, Kelly worked for the US State Department taking care of Polish refugees in León, Guanajuato
León, Guanajuato
The city of León, formally León de los Aldama is the sixth most populous city in Mexico and the first in the state of Guanajuato. It is also the seat of the municipality of León...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Kelly was chairman of the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
selection committee for the novel in the years 1951, 1952 and 1953. He retired from teaching in 1954, and retired to Chebeague Island, Maine
Chebeague Island, Maine
Chebeague Island is an island town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, located in Casco Bay, 10 miles from Portland. These islands are sometimes referred to as an older, now archaic term "The Calendar Islands" because there was once a belief that the approx. number of islands was about 365....
, and Ojo Caliente, New Mexico
Ojo Caliente, New Mexico
Ojo Caliente is a small unincorporated community in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 285 near the Rio Grande. The state capital, Santa Fe lies south of Ojo Caliente, which sits between Espanola and Taos, approximately 50 miles southeast of Ghost Ranch. The community...
.
Books
- The Trumpeter of KrakowThe Trumpeter of KrakowThe Trumpeter of Krakow, a young adult historical novel by Eric P. Kelly, won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1929....
(1929) - The Blacksmith of Vilno (1930)
- The Golden Star of Halicz (1931)
- Christmas Nightingale (1932)
- The Girl Who Would be Queen (1934)
- Three Sides of Angiochook (1935)
- Treasure Mountain (1937)
- At the Sign of the Golden Compass (1938)
- On the Staked Plain (1940)
- From Star to Star (1940)
- In Clean Hay (1940)
- Land of the Polish People (1943)
- The Hand in the Picture (1947)
- The Amazing Story of David Ingram (1949)
- Polish Legends and Tales (1971)