Louise Fitzhugh
Encyclopedia
Louise Fitzhugh was an American author and illustrator of young adult
and children's literature
.
Her work includes Harriet the Spy
, its sequels The Long Secret and Sport, and Nobody's Family is Going to Change.
, she soon experienced her parents' divorce, from which her father, Millsaps Fitzhugh, gained custody, and so she lived with him in the South. She attended Miss Hutchison's School
and three different universities, without obtaining a degree. According to her obituary in the New York Times, Fitzhugh graduated from Barnard College
in 1950. She lived most of her adult life in New York City
and had houses in both Long Island
and Bridgewater, Connecticut
.
She was married briefly to Ed Thompson, whom she dated in high school. After high school, she primarily dated women.
, a parody of Eloise
; while Eloise lived in the Plaza, Suzuki was the daughter of beatnik parents and slept on a mattress on the floor of a Bleecker Street pad in Greenwich Village. Fitzhugh worked closely with author Sandra Scoppettone
to produce Suzuki Beane
, which incorporated typewriter font and line drawings in an original, even hipsterish, way. Although a parody of both Eloise and beatnik conceit, the book sprang to life as a genuine work of literature. Today, it is a much sought-after book on used-book websites.
Fitzhugh's best-known book was Harriet the Spy
, published in 1964 to some controversy since so many characters were far from admirable. It has since become a classic. As her New York Times' obituary, published November 19, 1974, states: "The book helped introduce a new realism to children's fiction and has been widely imitated". Harriet is the daughter of affluent New Yorkers who leave her in the care of her nanny, Ole Golly, in their Manhattan townhouse. Hardly the feminine girl heroine typical of the early 1960s, Harriet is a writer who notes everything about everybody in her world in a notebook which ultimately falls into the wrong hands. Ole Golly gives Harriet the unlikely but practical advice that: "Sometimes you have to lie. But to yourself you must always tell the truth". By and large, Harriet the Spy was well-received—it was awarded a New York Times Outstanding Book Award in 1964—and has sold 4 million copies since publication. Two characters from the book, Beth Ellen and Sport, were featured in two of Fitzhugh's later books, The Long Secret and Sport. The Long Secret deals fairly honestly with female puberty; the main characters are pre-teen girls who discuss how their changing bodies feel.
Another young adult manuscript, Amelia, concerned two girls falling in love. This manuscript was not published and was later lost.{http://purple-socks.webmage.com/}
Fitzhugh illustrated many of her books and had works exhibited in Banfer Gallery, New York, in 1963, among many other galleries.
was published in the New York Times.
Published posthumously:
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
and 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...
.
Her work includes Harriet the Spy
Harriet the Spy
Harriet the Spy is a children's novel by Louise Fitzhugh published in 1964. It won the Sequoyah Book Award and the New York Times Outstanding Book Award in 1964.-Plot summary:...
, its sequels The Long Secret and Sport, and Nobody's Family is Going to Change.
Early life
Born in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, she soon experienced her parents' divorce, from which her father, Millsaps Fitzhugh, gained custody, and so she lived with him in the South. She attended Miss Hutchison's School
Hutchison School
Hutchison School is an independent day school for girls in grades PK-12 located in Memphis, Tennessee.- History :Hutchison School was founded by Mary Grimes Hutchison in 1902. The first few years of the school included the training of young boys and girls by Miss Hutchison alone. One of its most...
and three different universities, without obtaining a degree. According to her obituary in the New York Times, Fitzhugh graduated from Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
in 1950. She lived most of her adult life in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and had houses in both Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and Bridgewater, Connecticut
Bridgewater, Connecticut
Bridgewater is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,824 at the 2000 census. It is the only remaining dry town in Connecticut.-Geography:...
.
She was married briefly to Ed Thompson, whom she dated in high school. After high school, she primarily dated women.
Career
Fitzhugh was the illustrator of the 1961 children's book Suzuki BeaneSuzuki Beane
Suzuki Beane is a humor book written in 1961 by Sandra Scoppettone and illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh. The novel is a downtown satire on Kay Thompson's Eloise series...
, a parody of Eloise
Eloise (books)
Eloise is the name of the protagonist in a series of children's books written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight.Eloise is a six-year-old girl who lives in the "room on the tippy-top floor" of the Plaza Hotel in New York with her Nanny, her pug dog Weenie, and her turtle Skipperdee. A...
; while Eloise lived in the Plaza, Suzuki was the daughter of beatnik parents and slept on a mattress on the floor of a Bleecker Street pad in Greenwich Village. Fitzhugh worked closely with author Sandra Scoppettone
Sandra Scoppettone
Sandra Scoppettone is an American author whose career spans the 1960s through the 2000s. She is known for her mystery and young adult books.She also wrote Suzuki Beane...
to produce Suzuki Beane
Suzuki Beane
Suzuki Beane is a humor book written in 1961 by Sandra Scoppettone and illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh. The novel is a downtown satire on Kay Thompson's Eloise series...
, which incorporated typewriter font and line drawings in an original, even hipsterish, way. Although a parody of both Eloise and beatnik conceit, the book sprang to life as a genuine work of literature. Today, it is a much sought-after book on used-book websites.
Fitzhugh's best-known book was Harriet the Spy
Harriet the Spy
Harriet the Spy is a children's novel by Louise Fitzhugh published in 1964. It won the Sequoyah Book Award and the New York Times Outstanding Book Award in 1964.-Plot summary:...
, published in 1964 to some controversy since so many characters were far from admirable. It has since become a classic. As her New York Times' obituary, published November 19, 1974, states: "The book helped introduce a new realism to children's fiction and has been widely imitated". Harriet is the daughter of affluent New Yorkers who leave her in the care of her nanny, Ole Golly, in their Manhattan townhouse. Hardly the feminine girl heroine typical of the early 1960s, Harriet is a writer who notes everything about everybody in her world in a notebook which ultimately falls into the wrong hands. Ole Golly gives Harriet the unlikely but practical advice that: "Sometimes you have to lie. But to yourself you must always tell the truth". By and large, Harriet the Spy was well-received—it was awarded a New York Times Outstanding Book Award in 1964—and has sold 4 million copies since publication. Two characters from the book, Beth Ellen and Sport, were featured in two of Fitzhugh's later books, The Long Secret and Sport. The Long Secret deals fairly honestly with female puberty; the main characters are pre-teen girls who discuss how their changing bodies feel.
Another young adult manuscript, Amelia, concerned two girls falling in love. This manuscript was not published and was later lost.{http://purple-socks.webmage.com/}
Fitzhugh illustrated many of her books and had works exhibited in Banfer Gallery, New York, in 1963, among many other galleries.
Death
She died in 1974 of a brain aneurysm. Her obituaryObituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
was published in the New York Times.
Published works
- Suzuki Beane (illustrator), 1961
- Harriet the SpyHarriet the SpyHarriet the Spy is a children's novel by Louise Fitzhugh published in 1964. It won the Sequoyah Book Award and the New York Times Outstanding Book Award in 1964.-Plot summary:...
, 1964 - The Long Secret, 1965
- Bang Bang You're Dead (illustrator), 1969
- Nobody's Family Is Going to Change, 1974
Published posthumously:
- Sport, 1979
- I Am Five, 1978
- I Am Four, 1982
- I Am Three, 1982
Awards
Through the course of her writing career she won many awards, three of them posthumous:- New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year citation, 1964
- Sequoyah Book AwardSequoyah Book AwardThe Sequoyah Children's Book Award is given each year to the book that is selected by Oklahoma students in 3rd-5th grades as their favorite. The Sequoyah Young Adult Award , which is voted for by Oklahoma students in 6th-8th grades, was created in 1988...
, 1967 (Harriet the Spy) - Children's Book Bulletin, 1976 (Nobody's Family is Going to Change)
- Children's Workshop Other Award, 1976 (Nobody's Family is Going to Change)
- Emmy Award for children's entertainment special (The Tap Dance KidThe Tap Dance KidThe Tap Dance Kid is a musical based on the novel Nobody's Family is Going to Change by Louise Fitzhugh. It was written by Charles Blackwell with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics by Robert Lorick.-Productions:...
, based on Nobody's Family is Going to Change).
