Val Biro
Encyclopedia
Val Biro (born October 6, 1921), children's author, artist and illustrator, was a native of Hungary
now resident in Sussex
in England
. He received his education in Budapest
and London
. His studio was located in Amersham
in Buckinghamshire
.
From an interview in the early 1970s: "My writing is mainly concerned with my vintage car "Gumdrop." It was four years ago that my publishers suggested that it was about time that I wrote a book for children and not merely illustrate one; and I decided on Gumdrop as the main character.
"I write so as to give my alter-ego a good chance for drawing pictures, though I find that the story I invent tends to run away with itself, leaving me, the illustrator, behind! Each story tends to be based on personal experience and, equally, each tends to grow out of that into the imagination. Each book seems to take a few months to gestate, and then I write it in one long day (or night)."
and Nevil Shute
(Requiem for a Wren
, Round the Bend
, The Far Country
and Beyond the Black Stump
). For C.S. Forester, publishing with Michael Joseph, Biro made cover illustrations of several first editions: Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
, Lieutenant Hornblower
, Hornblower and the Atropos
, Hornblower in the West Indies
and 'Randell and the River of Time'.
Gumdrop
is the name of an Austin Clifton Heavy Twelve-Four of 1926
. the title character of a series of books authored by Val Biro, who owns an example.
The stories revolve around the car and his owner, initially the younger Bill McArran, but for most of the series, the more senior Mr Oldcastle (later joined by a dog, Horace). The plots often involve the search for replacement parts for Gumdrop.
Biro wrote the stories from the late 1960s to the 1980s. The main series of books, all fully illustrated in colour by Biro, ran to at least seventeen titles, with a further twelve (at least) "Gumdrop Little Books" also published in the 1980s.
Whilst Gumdrop's adventures are fictional, the car is not. Mr Biro and Gumdrop are frequent visitors to car shows and other events in Sussex and surrounding area (2008)
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
now resident in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He received his education in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His studio was located in Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
From an interview in the early 1970s: "My writing is mainly concerned with my vintage car "Gumdrop." It was four years ago that my publishers suggested that it was about time that I wrote a book for children and not merely illustrate one; and I decided on Gumdrop as the main character.
"I write so as to give my alter-ego a good chance for drawing pictures, though I find that the story I invent tends to run away with itself, leaving me, the illustrator, behind! Each story tends to be based on personal experience and, equally, each tends to grow out of that into the imagination. Each book seems to take a few months to gestate, and then I write it in one long day (or night)."
Illustrator
In the 1950s and 1960s Val Biro illustrated many book covers for famous authors such as Nigel TranterNigel Tranter
Nigel Tranter OBE was a Scottish historian and author.-Early life:Nigel Tranter was born in Glasgow and educated at George Heriot's School in Edinburgh. He trained as an accountant and worked in Scottish National Insurance Company, founded by his uncle. In 1933 he married May Jean Campbell Grieve...
and Nevil Shute
Nevil Shute
Nevil Shute Norway was a popular British-Australian novelist and a successful aeronautical engineer. He used his full name in his engineering career, and 'Nevil Shute' as his pen name, in order to protect his engineering career from any potential negative publicity in connection with his novels.-...
(Requiem for a Wren
Requiem for a Wren
Requiem For A Wren is a novel by Nevil Shute. It was first published in 1955 by William Heinemann Ltd. It was published in the USA under the title The Breaking Wave.-Plot summary:...
, Round the Bend
Round the Bend
Round the Bend was a British children's television series, which ran on Children's ITV for three series from 1989 to 1991. The show was a Hat Trick production for Yorkshire Television...
, The Far Country
The Far Country
The Far Country is a 1954 American western movie directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their fourth western collaboration...
and Beyond the Black Stump
Beyond the Black Stump
Beyond the Black Stump is a novel by British author Nevil Shute. It was first published in the UK by William Heinemann Ltd in 1956.-Plot summary:...
). For C.S. Forester, publishing with Michael Joseph, Biro made cover illustrations of several first editions: Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester. Although it may be considered as the first episode in the Hornblower saga, it was written as a prequel; the first Hornblower novel, The Happy Return, was published in 1937.-Plot introduction:Horatio Hornblower...
, Lieutenant Hornblower
Lieutenant Hornblower
Lieutenant Hornblower is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester, ISBN 1-85998-976-4.It is the second book in the series chronologically, but the seventh by order of publication....
, Hornblower and the Atropos
Hornblower and the Atropos
Hornblower and the Atropos is a 1953 historical novel by C.S. Forester.In this novel, Horatio Hornblower is posted to HMS Atropos, the smallest vessel in the Royal Navy that merits command by a post-Captain, as he hunts for treasure in the Mediterranean Sea.-Plot summary:On a December day in 1805,...
, Hornblower in the West Indies
Hornblower in the West Indies
Hornblower in the West Indies, or alternately Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies is one of the novels in the series CS Forester wrote about fictional Royal Navy officer Horatio Hornblower....
and 'Randell and the River of Time'.
Gumdrop
Gumdrop (book series)
The Gumdrop stories are a series of 37 children's books written and illustrated by Val Biro. They concern a 1926 Austin 12 hp called "Gumdrop", who gets involved in various adventures. The car is real and in the author's possessions, but the stories are fictional. The first book was The Adventures...
is the name of an Austin Clifton Heavy Twelve-Four of 1926
Austin 12 hp
The Austin 12/4 was introduced by the Austin Motor Company in 1921. It was the second of Herbert Austin's post World War I models and was in many ways a scaled-down version of the 20/4, introduced in 1919...
. the title character of a series of books authored by Val Biro, who owns an example.
The stories revolve around the car and his owner, initially the younger Bill McArran, but for most of the series, the more senior Mr Oldcastle (later joined by a dog, Horace). The plots often involve the search for replacement parts for Gumdrop.
Biro wrote the stories from the late 1960s to the 1980s. The main series of books, all fully illustrated in colour by Biro, ran to at least seventeen titles, with a further twelve (at least) "Gumdrop Little Books" also published in the 1980s.
Whilst Gumdrop's adventures are fictional, the car is not. Mr Biro and Gumdrop are frequent visitors to car shows and other events in Sussex and surrounding area (2008)
Sources and external links
- Commire, Anne, 1971: Something About the Author, Volume 1. Gale Research