Despite this retiring nature, he nonetheless pressed himself-at the urging of family members-to become A naturally shy child, White later indicated in his semi-autobiographical essays for the New Yorker that he felt ill at ease among other children and, when the opportunity arose, preferred the company of his pets. The elder White was a general manager of a musical instrument manufacturer who was able to provide a comfortable upper-middle-class existence for his large family. As a result, while his output was limited, his three works of juvenile fiction are generally regarded as masterworks of children's literature that remain very much a part of the American literary ritual of adolescence.īorn in Mount Vernon, New York, on July 11, 1899, Elwyn Brooks was the sixth and final child of Samuel and Jessie White, who were both in their forties at the time of his birth. Dedicated to concision of thought and feeling in his own writing as well as an honest and forthright approach to every facet of life, White was a fastidious editor of his own work, often altering passages and sentences repeatedly in an effort to express his intent in as direct and unpretentious a manner as possible. INTRODUCTIONĪ naturalistic writer who earned enduring respect throughout much of his career for his adult-oriented essays and wry observations of life for the New Yorker, White is today primarily remembered for his three children's books, Stuart Little (1945), Charlotte's Web (1952), and The Trumpet of the Swan (1970).

For further information on his life and works, see CLR, Volumes 1 and 21. The following entry presents an overview of White's career through 2003. (Full name Elwyn Brooks White) American essayist, critic, editor, journalist, poet, nonfiction writer, and author of juvenile fiction.

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