"I soon learned the rules and enjoyed myself," Hughes recalled of her introduction to British schools and culture in an autobiographical essay for Something about the Author Autobiography Series (SAAS). As her teachers exposed her to an ever changing supply of British literature, she grew more fascinated with language and story: "We were read aloud to every day, not from the kind of storybooks that we could read for ourselves, but from more difficult material: the myths and beliefs of Early Man, for instance, and the Norse Sagas," continued Hughes in SAAS. "I still remember the day when the teacher read to us the story of the death of Balder the Beautiful through the cunning of the treacherous Loki, and how we sat at our desks with the tears streaming down our faces. This is when I discovered the idea of Hero, a concept that has been very important in my writing life."
Family and Fine Arts Influences
Always a good, if overly impressionable, student, Hughes was intrigued by museums, libraries, and art galleries; her constant visits to these places increased both her interest and understanding of history and culture that would one day find a voice in her writing.
This is a free page. This page contains 147 words. This
biography contains 2,698 words (approx. 9 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Biography with our Monica Hughes Access Pass.
