Lloyd Alexander is a towering figure in literature for young adults, with his fiction drawing awards, critical praise, and a large audience. He did not come by his fame and popularity easily, even though his novel The Book of Three, his second one for young adults, was a great success. Based on the strength of its lyrical prose, complex characters, and well-structured plot, Alexander became seemingly overnight one of the foremost writers for young people. However, he actually labored for many years and endured many rejections and failures before achieving his success.

Gypsy Rizka 187 He was born in Philadelphia on January 30, 1924, to Edna Chudley Alexander and Alan Audley Alexander, a stockbroker. As a youngster, Alexander was an avid reader of mythology and folk tales; these readings early in his life may have been the inspiration for The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen and his...