John Bellairs

John Bellairs
Born John Anthony Bellairs
(1938-01-17)January 17, 1938
Marshall, Michigan, U.S.
Died March 8, 1991(1991-03-08) (aged 53)
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Occupation Novelist
Nationality American
Education University of Notre Dame, University of Chicago
Period 1966–1991
Genre Fantasy, horror, humor

John Anthony Bellairs (January 17, 1938 – March 8, 1991) was an American author, best known for his fantasy novel The Face in the Frost and many gothic mystery novels for young adults featuring the characters Lewis Barnavelt, Anthony Monday, and Johnny Dixon.

After earning degrees at University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago, Bellairs taught English at various midwestern and New England colleges for several years before turning full-time to writing in 1971. He maintained a lifelong interest in archaeology, architecture, kitschy antiques, bad poetry, traveling to the UK, and studying history and Latin. His favorite authors included Charles Dickens, Henry James, C.V. Wedgwood, and Garrett Mattingly, as well as M.R. James, from whose ghost stories he occasionally borrowed elements to work into his own fiction.

His first published work, St. Fidgeta and Other Parodies, was a collection of short stories satirizing the rites and rituals of Second Vatican Council-era Catholicism. The title story of St. Fidgeta grew out of stories Bellairs made up and shared with friends while living in Chicago. After committing one such story to paper, he sent it to the Chicago-based Catholic magazine the Critic, which published the story in its summer 1965 edition. The following year, the hagiography of St. Fidgeta was supplemented by eleven other humorous stories, including an essay on lesser-known popes of antiquity, a cathedral constructed over the course of centuries, and a spoof letter from a modern-day Xavier Rynne about the escapades at the fictional Third Vatican Council. The book remained out of print for decades until it was rereleased in a 2009 anthology.

The Pedant and the Shuffly, his second book, was a short illustrated fable that detailed the chaotic encounter of the two title characters and logic. It was originally published in 1968 and rereleased in 2001 and 2009.

Bellairs undertook The Face in the Frost while living in Britain and after reading J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, but it is not much like that book, apart from sharing the idea of a wizard who is palpably human and not a literary stereotype. Bellairs said of his third book: "The Face in the Frost was an attempt to write in the Tolkien manner. I was much taken by The Lord of the Rings and wanted to do a modest work on those lines. In reading the latter book I was struck by the fact that Gandalf was not much of a person—just a good guy. So I gave Prospero, my wizard, most of my phobias and crotchets. It was simply meant as entertainment and any profundity will have to be read in." Writing in 1973, Lin Carter described The Face in the Frost as one of the three best fantasy novels to appear since The Lord of the Rings. Carter stated that Bellairs was planning a sequel to The Face in the Frost at the time.[1] An unfinished sequel titled The Dolphin Cross was included in the 2009 anthology Magic Mirrors, which was published by the New England Science Fiction Association Press.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (1973), Bellairs's next novel, was originally composed as a contemporary adult fantasy, but at the time there was little market for such a thing. The second publisher to which it was submitted suggested rewriting it as a young readers' book; Bellairs did so, and thus determined the future course of his career. Bellairs wound up writing 15 young-adult novels.

Two books, The House with a Clock in its Walls and The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn, were adapted for television in 1979 and 1980, respectively. A number of books have also been released in such languages as German, French, Japanese, and Polish, among others.

Death and afterward


Bellairs died of cardiovascular disease at his home in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1991. He was 53 years old.

At the time of his death, he left behind two unfinished manuscripts and two one-page synopses for future adventures. Author Brad Strickland was commissioned by the Bellairs estate to complete the two unfinished manuscripts and to write novels based on the two one-page outlines. These would become The Ghost in the Mirror; The Vengeance of the Witch-finder; The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie; and The Doom of the Haunted Opera, respectively. Starting in 1996 with The Hand of the Necromancer, Strickland began writing his own stories based on the established characters. In 1992, a historical marker was placed in front of the Cronin House in Bellairs's hometown of Marshall, noting that the imposing Italianate mansion was the basis for his 1973 book. Bellairs was inducted posthumously into the Haverhill Hall of Fame in 2000.

Strickland announced in spring 2005 that new adventures of the Bellairs characters were under way, following contract negotiations with the Bellairs estate and a two-year absence since his last-published novel. The first of these new adventures was The House Where Nobody Lived, which was published on October 5, 2006.

Illustrators

Edward Gorey provided cover illustrations and frontispieces for all but three of Bellairs' 15 children's works, and continued to provide them for the Strickland novels until his death in 2000. The novel The Beast Under the Wizard's Bridge featured Gorey's last published artwork before his death. Artists S. D. Schindler and Bart Goldman have created cover art for the books published since 2001.

The Gorey covers are no longer in print, though some books still contain interior Gorey illustrations.

Marilyn Fitschen provided the covers and illustrations for Bellairs's first three books, "St Fidgeta and Other Parodies", "The Pedant and the Shuffly" and "The Face in the Frost."

Movies

On November 18, 2011, Mythology Entertainment, founded by Brad Fischer,[2] co-president of production at Phoenix Pictures; Laeta Kalogridis; and James Vanderbilt announced that they hired Eric Kripke, creator of Supernatural and Revolution, to write and produce a feature film based on John Bellairs' work through a partnership with John's estate. "Jamie, Laeta and I are thrilled to launch Mythology Entertainment and to be partnering with Eric Kripke and the estate of John Bellairs for our first feature project,” Fischer said. “As a kid, Eric was inspired by Bellairs’ work and these books have stayed with him through the years…. As a company, we aspire to be a haven for artists and friends who believe in the power of myth and remember that feeling we all got as kids, when the lights went down and the images came up and anything was possible.”[3]

Awards

#Book TitleAwardYear
01The House with a Clock in its WallsAmerican Library Association Children's Books of International Interest Award1973
02The House with a Clock in its WallsNew York Times Outstanding Books of 1973 Award1973
03The House with a Clock in its WallsSouth Carolina Children's Book Award Nominee1978–1979
04The House with a Clock in its WallsMichigan Young Readers Award Nominee1980
05The House with a Clock in its WallsMaude Hart Lovelace Award Nominee (Minnesota)1982
06The Letter, the Witch, and the RingSouth Carolina Children's Book Award Nominee1979–1980
07The Letter, the Witch, and the RingUtah Children's Fiction Book Award1981
08The Treasure of Alpheus WinterbornMaud Hart Lovelace Award Nominee (Minnesota)1983
09The Curse of the Blue FigurineUtah Children's Fiction Book Award Nominee1985
10The Curse of the Blue FigurineIndian Paintbrush Book Award Nominee (Wyoming)1986
11The Curse of the Blue FigurineVirginia Young Readers Award, Middle School Division1986–1987
12The Curse of the Blue FigurineRead-Aloud Books Too Good to Miss List (Indiana Library Federation)1990–1991
13The Mummy, the Will, and the CryptIowa Teen Award Nominee1985–1986
14The Dark Secret of WeatherendUtah Children's Fiction Book Award Nominee1987
15The Eyes of the Killer RobotRebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award Nominee (Illinois)1991
16The Lamp from the Warlock's TombEdgar Allan Poe Award, Best Juvenile Division, Nominee1989
17The Specter from the Magician's MuseumGeorgia Author of the Year Award, Young Adult Division1998
18The Specter from the Magician's MuseumNew York Public Library "Best Books for the Teen Age" Awards

Published books

Novels

#TitleMonthYear Series Chapters Pages Writer Illustrator
01St. Fidgeta and Other ParodiesJun1966 12123John BellairsMarilyn Fitschen
02The Pedant and the ShufflyFeb1968 NA79John BellairsMarilyn Fitschen
03The Face in the Frost 1969 11174John BellairsMarilyn Fitschen
04The House with a Clock in its WallsJan1973Lewis Barnavelt11179John BellairsEdward Gorey
05The Figure in the Shadows 1975Lewis Barnavelt13155John BellairsMercer Mayer
06The Letter, the Witch, and the RingJan1976Lewis Barnavelt13188John BellairsRichard Egielski
07The Treasure of Alpheus WinterbornMay1978Anthony Monday17180John BellairsJudith Gwyn Brown
08The Curse of the Blue FigurineMay1983Johnny Dixon12200John BellairsEdward Gorey
09The Mummy, the Will, and the CryptNov1983Johnny Dixon16168John BellairsEdward Gorey
10The Dark Secret of WeatherendJul1984Anthony Monday15182John BellairsEdward Gorey
11The Spell of the Sorcerer's SkullNov1984Johnny Dixon11170John BellairsEdward Gorey
12The Revenge of the Wizard's GhostNov1985Johnny Dixon15147John BellairsEdward Gorey
13The Eyes of the Killer RobotOct1986Johnny Dixon17167John BellairsEdward Gorey
14The Lamp from the Warlock's TombMay1988Anthony Monday14168John BellairsEdward Gorey
15The Trolley to YesterdayJul1989Johnny Dixon18183John BellairsEdward Gorey
16The Chessmen of DoomNov1989Johnny Dixon16155John BellairsEdward Gorey
17The Secret of the Underground RoomMar1990Johnny Dixon13127John BellairsEdward Gorey
18The Mansion in the MistAug1992Anthony Monday17170John BellairsEdward Gorey
19The Ghost in the MirrorApr1993Lewis Barnavelt13169 coauthorsdagger Edward Gorey
20The Vengeance of the Witch-finderSep1993Lewis Barnavelt15153 coauthors Edward Gorey
21The Drum, the Doll, and the ZombieSep1994Johnny Dixon15153 coauthors Edward Gorey
22The Doom of the Haunted OperaSep1995Lewis Barnavelt16153 coauthors Edward Gorey
23The Hand of the NecromancerSep1996Johnny Dixon18168Brad StricklandEdward Gorey
24The Bell, the Book, and the SpellbinderOct1997Johnny Dixon16149Brad StricklandEdward Gorey
25The Specter from the Magician's MuseumMar1998Lewis Barnavelt16149Brad StricklandEdward Gorey
26The Wrath of the Grinning GhostSep1999Johnny Dixon15166Brad StricklandEdward Gorey
27The Beast Under the Wizard's BridgeSep2000Lewis Barnavelt15151Brad StricklandEdward Gorey
28The Tower at the End of the WorldSep2001Lewis Barnavelt15146Brad Strickland S. D. Schindler
29The Whistle, the Grave, and the GhostAug2003Lewis Barnavelt14152Brad Strickland S. D. Schindler
30The House Where Nobody LivedOct2006Lewis Barnavelt18173Brad StricklandBart Goldman
31The Sign of the Sinister SorcererOct2008Lewis Barnavelt13168Brad StricklandBart Goldman
dagger Some Lewis Barnavelt and Johnny Dixon books were outlined by Bellairs and completed by Strickland, who subsequently created new stories in both series.

Publishers

#TitleAmberArtist HouseBantam Skylark/BDDBarnes & NobleCorgiDell Yearling/BDDDial/PenguinEditions du RocherEditora RecordGallimard JeunesseHarcourt Brace JovanovichHeyneMacmillanMythopoeic PressNESFA PressPuffin/PenguinShueisha Publishing
01St. Fidgeta and Other Parodies Green tick
02The Pedant and the Shuffly Green tickGreen tick
03The Face in the Frost Green tick
04The House with a Clock in its WallsGreen tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick Green tick Green tick
05The Figure in the ShadowsGreen tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick Green tick Green tick
06The Letter, the Witch, and the RingGreen tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tick Green tick Green tick
07The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn Green tick Green tick
08The Curse of the Blue FigurineGreen tick Green tick Green tick Green tickGreen tick Green tick
09The Mummy, the Will, and the CryptGreen tick Green tick Green tick Green tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tick
10The Dark Secret of Weatherend Green tick Green tick Green tick
11The Spell of the Sorcerer's SkullGreen tick Green tick Green tick Green tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tick
12The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost Green tick Green tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tick
13The Eyes of the Killer Robot Green tick Green tickGreen tick Green tick
14The Lamp from the Warlock's Tomb Green tick Green tick Green tick
15The Trolley to Yesterday Green tick Green tickGreen tick Green tick
16The Chessmen of Doom Green tick Green tick Green tick
17The Secret of the Underground Room Green tickGreen tick Green tick
18The Mansion in the Mist Green tick Green tick
19The Ghost in the MirrorGreen tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tick Green tick Green tick
20The Vengeance of the Witch-finderGreen tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tick Green tick Green tick
21The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie Green tickGreen tick Green tick
22The Doom of the Haunted OperaGreen tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tick Green tick Green tick
23The Hand of the Necromancer Green tick Green tick
24The Bell, the Book, and the Spellbinder Green tick Green tick
25The Specter from the Magician's MuseumGreen tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tick Green tick Green tick
26The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost Green tick Green tick
27The Beast Under the Wizard's BridgeGreen tickGreen tick Green tickGreen tick Green tick Green tick
28The Tower at the End of the World Green tickGreen tick Green tick
29The Whistle, the Grave, and the Ghost Green tick
30The House Where Nobody Lived Green tick
31The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer Green tick
32Magic Mirrors Green tick
33The Best of John Bellairs Green tick
34The Best of John Bellairs 2 Green tick

Adaptations

Audiobooks

#TitleYearPublisherNarrator
01The Face in the Frost1995Recorded BooksGeorge Guidall
02The Ghost in the Mirror1995Recorded BooksGeorge Guidall
03The House with a Clock in its Walls1995Recorded BooksGeorge Guidall
04The Lamp from the Warlock's Tomb1995Recorded BooksBetty Low
05The Mansion in the Mist1995Recorded BooksBetty Low

Television

# TV program title Book title Producer Year
01Once Upon a Midnight ScaryThe House with a Clock in Its WallsVideoGems1979
02The Clue According to Sherlock HolmesThe Treasure of Alpheus WinterbornVideoGems1980
03The House with a Clock in its WallsThe House with a Clock in its WallsBarr Films1991
04The Treasure of Alpheus WinterbornThe Treasure of Alpheus WinterbornBarr Films1991

See also

References

  1. Lin Carter, Imaginary Worlds. New York: Ballantine/Random House, 1973, pp. 1165-67 (Cites Carter's correspondence with Bellairs).
  2. "Brad Fischer – Co-President, Production". September 10, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  3. Mike Fleming (November 18, 2011). "Phoenix Co-President Bradley Fischer Forms Mythology With Scribes Laeta Kalogridis And James Vanderbilt". Deadline New York. Retrieved June 17, 2012.


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