Ian Serraillier Biography

The literary career of English writer Ian Serraillier has been long and varied, spanning five decades from the 1940s to the 1980s. His works include poems for adults, adventure novels for young adults, verse narratives for young adults based on classical and medieval sources, plays in verse for broadcast on BBC radio, picture books for younger readers, and a nonfiction introduction to the age of Chaucer for high school and college students. His poems have been broadcast in the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere, and his novel The Silver Sword was serialized for BBC television.

Serraillier was born in London on September 24, 1912. He attended a private boarding school in Sussex and then Brighton College, where he became fascinated with classical mythology. He won a scholarship to Oxford University, where he studied from 1931 to 1935, taking a master's degree in English language and literature. During his studies at Oxford he developed an interest in medieval literature, which provided the sources for several of his most important later writings.

Although Serraillier always aspired to a writing career, during the first half of his adult life he wrote more as avocation than vocation. From 1936 to 1961 he held a series of teaching positions and devoted most of his vacations to writing. His first published poems appeared in a 1942 collection, Three New Poets: Roy McFadden, Alex Comfort, Ian Serraillier. Shortly...

The literary career of English writer Ian Serraillier has been long and varied. Serraillier's works include poems for adults, adventure novels for young adults, verse narratives for young adults based on classical and medieval sources, radio verse plays, picture books for younger readers, and a nonfiction introduction to Chaucer for high school and college students. Several of Serraillier's poems have been broadcast in the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere, and his novel The Silver Sword was serialized on British television.

Serraillier was born in London on September 24, 1912. He attended a private boarding school in Sussex and then Brighton College, where he developed a life-long fascination with classical mythology. From 1931 to 1935 Serraillier studied at Oxford University where he earned a degree in English language and literature. During college he developed a special interest in medieval literature, which inspired several of his most important later writings.

Although Serraillier had always hoped to become a writer, during the first half of his adult life writing was only an avocation. From 1936 to 1961 he held a series of teaching positions. Throughout much of this time he devoted his vacations to writing. His first published works were poems intended for adults that appeared in the 1942 collection Three New Poets: Roy McFadden, Alex Comfort, Ian Serraillier. Soon two volumes of his poetry for younger...

Ian Serraillier was born on September 24, 1912, in London, England. He received his master's degree from St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, in 1935, and then taught at Wycliffe College in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire from 1936 to 1939. He continued his teaching career at Dudley Grammar School in Dudley, Worcestershire, from 1939 to 1946, and at Midhurst Grammar School in Midhurst, Sussex, from 1946 to 1961.

Serraillier has published many books for young adults and children, including numerous works of poetry. He has retold the myths and legends of classical and medieval times, often in the form of narrative verse, and most of his stories demonstrate his taste for tales of high adventure. He received the Boys' Clubs of America Junior Book Award for The Silver Sword in 1960.