T. H. White (29 May, 1906-17 January, 1964) was an English novelist known for reimagining the legend of King Arthur in his modern classic The Once and Future King.
Fun Facts about T. H. White:
1. Terence Hanbury “Tim” White was born in Bombay, India to Garrick and Constance White. Mr. White was a superintendent in the Indian police, and an alcoholic. Mrs. White was emotionally neglecting. The family moved back to England when “Tim” was five years old (1911), but the Whites separated four years later.
2. His childhood trauma caused a lifelong struggle with intimacy and a preference to be alone. He vividly remembered a screaming match over his bed, with a loaded pistol.
3. Despite these challenges, T. H. White was an excellent student. His thesis at Queens’ College, Cambridge was on Le Morte d’Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory’s 15th Century classic. The thesis inspired his own writing.
4. T. H. White was a schoolmaster by trade. At Stow School he was known to be a very demanding teacher, yet a popular one. Maybe it was due to a small zoo of pets he built on the school’s grounds.
5. His biographical book, England Have My Bones, was so successful it allowed him to stop teaching. He found an isolated college, which happened to be on the estate of a former student, and dedicated himself to writing, hunting and fishing. He also became obsessed with falconry and documented his journey in The Goshawk.
5. As a pacifist he moved to an Irish farm during the Second World War. The terrible global conflict was the time he wrote most of his famous Arthurian epic. The horrible events shaped the story to explore the ways humanity can find an antidote to war.
6. The Once and Future King is actually four novels published over two decades. They are: The Sword in the Stone (1938), The Queen of Air and Darkness (1939), The III-Made Knight (1940), and The Candle in the Wind (1958).
The fifth installment, The Book of Merlyn, wasn’t published due to paper shortage, but was discovered and published in 1977.
7. The books were so popular they were adapted as a mega hit Broadway show (Camelot, originally starring Richard Burton and Julie Andrews in 1960), and a 1963 Disney cartoon The Sword in the Stone. J.K. Rowling also stated that Mr. White’s portrayal of Merlyn heavily influenced Albus Dumbledore.
8. As a recluse, and seeking low tax rates, Mr. White moved to a remote island of Alderney in 1946. He spent the rest of his life with his beloved books and dogs.
9. Despite his preference for being alone, T. H. White loved to meet his readers. Nevertheless, he found it exhausting. His final tour was in 1963 around the United States.
10. T. H. White died as he lived, alone. He suffered a fatal heart failure white on a cruise ship back to Europe. He is buried in Athens, Greece under a headstone that reads: An Author Who From A Stubborn Heart Kept His One Virtue, Kindness.
Zohar — Man of la Book
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