Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a prominent Scottish author and folklorist born in 1844 in Selkirk, Scotland. He grew up immersed in the rich folklore of the Scottish borderlands and pursued his education at prestigious institutions like Edinburgh Academy and St. Andrews University. Lang's academic journey continued at the University of Glasgow and Balliol College, Oxford, where he became a Fellow at Merton College, delving into anthropology. Despite a promising academic career, health issues led him to shift his focus to journalism and literature after resigning in 1872.
Lang was known for his remarkable productivity as a writer, producing translations of classical texts such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, along with original fairy tales and anthropological studies. His most notable works include "The Blue Fairy Book," the first in a series of twelve fairy tale anthologies that have remained popular for over a century. He also contributed to Longman's Magazine with his column "At the Sign of the Ship," exploring themes of mythology and the supernatural. Lang’s literary legacy is marked by his ability to compile and retell stories in a way that resonated with children and adults alike, solidifying his status as a significant figure in the realm of children's literature and folklore.
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Andrew Lang
Poet
- Born: March 31, 1844
- Birthplace: Selkirk, Scotland
- Died: July 20, 1912
- Place of death: Banchory, Aberdeen, Scotland
Biography
Andrew Lang was born in Selkirk, Scotland, in 1844. His father was the sheriff-clerk of Selkirkshire. As a child, Andrew imbibed the rich folklore tradition of the Scottish border country where he was brought up. After his schooling at Edinburgh Academy, he attended Saint Andrews University, where he helped start St. Leonard’s Magazine, which his already evident literary talents led him to operate as both editor and contributor.
He went on to enroll in the University of Glasgow, and to earn the Snell scholarship there, which took him to Balliol College at Oxford. Upon receiving a degree in 1868, he became a Fellow of Merton College, working in anthropology. With an open fellowship, he could have stayed indefinitely in an atmosphere so supportive of his many interests. However, illness—probably tuberculosis—intervened. He resigned in 1872, and went to the French Riviera to recuperate; there he met Robert Louis Stevenson, with whom he became lifelong friends.
In 1875, he married Leonore Blanche Alleyne. She was an accomplished language scholar herself. Her subsequent work to enhance the readability of Lang’s tales for children greatly contributed to their popularity.
The couple settled in London, where Lang set out to establish himself as a journalist. Although he had already published one book, Ballads and Lyrics of Old France, he now began a literary career of astonishing productivity. He translated several classics; his versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey are still read and admired. He tried his hand at writing original fairy tales. He wrote anthropological studies, historical sketches, and biographies. He was an accomplished essayist on many topics. Angling Sketches and Ode to Golf show an range of interests well beyond the classical and folkloric. Among his more unusual works is The World’s Desire, which takes the Greek hero Odysseus through a series of adventures in H. Rider Haggard’s “alternate ancient world”; it was published as a collaboration between the two writers.
Lang is perhaps remembered best for two projects that each extended over many years. The publishing firm Longmans, Green and Company hired him as a columnist and literary advisor. His column, At the Sign of the Ship, appeared regularly in Longman’s Magazine, covering topics that snared both his and readers’ imaginations: psychic events, mythology, and many others.
His The Blue Fairy Book, published in 1889, was the first of an eventual twelve volumes of color-named anthologies of fairy tales collected from the lore of many different societies. Lang is listed as the editor rather than author, but putting them all into a consistent format appealing to English-speaking children took a considerable amount of writing and storytelling skill. These books’ popularity is evident; most are still available in libraries and/or in reprint more than a hundred years later.
Lang continued to live in London, creating new works from the vast trove of lore which intrigued him, for the rest of his life. He was a major literary figure of his time.