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T. H. White

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T. H. White was a famous English writer who loved telling stories.

He is best known for his Arthurian novels. These books tell the legends of King Arthur. In 1958, he published these stories together in a collection called The Once and Future King. One of his most popular books is The Sword in the Stone. This book was first published on its own in 1938. It tells the story of Arthur when he was a young boy. People still love these stories today because they feel so real.

White had a very interesting life that took him to many places. He was born in Bombay, British India, in 1906. His parents moved him to England in 1911. He went to school at Cheltenham College and then Queens' College in Cambridge. While at college, he studied the works of Thomas Malory. This helped him become a great writer of fantasy. In 1939, he moved to Doolistown in County Meath, Ireland. He lived there during the Second World War. While in Ireland, he wrote many of his famous books.

Writing was a big part of how White saw the world. He wrote science fiction books like Earth Stopped in 1934. He also wrote a memoir called England Have My Bones in 1936. White loved nature and spent time fishing and hunting. He even practiced falconry, which is training birds of prey. He wrote a book called The Goshawk about training a northern goshawk. This book used very old ways of training birds. He also wrote children's books, like Mistress Masham's Repose in 1946.

Some of his books caused big reactions from readers. In 1947, he wrote The Elephant and the Kangaroo. This book was about a flood in Ireland. Many Irish readers were very angry about it. They felt the book was not kind to Irish people. This even caused him to lose friends in Ireland. However, his Arthurian books were very successful. The Sword in the Stone was even chosen by the Book of the Month Club in 1939.

White's stories have inspired many other famous people. Walt Disney made an animated movie of The Sword in the Stone in 1963. His stories also became a famous stage musical called Camelot in 1960. Many modern authors say his work helped them write. J. K. Rowling said his writing influenced the Harry Potter books. She even compared her character Albus Dumbledore to his character Merlyn. Other writers like Neil Gaiman also find his ideas helpful. White died in Greece in 1964 while traveling from the United States.

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