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T. H. White

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Terence Hanbury "Tim" White was a prominent English novelist. He is most famous for his Arthurian legends. These stories reimagine the myths of King Arthur. In 1958, he published these works as a single collection titled *The Once and Future King*. His most celebrated individual book is *The Sword in the Stone*. This novel was first released in 1938. It focuses on the childhood of Arthur. White's work is valued for its blend of fantasy and realism.

White's early life was marked by significant movement and personal difficulty. He was born in Bombay, British India, in 1906. His father, Garrick Hanbury White, worked as a superintendent in the Indian police. His mother was Constance Edith Southcote Aston. The family moved to England in 1911. White experienced a difficult childhood involving an alcoholic father and an emotionally cold mother. His parents eventually separated when he was 14 years old.

His education provided the foundation for his literary career. He attended Cheltenham College in Gloucestershire. Later, he studied at Queens' College, Cambridge. There, he was tutored by L. J. Potts. White described Potts as the greatest literary influence in his life. While at Cambridge, White wrote a thesis on *Le Morte d'Arthur*. This was a famous book by the author Thomas Malory. White graduated in 1928 with a first-class degree in English.

White's writing process was often driven by his study of older texts. In 1937, he began reading Malory's work due to a lack of other reading material. He found the characters to be real people with recognizable reactions. This discovery inspired him to write *The Sword in the Stone*. He described his novel as a "preface to Malory." During the Second World War, White lived in Doolistown, Ireland. He acted as a de facto conscientious objector during this time. While in Ireland, he wrote much of *The Once and Future King*. This included *The Witch in the Wood* in 1939 and *The Ill-Made Knight* in 1940.

White also explored diverse subjects through non-fiction and other genres. He wrote science fiction novels like *Earth Stopped* in 1934. He was also deeply interested in natural history. In 1951, he published *The Goshawk*. This book describes his attempt to train a northern goshawk. He used traditional falconry techniques rather than modern ones. He also wrote *Mistress Masham's Repose* in 1946 for children. This book featured tiny people called Lilliputians.

Some of his work faced intense criticism. In 1947, he published *The Elephant and the Kangaroo*. The story involved a flood in Ireland. Many Irish and Irish-American readers reacted with anger. They believed the book depicted Irish people as lazy or stupid. They also felt it insulted Irish Catholicism. This controversy caused the McDonagh family to end their friendship with him. Despite this, his Arthurian series remained highly successful. *The Sword in the Stone* was a Book of the Month Club selection in 1939.

White's influence extends to many modern creators. His stories were adapted into the Broadway musical *Camelot* in 1960. Walt Disney released an animated film of *The Sword in the Stone* in 1963. Many authors cite him as an inspiration. J. K. Rowling has noted his influence on the *Harry Potter* series. She compared her character Albus Dumbledore to his character Merlyn. Writer Neil Gaiman also noted his influence. White died of heart failure in 1964. He was 57 years old. He died in Piraeus, Greece, while traveling from the United States.

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