Russell Hoban, the cult author known for Riddley Walker, died this week at age 86 in London. Although Hoban was born in Pennsylvania in the United States, he resided in London for the past thirty years and made a name for himself in a children’s series about a badger named Frances. He is also well known for his novel The Mouse and His Child.
However, his most famous book was Riddley Walker, which is the post-apocalyptic tale set in Kent two thousand years after a nuclear holocaust passed. The book was released in 1980 and since then has become a part of The Western Canon survey of literature.
Hoban first joined the US Army at the age of 18 and found himself posted to Italy during WWII, where he earned a Bronze Star for his bravery. Later, he came back to America and published his first child’s title as an illustrator. From illustration he moved on to writing, producing more than twenty children and adult books including the novel Turtle Diary, which was filmed along with a screen play by Harold Pinter, and even wrote a libretto for an opera.
In 2002 Hoban told his fans that he is simply addicted to writing and that the only way that he would stop writing is if he was physically unable to write anymore because art is what keeps him alive. He went on to explain that he gets his rhythm from the energy of writing and had no plans of missing any chances to write over the next few years.
Hoban’s publisher Bill Swainson remarked that his passing is very sad and complimented the fine imagination of the writer that was well seen in almost every book he wrote, as his light touch was fun to read without one word being wasted.
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