Author. Born to Jewish-Ukrainian immigrants, his father was an advertising manager with the Jewish Daily Forward in addition to serving as director of the Philadelphia Drama Guild. His parents encouraged Russell and his two sisters to expand their imagination and creativity by drawing with the reward of nickels as an incentive. Following his father's death when Russell was eleven, his mother was forced to become the family provider. He briefly attended Temple University before moving onto the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. During World War II, Hoban enlisted into the US Army and served on the front line in Italy, while earning a Bronze Star. Upon his return home, he worked as a freelance illustrator with several publications including Time Magazine, Fortune and The Saturday Evening Post. He initiated his writing career with his penning of the juvenile book "What Does it Do and How Does it Work" (1959) and in 1967, settled in London with his family. During the course of his lifetime, Hoban yielded roughly 50 works for children including the classic "The Mouse and His Child" (1967), often with his wife serving as illustrator. His novel "Turtle Diary" (1975) was made into a 1985 motion picture adaptation starring Glenda Jackson and Ben Kingsley. Hoban also dabbled in poetry, but may perhaps be best remembered for his science-fiction work "Riddley Walker" (1980), a tale about a post-nuclear war civilization which received the John W. Campbell Award for Best Novel.
Author. Born to Jewish-Ukrainian immigrants, his father was an advertising manager with the Jewish Daily Forward in addition to serving as director of the Philadelphia Drama Guild. His parents encouraged Russell and his two sisters to expand their imagination and creativity by drawing with the reward of nickels as an incentive. Following his father's death when Russell was eleven, his mother was forced to become the family provider. He briefly attended Temple University before moving onto the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. During World War II, Hoban enlisted into the US Army and served on the front line in Italy, while earning a Bronze Star. Upon his return home, he worked as a freelance illustrator with several publications including Time Magazine, Fortune and The Saturday Evening Post. He initiated his writing career with his penning of the juvenile book "What Does it Do and How Does it Work" (1959) and in 1967, settled in London with his family. During the course of his lifetime, Hoban yielded roughly 50 works for children including the classic "The Mouse and His Child" (1967), often with his wife serving as illustrator. His novel "Turtle Diary" (1975) was made into a 1985 motion picture adaptation starring Glenda Jackson and Ben Kingsley. Hoban also dabbled in poetry, but may perhaps be best remembered for his science-fiction work "Riddley Walker" (1980), a tale about a post-nuclear war civilization which received the John W. Campbell Award for Best Novel.
Bio by: C.S.
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