Jim Kjelgaard

Jim Kjelgaard
Born (1910-12-06)December 6, 1910
New York, New York, United States
Died July 12, 1959(1959-07-12) (aged 48)
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Occupation Author
Nationality American
Period 1938 to 1959
Genre juvenile fiction (novels), children's literature, young adult literature
Subject Animals, outdoors
Notable works Big Red

James Arthur Kjelgaard (December 6, 1910 – July 12, 1959)[1] was an American author of young adult literature.

Early life and education

Kjelgaard was born in New York City, New York.

Career

Kjelgaard wrote more than 40 novels, the most famous of which is 1945's Big Red. It sold 225,000 copies by 1956[2] and was made into a 1962 Walt Disney film of the same name.

His books were primarily about dogs and wild animals, often with animal protagonists and told from the animal's point of view. Kjelgaard also wrote short fiction for several magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post, Argosy, and Adventure.[3]

Personal life and final years

After suffering for several years from chronic pain and depression,[4] Kjelgaard committed suicide in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1959.

List of works

  • Forest Patrol (1941)
  • Rebel Siege (1943)
  • Big Red (1945)
  • The Fangs of Tsan-Lo (1945)
  • Buckskin Brigade (1947)
  • Snow Dog (1948)
  • Kalak of the Ice (1949)
  • A Nose for Trouble (1949)
  • Wild Trek (1950)
  • Chip the Dam Builder (1950)
  • Irish Red, Son of Big Red (1951)
  • Fire-hunter (1951)
  • The Explorations of Pere Marquette (1951)
  • Trailing Trouble (1952)
  • Outlaw Red, Son of Big Red (1953)
  • The Spell of the White Sturgeon (1953)
  • The Coming of the Mormons (1953)
  • Haunt Fox (1954)
  • Cracker Barrel Trouble Shooter (1954)
  • Lion Hound (1955)
  • The Lost Wagon (1955)
  • Desert Dog (1956)
  • Trading Jeff and his Dog (1956)
  • Wildlife Cameraman (1957)
  • Cochise, Chief of Warriors (1957)
  • Double Challenge (1957)
  • We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run (1957)
  • Wolf Brother (1957)
  • Swamp Cat (1957)
  • Rescue Dog of the High Pass (1958)
  • The Land is Bright (1958)
  • The Black Fawn (1958)
  • The Story of Geronimo (1958)
  • Hi Jolly (1959)
  • Stormy (1959)
  • Ulysses & his Woodland Zoo (1960)
  • Boomerang Hunter (1960)
  • The Duck-footed Hound (1960)
  • Tigre (1961)
  • Hidden Trail (1962)
  • Fawn in the Forest & other Wild Animal Stories (1962)
  • Two Dogs & a Horse (1964)
  • Furious Moose of the Wilderness (1965)
  • Dave and his Dog, Mulligan (1966)
  • Coyote Song (1969)

References

  1. ↑ Trosky, Susan M & Donna Olendorf, ed. (1992), "KJELGAARD, James Arthur 1910–1959", Contemporary Authors, v. 137, Gale Research, pp. 250–252 , as reproduced on Kjelgaard tribute site. Note that some sources give December 10 as birth date, e.g. this biographical sketch.
  2. ↑ Doyle, Brian (Spring 1999), "A Small Note About Big Red", American Scholar, 68.2, Academic OneFile, p. 134
  3. ↑ FictionMags Index Entry for Jim Kjelgaard
  4. ↑ Drakula, Dave (July–September 1990). "Jim Kjelgaard – From the Bigwoods to Hollywood". Mountain Journal. 8 (4). reprinted on Gary Charter's Kjelgaard tribute site


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