Happy birthday E.B. White (1899-1985)
- NYS Writers Institute
- Jul 11
- 3 min read
Today is the birthday of E.B. White, beloved children's author, New Yorker writer, and co-editor of The Elements of Style
E.B. (Elwyn Brooks) White was born on this day in 1899, and though he never sought the spotlight, his words have quietly endured for over a century. He was a man who preferred ducks to deadlines, who once hid in a bush to avoid a visiting fan, and who somehow managed to write stories that made both children and adults cry in the best possible way.
While he wrote for The New Yorker for nearly six decades, starting in 1927, his most cherished writing was in his children's books: Stuart Little (1945), Charlotte's Web (1952), and The Trumpet of the Swan (1970).
In a New York Times review of Charlotte's Web published October 19, 1952, Eudora Welty wrote (paragraphs added):
"What the book is about is friendship on earth, affection and protection, adventure and miracle, life and death, trust and treachery, pleasure and pain, and the passing of time.
As a piece of work it is just about perfect, and just about magical in the way it is done.
What it all proves -- in the words of the minister in the story which he hands down to his congregation after Charlotte writes 'Some Pig'' in her web -- is 'that human beings must always be on the watch for the coming of wonders.'
Dr. Dorian says in another place, ''Oh no, I don't understand it. But for that matter I don't understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle.''
The author will only say, "Charlotte was in a class by herself.'"
The book has sold more than 45 million copies, been translated into 23 languages, and still ranks among the top 100 bestselling hardcovers of all time.
White’s gift wasn’t just in storytelling. He also co-authored The Elements of Style with his former Cornell professor William Strunk Jr., producing a guide for writing found in dorm rooms for generations. “Omit needless words,” it advised.
Finally, after omitting needless paragraphs from this tribute to E.B. White, let's end with one of his letters, a look at his basic humanity and kindness. In March of 1973, a man wrote to him despairing over the state of humanity. White's reply has since become one of the most beloved in American correspondence.
Dear Mr. Nadeau:
As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.
Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.
Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.
Sincerely,
E. B. White
White’s letter has been republished in Shaun Usher's Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience (Book of Letters, Correspondence Book, Private Letters, available at your favorite local, independent bookstores.