Eleanor Farjeon
A whimsical British storyteller whose beloved morning hymn became a global standard, yet whose vast literary output remains a hidden treasure.
1881–1965 (age 84)·English children's literature author·Birthday: February 13·The Gilded Age
Biography
Eleanor Farjeon lived inside a world of words, spinning them into poems, plays, and stories that captured the imagination of children and the respect of her literary peers. Born into a theatrical, book-loving family in London, she was largely self-educated amidst a clutter of novels and music. Her life was a quiet tapestry of creativity, woven with friendships with figures like D.H. Lawrence and Robert Frost. While she produced a staggering volume of work—from witty retellings of history to delicate verses—her legacy was cemented by a single, simple piece. The words she wrote for a children's festival, set to a traditional Gaelic tune, became 'Morning Has Broken,' a song Cat Stevens would later make famous worldwide. She was a modest woman who found magic in the everyday.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Eleanor was born in 1881, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eleanor Was Born
The biggest hits of 1881
Eleanor's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1881Born
President: Chester A. Arthur
1886Started school
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1894Became a teenager
President: Grover Cleveland
1897Could drive
President: William McKinley
1899Could vote
President: William McKinley
1902Turned 21
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 30
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 40
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 50
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1941Turned 60
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1951Turned 70
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 80
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1965Died at 84
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
Key Achievements
- Wrote the lyrics to the hymn 'Morning Has Broken,' popularized globally by Cat Stevens in 1971.
- Awarded the inaugural Carnegie Medal for British children's books for her story collection 'The Little Bookroom.'
- Authored over 80 books for children, including novels, poetry collections, and plays.
- Was a respected figure in London's literary circles, maintaining friendships with prominent 20th-century writers.
Did You Know?
She was so nearsighted that she once mistook a cow in a field for a parked car.
She turned down the offer to become a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Her family home was so full of books that when she moved, the books were transported in a furniture van labeled 'FARJEON'S LIBRARY.'
She had a lifelong, devoted friendship with the poet Edward Thomas and his family.
“The world is a great book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
