E. B. White

E. B. White (1899–1985) was one of America's most beloved essayists and authors. Born Elwyn Brooks White in Mount Vernon, New York, he graduated from Cornell University in 1921 and later joined the staff of The New Yorker magazine in 1927, where his witty, elegant prose helped define the magazine's distinctive voice. He also wrote the popular "One Man's Meat" column for Harper's Magazine, chronicling his life on a saltwater farm in Maine, where he spent most of his later years.

White is perhaps best known for his classic children's books: "Stuart Little" (1945), the story of a mouse-born boy's adventures in New York; "Charlotte's Web" (1952), the heartwarming tale of friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest children's novels ever written; and "The Trumpet of the Swan" (1970).

Beyond children's literature, White was a master essayist whose collections, including "One Man's Meat" and "Essays of E. B. White," showcase his clarity, humor, and humanity. He also revised and expanded William Strunk Jr.'s "The Elements of Style" (1959), which became the definitive guide to English writing. White received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 and a special Pulitzer Prize citation in 1978.