Elsa Marston Author Biography (for teen books) on wisdomtalespress.com

 


You can follow
Wisdom Tales Press on:

Facebook LogoPinterest Logo

Wisdom Tales Newsletter

Our periodic e-newsletters keep you up to date with our new books, special offers, etc. It is free, and easy to subscribe (or to unsubscribe):  just click on the secure button below.


Recent Videos on YouTube:


We have a playlist on the World Wisdom YouTube channel, featuring Crow tribe Sun Dance Chief and Medicine Man Thomas Yellowtail.

Click here to view and play any or all of the videos with Thomas Yellowtail, on the YouTube site.

Recent Honors


NYC Big Book Awards:

• Two Winner awards for:

The Clever Wife: A Kyrgyz Folktale

• Two Distinguished Favorite Awards for:

Little Bear: An Inuit Folktale

• Two Winner Awards for:

Zen and the Ten Oxherding Pictures

Wisdom Tales
is a member of:


   

Sharing the wisdom and beauty of cultures from around the world
Home > Teen Authors > Elsa Marston

Elsa Marston

Photo of Michael Fitzgerald

Elsa Marston is the author of almost two dozen fiction and non-fiction books for children, including the Wisdom Tales books The Compassionate Warrior: Abd el-Kader of Algeria (co-winner of the 2013 Middle East Book Award for best “Youth Nonfiction”), and The Olive Tree (coming in 2014), which is illustrated by Claire Ewart.

Elsa and her twin sister, Lee, grew up in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Their father was a professor of English at Northeastern University in Boston, and their mother a home economics teacher. Elsa says, “Lee and I were quite different: she was outgoing and sociable, while I was shy and liked to do things by myself. We fought a bit as kids—but we’re great friends today.”

Growing up, Elsa says she “liked lots of different things. I climbed trees, painted, and drew; played the piano, tennis, cymbals, and basketball (I was hopeless); loved drama, read tons of books, and kicked footballs (I was pretty good). I longed to travel and see other parts of the world, and I’ve always loved the sea.”

Living near Boston, Elsa and her family would visit the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, where she was fascinated by the exhibits on ancient Egypt. It inspired her to start her very first novels, although she admits she never finished them.

Elsa attended several different universities after she left school, including Vassar College, the University of Iowa, Harvard University, and Indiana University. She also studied Middle Eastern history at the American University of Beirut.

Elsa’s late husband, Iliya Harik, was from Lebanon, and he worked as a political scientist at Indiana University. Because of Iliya’s work and his family connections, he and Elsa would often travel to the Middle East. Inspired by her travels, Elsa says the motivation for her writing is “to share with young readers my own interest in those lands and peoples, and equally important, help contribute to better understanding of the Arab/​Muslim world. In that way I hope to continue Iliya’s life’s work, along with my own.”

Elsa has three grown-up sons, and lives with her cat in Bloomington, Indiana.


Fascinating Facts about Elsa Marston:

diamond bullet pointWhen Elsa was little she wanted to be a trapeze performer, a concert pianist, an espionage agent, an artist, a humanitarian worker in foreign lands, and a writer.

diamond bullet pointElsa’s mother was a home economics teacher and would make all of Elsa and her twin sister Lee’s clothes.

diamond bullet pointElsa’s first novel, The Ugly Goddess (Cricket Books, 2002), is about a little boy from ancient Egypt and his extraordinary adventures. It was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Author Extras & Links


  • Elsa Marston has her own web site, which has a lot of interesting information on Elsa and her work. Click here to see children’s books author Elsa Marston’s web page.


Home About Us Contact Us Press Page Privacy Notice FAQs
Copyright © 2012 World Wisdom, Inc.