Irma Chilton

Irma Chilton (born Mair Elizabeth Irma Evans, 12 November 1930 – 1 December 1990), also known as I. M. Chilton, was a Welsh children's writer in the English and Welsh languages. She was a recipient of the Tir na n-Og Award presented by the Welsh Books Council, and of eisteddfod prizes.

Irma Chilton
Born	Mair Elizabeth Irma Evans 12 November 1930 Loughor, Glamorgan, Wales
Died	1 December 1990 (aged 60)[1] Wrexham, Wales
Occupation	Writer
Language	English, Welsh
Nationality	Welsh
Genre	Fiction for children
Spouse	Harry Chilton

Early life and education

Irma Evans was born in Loughor, in Glamorgan, close to the border with Carmarthen. Her parents were Iorworth Evans, a furnaceman, and his wife, Esther Jane Muxworthy Evans. She attended the University of Wales, where she earned a bachelor's degree in 1951.^[2]

Writing

Chilton was a teacher. Chilton's first book, Take Away The Flowers & Fuller's World, combined two science fiction stories about a pilot character named Tom Davies; Heinemann published the volume in 1967.^[3] She wrote children's books in both English and Welsh^[4] and won eisteddfod prizes for them. They include the novels String of Time (1968, a time-travel story later retitled Nightmare (1972),^[5][6] Goldie (1969, about a "calf-like" space creature who lands on an English farm),^[7] The Time Button (1970), Strangers Up the Lane (1971), Rhwng cwsg ac effro (1975),^[8] The Magic Cauldron and Other Folktales (1976),^[9] A Spray of Leaves (1977),^[10] The Witch (1979),^[11] The Prize (1983),^[12] Y Wobr (1984),^[13] and Y Peiriant Amser (1986, about time-travelling children).^[14] In 1989, she took the Crown for prose at the National Eisteddfod in Llanrwst, for Mochyn Gwydr [cy].^[2][15]

Personal life and legacy

Irma Evans married a chemist, Harry Chilton; they had two children, Dafydd and Rhiannon.^[2] She died in 1990, aged 60. Chilton is commemorated in the name of the Irma Chilton Bursary, an annual memorial prize given to aspiring children's novelists by the Welsh Arts Council. Winners of it have included Jennifer Sullivan.^[16]

Irma Chilton's son Dafydd Chilton also writes fiction for young readers.^[17]

References

1. "Deaths". Liverpool Daily Post (Welsh). 4 December 1990. p. 10. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
2. Reginald, R.; et al. (2010). Contemporary Science Fiction Authors vol. 2. p. 853. Wildside Press LLC. pp. 252–253. ISBN 9780941028783.
3. Chilton, Irma (1977). Take away the flowers & Fuller's World. London: Heinemann.
4. "British National Bibliography: Irma Chilton". The British Library. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
5. Chilton, Irma M. (1968). Nightmare. Scholastic Book Services.
6. Chilton, Irma (1998). String of Time. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-330-02047-3.
7. Lewis, Naomi (30 November 1969). "Creatures Great and Small". The Observer. p. 35. Retrieved 23 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Chilton, Irma (1975). Rhwng cwsg ac effro (in Welsh). C. Davies. ISBN 978-0-7154-0215-3.
9. Chilton, Irma; Thomas, Rosemary (1976). The magic cauldron, and other folktales. Swansea: C. Davies. ISBN 978-0-7154-0300-6.
10. Chilton, Irma (1977). A spray of leaves. Basingstoke: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-21545-6.
11. Chilton, Irma (1979). The witch. Basingstoke: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-26090-6.
12. Chilton, Irma (1983). The Prize. Barn Owl Press. ISBN 978-0-907117-28-5.
13. Chilton, Irma (1984). Y wobr. Llandysul: Gwasg Gomer. ISBN 0-86383-046-3. OCLC 12462867.
14. "Graphics for Children". The Guardian. 15 April 1986. p. 12. Retrieved 23 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
15. National Library of Australia Retrieved 22 April 2017.
16. Magical Novel Wins Major Award Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Welsh Books Council, May 2012, accessed November 2012.
17. Chilton, Dafydd (17 July 2012). Dim. Y Lolfa. ISBN 978-1-84771-534-0.

External links

• Irma Chilton at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database