Russell Hoban

@russellhoban

Official account for author Russell Hoban (1925–2011), author of Riddley Walker, Turtle Diary, The Mouse and His Child, Frances the Badger, etc. Maintained by: @daveawl.bsky.social @thoughtcat.com

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Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 4

Hoban 101! Today would have been the 101st birthday of novelist Russell Hoban. If you’d like to help celebrate by participating in the annual quotation-sharing event known as the SA4QE, share your favorite quotes from Russ’s books using the hashtag #SA4QE and be sure to tag this account!

A sheet of yellow paper, held down by two turtle paperweights, with a quotation from Russell Hoban's 1975 novel Turtle Diary, which reads as follows.
How do the turtles find Ascension Island? There are sharks in the water too. Some of the turtles get eaten by sharks. Do the turtles know about sharks? How do they not think about the sharks when they're swimming that 1,400 miles? Green turtles must have the kind of mind that doesn't think about sharks unless a shark is there. Sea turtles can't shut themselves up in their shells as land turtles do. Their shells are like tight bone vests and their flippers are always sticking out. Nothing they can do if a shark comes along. Pray.
Ridiculous to think of a turtle praying with all those teeth coming up from below.
I think of them swimming through all that golden-green water over the dark, over the chill of the deeps and the jaws of the dark. And I think of the sun over the water, the sun through the water, the eye holding the sun, being held by it with no thought and only the rhythm of the going, the steady wing-strokes of the flippers in the water. Then it doesn't seem so hard to believe. It seems the only way to do it, the only way in fact to be: swimming, swimming, the eye held by the sun, no sharks in the mind, nothing in the mind.

A sheet of yellow paper taped up on the wall above a pay phone. It has a quotation by Russell Hoban, which reads as follows.
It is a strange and frightening thing to be a human being, to partake of the mystery and madness of human consciousness.
Russell Hoban, novelist, 1925-2011.
Why yellow paper? Why today?
russell hoban dot org has the answers.

A sheet of yellow paper slipped in between books on a library shelf, next to a copy of Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. On the yellow paper it says, We know what fiction is but it isn't all that easy to know what reality is.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Sep 26

Congrats to author Graeme Wend-Walker on the arrival of his brand-new book about Russ! The book is entitled "Russell Hoban: Faithful to the Strange" and it's already available at booksellers. The cover features a painting Russ loved—the head of Orpheus with his lyre as depicted by Odilon Redon.

An open cardboard box containing copies of the new book, Russell Hoban, Faithful to the Strange by Graeme Wend-Walker, featuring Odilon Redon's painting of the head of Orpheus on the cover.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 16

Just hours away! The free #Hoban100 panel discussion of Riddley Walker (featuring Wieland Hoban, among others) takes place via Zoom on Sunday, Feb 16 at 7:30 pm GMT (UK time). That's 2:30 pm Eastern time in the US, and 8:30 am on Monday Feb 17 in New Zealand. Full info: russellhoban.org/hoban100/

Graphic with an illustration of a Punch puppet holding his stick and saying Trubba not. Text reads, Hoban 100, Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban, online panel discussion. February 16 at 7:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time. Free to the public via Zoom.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 14

DAVE AWL, cohost (@daveawl.bsky.social), is an alumnus of the Neo-Futurists theater company in Chicago and the founder of the Russell Hoban online community as well as the creator of the original Russell Hoban website, The Head of Orpheus. 6/6 Full info about the event: russellhoban.org/hoban100/

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 14

DIANA SLICKMAN, host and moderator, is an alumna of the Chicago Neo-Futurists, current Theater Oobleck ensemble member, and the creator of the #SA4QE event in which readers publicly share quotations from Russell Hoban’s books to celebrate his birthday each year. 5/6

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 14

ELI BISHOP, panelist (@errorbar.bsky.social), is an ensemble member in the San Francisco Neo-Futurists, a writer and illustrator of comics, and the creator and maintainer of the Riddley Walker Annotations website. 4/6

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 14

DR. KATE LAITY, panelist (@katelaity.bsky.social), is an author, scholar, filmmaker, and arcane artist who teaches medieval literature, film, gender studies, digital humanities, and popular culture. 3/6

A photo of Kate Laity outdoors with a whimsical statue of a dog.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 14

WIELAND HOBAN, panelist, is a composer and translator who is currently working on a music theatre version of Riddley Walker; he’s also the son of Russell Hoban to whom the book is dedicated. 2/6

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 14

🧵 Meet our panel for the free Riddley Walker Zoom event this Sunday the 16th! (Or Monday morning the 17th if you're in Australia/New Zealand.) Bios for each of the panelists and moderator are in the thread below; for full info about the event visit russellhoban.org/hoban100/ 1/6

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 10

Graeme Wend-Walker reading from the manuscript of his forthcoming book about Russell Hoban at the Hopleaf in Chicago.

Graeme Wend-Walker stands behind a microphone, speaking while holding a manuscript in his hand.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 10

Diana Slickman introducing the reading from Turtle Diary at the Hopleaf in Chicago.

Diana Slickman behind a microphone, speaking while holding a slip of yellow paper in her hand.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 10

Dave Awl reading from The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz by Russell Hoban at the Hopleaf in Chicago.

Dave Awl stands behind a microphone, reading from an open copy of The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz by Russell Hoban.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 10

Eli Bishop reading from The Last of the Wallendas by Russell Hoban at the Hopleaf in Chicago.

Eli Bishop stands behind a microphone, reading from an open copy of The Last of the Wallendas by Russell Hoban.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 10

🧵 Photos from last week's #Hoban100 reading from the books of Russell Hoban at the Hopleaf bar in Chicago, with Diana Slickman, Eli Bishop, Dave Awl, and Graeme Wend-Walker. See alt text for captions and thread below for more pics.

A group photo of Diana Slickman, Eli Bishop, Dave Awl, and Graeme Wend-Walker standing together and smiling after their reading from the books of Russell Hoban at the Hopleaf in Chicago.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 5

Malachy O'Neill shared this photo of Putney Bridge taken on 4/2/25 as part of a visit to various Russell Hoban spots in London. The yellow paper reads: "It is the longing for what cannot be that moves the world from night to morning" - quoted from The Second Mrs Kong #Hoban100

A view of Putney Bridge in the distance across the banks of the River Thames, the tide well out with a few pigeons on the sand and pebbly stones and low-tide mud in the foreground. Near the viewer a sheet of yellow A4 paper has been taped on a brick pillar by some steps. On the paper is handwritten in a Celtic style font in blue ink “It is the longing for what cannot be that moves the world from night to morning".

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 4

🧵 Depending on where you are in the world, it might already be February 4, 2025—and if it isn’t, it will be soon. So happy 100th birthday to the waves and particles that used to be Russell Hoban! Thanks for all the beautiful words and for helping to enlarge the limited-reality consensus. #Hoban100

A birthday-card style graphic designed by Juan Esguerra. It has a line-drawing illustration of Russell Hoban, who is leaning forward with a gentle smile and his arms folded on a stack of books in front of him. An owl is perched on his shoulder, staring straight forward at the viewer in that owlish way. Text reads, Happy 100th Birthday, Russell Hoban.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Feb 2

Twenty years ago this month: Russell Hoban reading from his novel Come Dance With Me at Nomad Books in London, during the Some-Poasyum — a convention held in honor of his 80th birthday in 2005. #Hoban100 📸 Lisa Greenstein

Photo of Russell Hoban sitting in front of a microphone and reading from an open hardcover book.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Jan 26

If you’ve recently read Turtle Diary (or heard the BBC version) and find yourself having turtle thoughts, Sy Montgomery’s book Of Time and Turtles makes a great follow-up. It delves into the heroic efforts of modern-day turtle rescuers who care for, heal, and release turtles back into the wild. 📚

Book cover for Of Time and Turtles, Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell, by Sy Montgomery, with illustrations by Matt Patterson. Illustration shows a turtle, seen from above, with bandages on its shell.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Jan 24

The National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in the US shared this post about Russell Hoban's Time magazine portrait of Joan Baez — from his early career as a visual artist, before he shifted to painting with words. #JoanBaez #Hoban100

A screenshot of a post from the National Portrait Gallery USA, with three photos. One shows Joan Baez in 2023 standing next to Russell Hoban's painting of her. The second shows a close view of the painting by itself, and the third shows the painting on the cover of Time magazine in 1962. Text of the post reads, This painting of Joan Baez served as the cover for Time magazine's Nov. 23, 1962 issue. The magazine, which rarely featured musicians for their cover story, described her voice "as clear as air in the autumn, a vibrant, strong, untrained, and thrilling soprano."
Baez made a name for herself when she caused a sensation at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival.
The following year she released her first album, which was a huge success. She became known as "the queen of the folk singers." Her music was influenced and enhanced by other folk singers like the Seeger family, Odetta, and Bob Dylan.
Time magazine donated this painting to the National Portrait Gallery. In 2023, Baez paid a visit to the museum to see her portrait, which remains on view on the Portrait Gallery's third floor.
Credits. "Joan Baez" by Russell Hoban, 1962. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Time magazine. Copyright Russell Hoban.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Jan 24

For Hoban fans in Western Australia: in honor of his 100th birthday there will be a Reading Club event celebrating Russell Hoban's classic books for children, at Paper Bird in Fremantle, Perth on Friday, February 7th. #Hoban100 For full info and to RSVP, see: www.facebook.com/events/59518...

A photo showing five children's picture books by Russell Hoban, including A Near Thing for Captain Najork, La Corona and the Tin Frog, Bedtime for Frances, Charlie Meadows, and Dinner at Alberta's.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Jan 20

Dave Awl is the guest on the new episode of the Your Most Interesting Story podcast, telling the story of how he built the first Russell Hoban website in 1998—leading to the formation of an international community of Hoban fans. #Hoban100 You can listen here: ymis.buzzsprout.com/2362123/epis...

Photo of Russell Hoban (left) with Dave Awl (right) at Russell Hoban's home in London, taken in June of 1999. Photo by Kurt Heintz.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Jan 19

A favorite quotation from Turtle Diary that was shared as part of the Russell Hoban birthday celebration in 2022 ... #SA4QE #Hoban100 #BookSky 📚 📸 by Yvonne Studer

Photo of a sheet of yellow paper held down by three paperweights shaped like turtles. The text on the paper contains a quotation from Russell Hoban's novel Turtle Diary from 1975, which reads, I think of the turtles swimming steadily against the current all the way to Ascension. I think of them swimming through all that golden green water over the dark, over the chill of the deeps and the jaws of the dark. And I think of the sun over the water, the sun through the water, the eye holding the sun, being held by it with no thought and only the rhythm of the going, the steady wing-strokes of the flippers in the water.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Jan 13

The #Hoban100 centenary celebrations will be kicking off in Chicago on February 5 with an evening of readings at the Hopleaf bar—featuring several past and present members of the Neo-Futurists theater company. (A London meetup is being planned as well, in addition to online events; details to come!)

Poster-style image with illustrations of an owl, a raven, and a lion that has a wind-up toy key in its back and a map of London superimposed on its body. Text reads, Hoban 100, an evening of readings from the works of Russell Hoban in honor of his 100th birthday. Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Performers, Diana Slickman, Dave Awl, Eli Bishop, Graeme Wend-Walker. Upstairs at The Hopleaf, 5148 N Clark Street in Chicago. 21 and over, bring ID. Doors at 7:00 pm, Show at 7:30 pm. $7 suggested donation or pay what you can, Free if you're broke, Cash bar.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Jan 12

Speaking of Turtle Diary’s 50th anniversary: Beginning Monday, January 13, BBC Radio 4 will be airing a new reading of Russell Hoban’s classic novel in 10 episodes of around 15 minutes each. Episodes will be available online after broadcast. Listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... #Hoban100

Phot of a sea turtle swimming underwater. Text reads, BBC 4, Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban. Turtle Diary is a modern classic, first published exactly 50 years ago. 2025 also marks the centenary of Russell Hoban's birth. Read by Daniel Weyman and Katherine Parkinson.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Jan 11

... and here are two vintage paperback editions of Turtle Diary from Picador books — a 1977 edition on the left, and a movie tie-in edition from the mid-1980s on the right. The film was adapted by Harold Pinter and starred Glenda Jackson and Ben Kingsley.

Cover of Turtle Diary from 1977 with a drawing of three sea turtles in a bay, with a small village visible behind them. A review quote from the Observer says, A marvelously funny and moving book.

Cover of a Turtle Diary movie tie-in edition with a photo of Glenda Jackson and Ben Kingsley crouching next to a large sea turtle in shallow water. A banner in the corner says, Now a major film.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Jan 11

🧵 In addition to being the 100th anniversary of Russell Hoban's birth, 2025 is the 50th anniversary of his classic novel Turtle Diary. It's had many different covers over the years. Pictured here are current editions from @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social (US) and @penguinclassicsusa.bsky.social (UK) ...

Cover of the NYRB edition of Turtle Diary, with introduction by Ed Park. Cover art shows a mural depicting large turtles on a brick wall.

Cover of the Penguin Modern Classics edition of Turtle Diary. It features surreal artwork by Eduardo Paolozzi composed of many small images of animals, humans, objects, and diagrams.

Russell Hoban@russellhoban· Jan 10

This logo is the first of several fantastic and beautiful designs created by Colombian reader and illustrator Juan Esguerra, in conjunction with the upcoming #Hoban100 Russell Hoban centenary. We’ll be sharing more as events are announced. You can see more of Juan’s work at: juanesguerra.infy.uk