Eric Philbrook Kelly (1884–1960) was an American journalist, academic, and author of children's literature. He spent much of his professional life in higher education, serving as a long-time professor of English at Dartmouth College. His academic pursuits and personal interests also took him abroad, including a period spent lecturing at the historic Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. This exposure to Polish history, folklore, and culture would profoundly shape his literary career and inspire his most celebrated writings.\n\nKelly is most famous for his debut novel, The Trumpeter of Krakow, which was published in 1928. The historical adventure novel, set in 15th-century Poland, won the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1929, recognizing it as the most distinguished contribution to American children's literature of the preceding year. Throughout his life, Kelly successfully bridged the worlds of journalism, higher education, and creative fiction, utilizing his deep historical knowledge to craft engaging narratives for young readers.
