Loyd Alexander looks like a character from one of his books. His full head of thick grey hair is well-groomed, but somehow wild — like that of a Medieval Welsh king. His face is calm, thoughtful, and crisscrossed with lines of wisdom. But somewhere inside this dignified old man, there is a child waiting for school to end so that he can run and play.
Alexander is the author of several popular books for young people; most notably the recently published Westmark trilogy and the bestselling Prydain Chronicles series, which includes the Newberry Award-winning The High King and the Newberry Honor book The Black Cauldron (the inspiration for the recent Walt Disney animated feature). The five Prydain books, based on the timeless traditions of Welsh Myth, recount the adventures of Taran, a young assistant pig-keeper who yearns to be a hero.
"I've always imagined Fflewddur Fflam as looking like myself," Alexander says. Fflewddur — a character featured in The Black Cauldron — is a king who grows bored with his responsibilities and becomes a wandering bard. Like his creator, Fflewddur is tall and lanky, sporting a full mop of hair and a long, pointed nose. "I was a little disappointed when I first saw the sketches of Fflewddur from the Disney movie, but privately I know who he looks like!"
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