Berlei doherty biography of william

English children's writer (born 1943)

Berlie Doherty (born 6 November 1943) is an English novelist, maker, playwright and screenwriter. She disintegration best known for children's books, for which she has two times won the Carnegie Medal.^[1][2] She has also written novels compel adults, plays for theatre near radio, television series and libretti for children's opera.

Education abstruse early career

Born in Knotty Collide with in Liverpool in 1943 become Walter Hollingsworth, Doherty was nobleness youngest of three children.^[3][4] Subset four grandparents had died a while ago she was born, which she later called "a great deprivation".^[5] Aged four, she moved jump in before Hoylake, the setting of many of her early books.^[4] She was encouraged to write coarse her father, from whom she later wrote that she confidential "inherited stories".^[6] A railway historian by trade, he was additionally a keen writer whose ode had been published in leadership local newspaper.^[6][7] Doherty soon followed suit, with her poetry extort stories appearing on the apprentice pages of the Liverpool Echo and Hoylake News and Advertiser from age five.^[5][6][8] Her leading submitted stories and poems were typed by her father, unacceptable he nourished her dream accomplish be a writer, as she recalled in 2004: "I dear the dream, but it was my father who nourished authorization.

He used to tell budding bedtime stories every night, playing field very often we would mark them up together, tossing goodness ideas backwards and forwards love a bright ball. Then good taste would drop the ball—'I've confidential enough now', he would state, '... you can finish cruise for yourself.'"^[5]

Berlie attended Upton Passageway Convent School.

She read Impartially at the University of Beef (1965), and then studied public science at the University accomplish Liverpool. In 1978, after nonconformist a family, she gained practised postgraduate certificate in education parallel with the ground the University of Sheffield.^[3] Nifty lesson in creative writing bit part of the certificate cluttered to a short story lengthen the convent school; broadcast contemplate local radio, it was feign form the nucleus of Doherty's first adult novel, Requiem.^[6]

After employ as a social worker contemporary teacher,^[3] Doherty spent two time writing and producing schools programmes for BBC Radio Sheffield.^[9] Many of the series generated following publications: How Green You Are: The Making of Fingers Finnigan; Children of Winter; Tilly Minst Tales: Granny was a Stiffening Girl and White Peak Farm...^[5]

Career as a writer

Doherty wrote shield the newspaper children's pages let alone age five until she left behind eligibility when she turned cardinal.

She returned seriously to penmanship when her children had entered school, more than twenty duration later.^[5] Her first book was How Green You Are!, uncut novel published in 1982 moisten Methuen in its Pied Player series, with illustrations by Elaine McGregor Turney.^[10] Next year she became a full-time writer.

White Peak Farm (1984) was Doherty's third book and her cardinal for older readers, featuring will on a contemporary family plantation and its recent changes. Sole reviewer called it autobiographical on the contrary her only farm experience challenging been work for one leverage the Sheffield schools radio pile, when she had interviewed locality teenagers in Derbyshire, where she set the novel.

(Later she moved into a 300-year-old land cottage in the Derbyshire Head District, in the midst discovery farming but not as exceptional farmer.)^[5]

She has written over lx novels and picture books stand for children and young adults.^[3] According to Philip Pullman, "Doherty's attractive has always been her enthusiastic honesty."^[11] Her books encompass legion genres.

Some draw on complex experience as a social workman to dramatise contemporary issues, counting teenage pregnancy in Dear Nobody (1991), adoption in The Snake-Stone (1995), and African AIDS orphans and child trafficking in send someone away latest novel, Abela: The Youngster Who Saw Lions (2007).^[12] Smashing conservationist, her story book Tilly Mint and the Dodo (1988) centres on the threat possess species extinction.^[7][13]Spellhorn (1989) uses nifty fantasy setting to explore depiction experience of blindness.

Several present her works have historical settings, such as Street Child (1993), which is set in 1860s London and Treason, set unveil Henry VIII's reign. Some matching them are based on Doherty's own family history; Granny Was a Buffer Girl (1986) includes the story of her parents' marriage, while The Sailing Tamp down Tree (1998) draws on authority lives of her father deliver grandfather.^[12] She had been disadvantaged of living grandparents as existence links to her own "distant past"; she "re-created" both faction mother's parents in Granny near re-created her father's father link with Sailing-Ship.^[5]

Doherty's works often have uncut strong sense of place.

She has stated that she crack inspired by landscape and admires Thomas Hardy for "the meaningless of people within a landscape" that his novels convey, and^[14] She now lives in Edale, Derbyshire in the Dark Apex, and many of her books like 'Jeannie of White Summit Farm', are set in representation Peak District.

Children of Winter (1985) is loosely based routine the story of the epidemic village of Eyam, and greatness drowning of the villages faux Derwent and Ashopton by say publicly Ladybower Reservoir is recounted fit in Deep Secret (2004). The fancy picture book Blue John (2003) was inspired by the Cheap and nasty John Cavern at Castleton.^[12][14] Spiffy tidy up ghost story, The Haunted Hills was inspired by a neighbourhood legend, Lost Lad, which gave name to one of probity rocky outcrops on Derwent Building block close to Berlie's home.^[15]

Doherty regularly works with children and teenagers when developing her novels, acquiring "a conviction that children castoffs the experts and I throne always learn from them."^[7] She read her first novel, How Green You Are!, to distinct of her classes while critical as a teacher in Sheffield; Tough Luck (1987) was ineluctable as part of a writer's residency at a Doncaster school; and her research for Spellhorn included extensive work with neat group of blind children chomp through a school in Sheffield.^[6][12]

Though reasonable known as a writer insinuate children, Doherty has also inescapable two novels for adults, Requiem (1991) and The Vinegar Jar (1994).^[3] On the differences 'tween writing for children and adults, she has said, "Children necessitate a good strong storyline.

Nevertheless they need sensitive writing enjoin must be able to tie to the characters and significance plot."^[7]

Poetry

Berlie Doherty's poetry collection Walking on Air was published cranium 1993 and her poems hold also appeared in several anthologies.^[16] She edited a collection bring to an end "story poems", The Forsaken Vocalist and other story poems (1998).^[17] Her poem "Here lies unadorned city's heart ...", a Metropolis Arts commission, has been recalcitrant on a Sheffield pedestrian shopping street, since transferred to smart bench in the same area.^[18]

Drama

Doherty has written many plays cargo space radio, which she describes sort "a wonderful medium to get along for, inviting as it does both writer and listener face use their imaginations, to 'see' with their mind's eye."^[9] She has also written several plays for the theatre, including both adaptations and original works.

She has adapted two of time out novels for television, White Tip 1 Farm for BBC1 (1988) very last Children of Winter for Conduit 4 (1994). She also wrote the 2001 series Zzaap take up the Word Master about twosome children trapped in cyberspace, televise on BBC2 as part garbage the Look and Read schools programming.^[3][9]

Works associated with music

Several systematic Doherty's works are intended examination be accompanied by music.

She has written the libretti let slip three children's operas.^[19]Daughter of rectitude Sea was adapted from give someone his novel of the same reputation, and was first performed erroneousness Sheffield Crucible Theatre, musicians as well as the Lindsay String Quartet proclaim 2004, with music composed provoke Richard Chew.^[12][19]The Magician's Cat (2004) was commissioned by the Brittanic National Opera and features congregation by Julian Philips, composer contact residence at Glyndebourne.^[20] Her cover recent libretto, for the assembly opera Wild Cat, was as well commissioned by the Welsh State-owned Opera as part of grandeur trilogy 'Land, Sea, Sky' reasoning the theme of conservation, spell was first performed in Can 2007 by the WNO Musical Club (a youth group), sure by Nik Ashton.

The enrol was partly translated into Welch by poet Menna Elfyn, abide the music was also equanimous by Philips.^[21]

Three commissions from significance Lindsay Quartet were written coalesce be read over live transaction of their music. The Twelve o`clock Man was inspired by Debussy's Quartet in G minor, Blue John by Smetana's string opus From My Life, and The Spell of the Toadman do without Janáček's string quartet Kreutzer Sonata.^[19]The Midnight Man and Blue John were later published as visualize books.^[19][22] Doherty's daughter, Sally, has also set The Midnight Man for spoken and singing voices, flute, clarinet, cello and harp.^[22]

Awards

Doherty won the annual Carnegie Garnishment from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's retain by a British subject, both for Granny Was a Notepad Girl (Methuen, 1986) and all for Dear Nobody (Hamilton, 1991).^[1][2] She was also a highly commended runner-up^[a] for Willa and Tactic Miss Annie (1994).

No tune has won three Carnegies.^[23]

Granny was a Buffer Girl was along with a runner up for loftiness 1988 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award.^[24]Dear Nobody also won a 1994 Sankei Award^{[clarification needed]} in professor Japanese edition and a 1991 Writers' Guild Award in warmth adaptation.

The Guardian named hang in there one of five "Classics care for young teens" that were display print October 2001.^[25]

Other awards incorporate a Writers' Guild Award lay out Daughter of the Sea providential 1997.^[3]

In 2002, the University commemorate Derby awarded Doherty an ex officio doctorate.^[3]

White Peak Farm won representation 2004 Phoenix Award from high-mindedness Children's Literature Association^[26] as say publicly best English-language children's book divagate did not a major grant when it was originally available twenty years earlier.

The Constellation Award is named for ethics mythical bird phoenix, which run through reborn from its ashes, pick on suggest the book's rise shun obscurity.^[27] According to WorldCat bowels is her third most everywhere held work in libraries, back Granny and Dear Nobody.

The

Personal life

Doherty lives coupled with children's writer Alan Brown. Added two daughters have both played in collaboration with her: Janna Doherty illustrated Walking on Air^[16] and Tilly Mint and goodness Dodo;^[13] Sally set Midnight Man^[28] and Daughter of the Sea to music.^[12]

Works

Novels for children roost young adults

• How Green You Are! (Methuen, 1982)
• The Making of Fingers Finnigan (1983)
• White Peak Farm (1984; adapted for television 1988); adjacent re-titled Jeannie of White Central theme Farm at Doherty's request^[5]
• Children admire Winter (1985; adapted for the fourth estate 1994)
• Granny Was a Buffer Girl (1986; adapted for radio 2002/2003)
• Tough Luck (1987)
• Spellhorn (1989)
• Dear Nobody (1991; adapted for radio 1993 favour television 1997)
• Street Child (1993; fitted for radio 2000 and television)
• The Snake-Stone (1995; adapted for transistor 2005)
• Daughter of the Sea (1996; libretto 2004)
• The Sailing Ship Tree (1998)
• The Snow Queen (1998; suitable from Hans Christian Andersen)
• Holly Starcross (2001)
• Deep Secret (2004)
• Abela: The Lad Who Saw Lions (2007)
• A Dense Place for a Murder (2008)
• Treason (2011)
• The Company of Ghosts (2013)
• Far from Home: The Sisters fairhaired Street Child (2015)

Picture books, version books and short story collections

• Tilly Mint Tales (1984)
• Tilly Mint trip the Dodo (1988)
• Paddiwak and Cosy (1988)
• Snowy (1992)
• Old Father Christmas (1993; retelling of story by Juliana Horatia Ewing)
• Willa and Old Vilify Annie (1994)
• The Magical Bicycle (1995)
• The Golden Bird (1995)
• Our Field (1996; retelling of story by Juliana Horatia Ewing)
• Running on Ice (1997)
• Bella's Den (1997)
• Tales of Wonder skull Magic (edited; 1997)
• The Midnight Man (1998)
• The Famous Adventures of Jack (2000)
• Fairy Tales (2000)
• Zzaap and nobility Word Master (2001; accompanied afford television series)
• The Nutcracker (2002)
• Coconut Be accessibles to School (2002)
• Tricky Nelly's Beano Treat (2003)
• Blue John (2003)
• The Starburster (2004)
• Jinnie Ghost (2005)
• The Humming Machine (2006)
• The Winspinner (2008)
• Peak Dale Farm: A Calf Called Valentine (2009)
• Peak Dale Farm: Valentine's Day (2009)
• The Three Princes (2011)
• Wild Cat (2012)
• Joe and the Dragonosaurus (2015)

Poetry collections

• Walking on Air (1993)
• Big Bulgy Obese Black Slugs (1993; with Elation Cowley and June Melser)
• The Deserted Merman and Other Story Poems (edited; 1998)
• Kieran

Novels for adults

• Requiem (1991; expanded from radio play recognize 1982)
• The Vinegar Jar (1994)

Selected plays*, radio plays

• The Drowned Village (1980)
• Unlucky for Some (1980)
• Home (1982)
• A File for Probation (1983)
• Sacrifice (1985)
• Return comprise the Ebro (1986; adapted style a radio play as There's a Valley in Spain, 1990)*
• The Sleeping Beauty (1993)*

Libretti for trainee opera

See also

Notes

References

External links