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Rosemary Sutcliff
An internationally renowned British author of the 20th century, Rosemary Sutcliff was born in East Clanden, Surrey, England in 1920, and died in Walberton, West Sussex in 1992. When she was very young, her father, an officer in the Royal Navy, was transferred to Malta. Severely disabled by Stills disease, she was home-schooled by her mother, and in the process was introduced to Celtic and Saxon legends. It was not until she and her mother returned to England in 1930 that she learned to read.
In 1934, she entered Bideford Art School in Devon, England and attended for three years, finishing the General Art Course. Having been a painter of miniatures, in 1946 she began to write for publication, retelling legends that her mother had introduced her to as a young child. She received her first commission for a children's version of the Robin Hood legend from the Oxford University Press in 1950.
With well over 40 books to her credit, Rosemary Sutcliff is now universally considered one of the finest writers of historical novels for children and adults. Her first novel, THE QUEEN ELIZABETH STORY was published in 1950. In 1959 she won the prestigious Carnegie Medal with THE LANTERN BEARERS, and in 1972 TRISTAN AND ISEULT was runner-up. Her version of the story of Arthur, SWORD AT SUNSET, for adults was top of the bestseller list in the UK. In 1978 SONG FOR A DARK QUEEN won the Other Award for radical women's fiction.
Rosemary lived for many years in Walberton, Sussex with her dogs. In 1975, she was awarded the OBE for services to Children's Literature. She was awarded the CBE in the year of a death.
Sections
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Recent Entries
- Lindsey Davis’s top 10 Roman books Books | guardian.co.uk
- Fresh start and EOTN
- Film of Eagle of the Ninth
- Rosemary appreciated
- OUP cannot spell her name right
- Scottish essay competition winner
- The Lantern Bearers: A Review
- Sword at Sunset
- Film of Eagle of the Ninth
- Writing for ages 8 to 88 …
- Winning Awards
- Sutcliff not Sutcliffe!
- Rosemary on being a disabled artist
- Rosemary and North East of England
- Some book covers
Interesting Places
Book Covers
From Rosemary for Web -
Recent Comments
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3 responses so far ↓
Bryan Merton // April 14, 2007 at 10:41 am |
Just having a first browse and like it. Lots of interesting material comprising diverse sources although it is a bit hard to navigate through it. Might there be a little guide at the start indicating what can be found in different parts of the site, then the reader can choose where
(s)he wants to go? Or have I missed it?
Interesting comment by Rosemary that there is not much difference in writing for children and writing for adults. I have always suspected that was the case, since you have still got to tell a good story and capture the reader’s attention early on whoever you’re writing for; and in some ways, children are harher judges than adults.
Given my need to be stimulated out of my own indolence when it comes to creative writing, I am sure I will return.
Well done for setting this up. I guess you had a fun time over Easter. Now I know why we barely heard from you.
Kevin Ford // April 19, 2007 at 1:37 pm |
This is great – did nto know much about Rosemary’s writing now do.
Reactions to the site itself:
Should the front page tell you who RS is and what the site is for? (rahter than going straight into news and comment)
I would highlight the buying books bit more
Should there be a more overt space for stories and comments about the stories?
K
Helen Sherman // March 24, 2008 at 10:31 pm |
Anthony:
We had some correspondence a long time ago, shortly after Rosemary’s death. My mother was her friend and correspondent for many years, since meeting her father in New York during WWII. I visited her on a couple of occasions while I lived in London in the 1970s.
I have the miniature that she painted for my mother, which I treasure. Are any of her paintings on view anywhere? I remember her showing me a drawer where her paintings were and that there was one of a centaur which stays in my mind.
I also have the broach which she sent my mother as a wedding present. It is mother-of-pearl with a worm encapsulated in it, and it is phallic in appearance which made my mother laugh. She always wondered whether this was something Rosemary did intentionally or not. Now I see she had a ‘rude’ sense of humor, so perhaps she was being naughty!
Nice to find your site and great information about a wonderful author. I still go back to her books for a “comfort read” and her vivid descriptions are so evocative and telling of her artistic talent.
Helen