Penelope Lively
Encyclopedia
Penelope Lively CBE, FRSL (born 17 March 1933) is a prolific, popular and critically acclaimed author of fiction for both children and adults. She has been shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize, winning once for Moon Tiger
in 1987.
in 1933. She spent her early childhood in Egypt
, before being sent to boarding school in England at the age of twelve. She read Modern History at St Anne's College, Oxford. She married the academic Jack Lively in 1957 and lived with him in Swansea and Oxford, among other places; he died in 1998, and Penelope Lively now lives in north London.
, A. S. Byatt
and others, is influenced strongly by an awareness of, and a response to, the sweeping social changes that have taken place in Britain in the course of the twentieth century.
(1973) for which she received the Carnegie Medal
and with A Stitch in Time (1976) which won her the Whitbread Award for best children's book.
, which tells the story of a woman's tempestuous life as she lies dying in a hospital bed. As is the case with all of Lively's fiction, the novel is marked by a close attention to the power of memory, the impact of the past upon the present, and the tensions between 'official' and personal histories. These are themes explored more explicitly in such non-fiction titles as A House Unlocked (2001) and Oleander, Jacaranda: A Childhood Perceived (1994), Lively's compelling memoir of her Egyptian childhood.
In addition to writing novels and short stories, Penelope Lively has also written radio and television scripts, presented a radio programme and contributed reviews and articles to various newspapers and journals.
, and was awarded the OBE
in 1989 and the CBE
in 2001. She is also a Vice President of the Friends of the British Library
.
Moon Tiger
Moon Tiger is a 1987 novel by Penelope Lively which spans the time before, during and after World War II. The novel won the 1987 Booker Prize . It is written from multiple points of view and moves backward and forward through time...
in 1987.
Personal
Penelope Low was born in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in 1933. She spent her early childhood in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, before being sent to boarding school in England at the age of twelve. She read Modern History at St Anne's College, Oxford. She married the academic Jack Lively in 1957 and lived with him in Swansea and Oxford, among other places; he died in 1998, and Penelope Lively now lives in north London.
Fiction
Lively's writing, like that of her peers Margaret Drabble, Nina BawdenNina Bawden
Nina Bawden CBE is a popular British novelist and children's writer. Her mother was a teacher and her father a marine.-Life:...
, A. S. Byatt
A. S. Byatt
Dame Antonia Susan Duffy, DBE is an English novelist, poet and Booker Prize winner...
and others, is influenced strongly by an awareness of, and a response to, the sweeping social changes that have taken place in Britain in the course of the twentieth century.
Children's Fiction
Lively first achieved success with her children's fiction. Her first book, Astercote, was published in 1970. Since then, she has published many other books for children, achieving particular recognition with The Ghost of Thomas KempeThe Ghost of Thomas Kempe
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe is a novel for children by Penelope Lively published in 1973. The novel won the Carnegie Medal in 1973.-Plot summary:...
(1973) for which she received the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
and with A Stitch in Time (1976) which won her the Whitbread Award for best children's book.
Adult Fiction
Her first novel for adults, The Road to Lichfield, was published in 1977 and made the shortlist for the Booker Prize. She repeated this feat in 1984 with According to Mark, and eventually won the prize in 1987 with Moon TigerMoon Tiger
Moon Tiger is a 1987 novel by Penelope Lively which spans the time before, during and after World War II. The novel won the 1987 Booker Prize . It is written from multiple points of view and moves backward and forward through time...
, which tells the story of a woman's tempestuous life as she lies dying in a hospital bed. As is the case with all of Lively's fiction, the novel is marked by a close attention to the power of memory, the impact of the past upon the present, and the tensions between 'official' and personal histories. These are themes explored more explicitly in such non-fiction titles as A House Unlocked (2001) and Oleander, Jacaranda: A Childhood Perceived (1994), Lively's compelling memoir of her Egyptian childhood.
In addition to writing novels and short stories, Penelope Lively has also written radio and television scripts, presented a radio programme and contributed reviews and articles to various newspapers and journals.
Honors
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of LiteratureRoyal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
, and was awarded the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1989 and the CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 2001. She is also a Vice President of the Friends of the British Library
Friends of the British Library
The Friends of the British Library is a registered charitable organisation in the UK with close links to the British Library. It provides funding in the form of grants to the British Library in order to allow the Library to acquire new items and collections, procure new equipment and facilities,...
.
Fiction for children
- Astercote (1970)
- The Whispering Knights (1971)
- The Driftway (1972)
- The Ghost of Thomas KempeThe Ghost of Thomas KempeThe Ghost of Thomas Kempe is a novel for children by Penelope Lively published in 1973. The novel won the Carnegie Medal in 1973.-Plot summary:...
(1973, Carnegie MedalCarnegie MedalThe Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
winner) - The House in Norham Gardens (1974)
- Going Back (1975)
- Boy Without a Name (1975)
- A Stitch in Time (1976, Whitbread Award winner)
- The Stained Glass Window (1976)
- Fanny's Sister (1976)
- The Voyage of QV66The Voyage of QV66The Voyage of QV66 is a children's novel by Penelope Lively. It is set in a strange, flooded, somewhat post-apocalyptic England devoid of people, and centres around a group of animals consisting of a dog, a cat, a cow, a horse, a pigeon and a mysterious character named "Stanley".-Plot summary:The...
(1978) - Fanny and the Monsters (1978)
- Fanny and the Battle of Potter's Piece (1980)
- The Revenge of Samuel Stokes (1981)
- Uninvited Ghosts and other stories (1984)
- Dragon Trouble (1984)
- Debbie and the Little Devil (1987)
- A House Inside Out (1987)
- Princess by Mistake (1993)
- Judy and the Martian (1993)
- The Cat, the Crow and the Banyan Tree (1994)
- Good Night, Sleep Tight (1995)
- Two Bears and Joe (1995)
- Staying with Grandpa (1995)
- A Martian Comes to Stay (1995)
- Lost Dog (1996)
- One, Two, Three...Jump! (1998)
- In Search of a Homeland; The Story of The Aeneid (2001)
Fiction for adults
- The Road to Lichfield (1977, shortlisted for the Booker Prize)
- Nothing Missing but the Samovar, and other stories (1978, Southern Arts Literature Prize winner)
- Treasures of Time (1979, Arts CouncilArts councilAn arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad...
National Book Award winner) - Judgement Day (1980)
- Next to Nature, Art (1982)
- Perfect Happiness (1983)
- Corruption, and other stories (1984)
- According to MarkAccording to MarkAccording to Mark is a 1984 novel written by Penelope Lively. It was shortlisted for Booker Prize for fiction.-Plot:Mark Lamming, a biographer, leads a quiet life in London with his wife Diana, who works at a gallery....
(1984, shortlisted for the Booker Prize) - Pack of Cards, Stories 1978–86 (1986)
- Moon TigerMoon TigerMoon Tiger is a 1987 novel by Penelope Lively which spans the time before, during and after World War II. The novel won the 1987 Booker Prize . It is written from multiple points of view and moves backward and forward through time...
(1987, Booker Prize winner, shortlisted for the Whitbread Award) - Passing OnPassing OnPassing On is a novel written by Penelope Lively in 1989. It tells the sensitive and intimate story of how a brother and sister’s lives change after their imperious mother dies. The story is set in the South of England in the late eighties.-Plot:...
(1989) - City of the Mind (1991)
- Cleopatra's Sister (1993)
- Heat Wave (1996)
- Spiderweb (1998)
- The Photograph (2003)
- Making it up (2005)
- ConsequencesConsequences (novel)Consequences by E. M. Delafield is a 1919 novel about a young woman entering a convent. Its heroine, Alex Clare, refuses to marry the only young man to make her an offer of marriage, and, finding herself regarded as a failure by society, must resort to convent life. E. M. Delafield herself entered...
(2007) - Family Album (2009)
Non-fiction
- The Presence of the Past: An introduction to landscape history (1976)
- Oleander, Jacaranda: a Childhood Perceived (1994)
- A House Unlocked (2001)
External links
- Penelope Lively's official website
- Audio slideshow interview with Penelope Lively talking about Family Album on The Interview Online