Dame Shirley Conran obituary

Bestselling author of Lace and Superwoman and women’s editor for the Daily Mail and the Observer Shirley Conran, who has died aged 91, supplied interviewers with a multi-page CV, but her life could be summarised on a book dust jacket. All that was needed was her surname – from her first husband, the designer Terence Conran – and the quote from her notorious domestic manual, Superwoman (1975): “Life is too short to stuff a mushroom.” And perhaps a line about the crucial erotic role of a goldfish in her 1982 novel, Lace.Both books were written for much-needed money, and were phenomenons. Superwoman was her response to a request from a recently divorced male publisher for a household manual; Conran understood that “men saw housework as a background to life, and women saw it as their responsibility”, and compiled a guide that came out of the postwar era then just ending, when middle-class wives had been required to be clever and sexy while managing a home with almost no help from paid staff, or husbands. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-05-10 12:06:47 UTC ]
News tagged with: #daily mail #supplied interviewers #multi-page cv #much-needed money #household manual #conran understood #postwar era #middle-class wives #paid staff #bestselling author

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Carol Smith obituary

My cousin Carol Smith, who has died aged 84, was a literary agent and author best known for her thrillers Kensington Court (1996) and Unfinished Business (2000).Born in London to Winifred (nee Mapleston), a teacher, and David Smith, a businessman, Carol attended the North London Collegiate,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-25 15:31:17 UTC ]
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Obituary: Mary Ann Hoberman

Award-winning children's author and poet Mary Ann Hoberman died July 7 following a long illness; she was 92. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Christine Baker obituary

Editor with the Paris-based publisher Gallimard Jeunesse who was determined to give British children’s books a presence in FranceChristine Baker, who has died aged 71 of cancer, did much to give British children’s books a presence in France, making them readily available to families and schools... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-10 16:54:07 UTC ]
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Mavis Cheek obituary

Author of a series of comic novels that focused on the tragi-comic nature of relationships and the general absurdities of lifeMavis Cheek, who has died aged 75, was the author of a series of comic novels that cast an acute eye on middle-class marriage and relationships and marked her out as one... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-04 16:07:50 UTC ]
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Robert Gottlieb obituary

American editor who worked with many celebrated authors including Anthony Burgess, Doris Lessing and Joseph HellerRobert Gottlieb, who has died age 92, was the outstanding literary editor of the second half of the 20th century. Among the renowned novelists he worked with were Doris Lessing, Toni... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-06-26 16:14:17 UTC ]
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Caroline Raphael obituary

Caroline Raphael, who has died of Parkinson’s disease aged 85, was for 20 years editor-in-chief of The Good Hotel Guide. She had worked on every edition from the first, in 1978, until her retirement in 2021, when the 2022 edition had gone to press.The Guide was launched by the literary agent... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-28 16:03:11 UTC ]
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Gerald Rose obituary

Children’s illustrator whose picture books with his wife, Elizabeth, and authors such as Ted Hughes, are enjoyed worldwideThe illustrator Gerald Rose, who has died aged 87, was the youngest winner of the Kate Greenaway medal for children’s book illustration, in 1960. Then still in his mid-20s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-12 17:25:36 UTC ]
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Obituary: Niels Aaboe, 65

Niels Aaboe, most recently an editor at Rowman & Littlefield as well as its Lyons Press imprint, died on April 17. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Peter Usborne obituary

Publisher whose eponymous company changed the face of children’s nonfiction with its fact-filled illustrated booksPeter Usborne, who has died aged 85, created a publishing company that changed the look and feel of nonfiction books for children. Although they were widely used in schools, Usborne... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-14 15:02:43 UTC ]
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Obituary: Julie Anne Peters

Award-winning author Julie Anne Peters, best known for her groundbreaking YA novels featuring complex LGBTQ+ characters navigating relationships and exploring issues of identity, died on March 21 following a long illness; she was 71. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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10 of the Best Shirley Jackson Short Stories Everyone Should Read

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Shirley Jackson (1916-65) wrote six novels and around two hundred short stories during her brief career. Probably best-known for her novel The Haunting of Hill House and her oft-anthologised short story ‘The Lottery’, Jackson was a writer with a... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2023-03-25 18:00:23 UTC ]
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Mary Rayner obituary

Children’s author who devised the adventures of the Pig family and illustrated stories including Dick King-Smith’s The Sheep-PigThe writer and illustrator Mary Rayner, who has died aged 89, was best known for her picture books about Mr and Mrs Pig, and the escapades of their 10 piglets. In... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-23 16:59:39 UTC ]
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Obituary: Ian Falconer

Author-illustrator, fine artist, and designer Ian Falconer, best known as the creator of witty picture books about headstrong, precocious piglet Olivia, died of natural causes on March 7. He was 63. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Amy Schwartz

Author-illustrator Amy Schwartz, creator of more than 60 books for young readers, died suddenly on February 26 at her home in Brooklyn; she was 68. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Graham Oakley obituary

Illustrator and author widely admired for The Church Mice, his series of children’s picture booksGraham Oakley, who has died age 93, was an illustrator and writer known almost entirely for one series of picture books: The Church Mice, published over a period of nearly 30 years from 1972.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-24 17:41:11 UTC ]
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Obituary: Natalie S. Bober

Natalie S. Bober, best known for her biographies for young readers, died on December 29 at age 92. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Greg Bear obituary

US science fiction writer whose novels combined a wide-ranging view of future technical developments with political speculationThe American science fiction writer Greg Bear, who has died aged 71 following heart surgery, was, as he put it “all over the map” as far as interests and subjects were... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-12-29 17:19:10 UTC ]
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Obituary: Phyllis Fogelman

Children’s book publisher Phyllis Fogelman, a champion of books by Black authors and illustrators and mentor to many in the children’s book industry, died on December 18 at age 89. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Ellen Wittlinger

Ellen Wittlinger, whose YA novels have been praised for their depiction of memorable and realistic protagonists navigating provocative issues of adolescence, died on November 17 at 74. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Peter Robinson obituary

Author of the Inspector Alan Banks series and welcome presence at crime fiction festivals around the worldPeter Robinson was the creator of the immensely popular Inspector Alan Banks crime series, set in Yorkshire – the books sold almost 9m copies in 19 languages and spawned a successful... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-10-14 16:44:04 UTC ]
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