Antonia Forest
Encyclopedia
Antonia Forest was the pseudonym
of a British
children's author who was christened Patricia Giulia Caulfield Kate Rubinstein (her real name was not made public during her life). Born of part Russian-Jewish and Irish parents, she grew up in Hampstead
, London
, and was educated at South Hampstead High School
and University College, London.
It could be said that she embraced the way of life of the upper middle classes of the English shires with the zeal of the convert. From 1938 until her death she lived in Bournemouth
, and from the end of 1946 onwards she was a devout Catholic; she would eventually sum herself up as "middle-aged, narrow-minded, anti-progressive AND PROUD OF IT". Most of her books are concerned with the Marlow family, an ancient landed family whose patriarch is a Royal Navy commander (later captain), and whose six daughters (out of eight children in all) all go to Kingscote, a boarding school
where all the Marlow books with "Term" in the title are set. The complete list of modern-day Marlow books is below, with their setting in the school career of Nicola and Lawrie (twins).
She also wrote The Player's Boy (1970) and The Players and the Rebels (1971), which concern themselves with the ancestors of the Marlows in Shakespeare's time, and an unrelated present-day (at the time) story, The Thursday Kidnapping (1963), the only one of her books to have been published in America [Coward-McCann, 1965].
Antonia Forest's later books are notable for their use of a technique perhaps taken to its ultimate extreme by Richmal Crompton
in her 1965 story William and the Pop Singers; namely the placing of characters who were created in an earlier age, and still seem essentially tied to that past time, in a very different world several decades later. So the same characters who initially recount their childhood experiences of the London Blitz eventually watch Up Pompeii!
and, later still, make themselves up as punks, when they are only a few years older. The 1976 book The Attic Term is notable for its use of the teenage character Patrick Merrick to express the writer's personal opposition to changes in the Roman Catholic Church resulting from the Second Vatican Council
.
Antonia Forest never completed the successor to Run Away Home and no manuscript was found amongst her papers after her death .
After many years out of print, her books have gradually been returning to the public eye with a Faber reprint of Autumn Term in 2000 followed by Girls Gone By Publishers
reprints of Falconer's Lure, Run Away Home and The Marlows and the Traitor during 2003, The Ready-Made Family and Peter's Room in 2004, and The Thuggery Affair in 2005. The Player's Boy was reprinted by Girls Gone By Publishers
in 2006, The Players and the Rebels in 2008, and The Thursday Kidnapping in 2009.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
children's author who was christened Patricia Giulia Caulfield Kate Rubinstein (her real name was not made public during her life). Born of part Russian-Jewish and Irish parents, she grew up in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and was educated at South Hampstead High School
South Hampstead High School
South Hampstead High School is an all-girls independent day school situated in Hampstead, north-west London. The school was founded and is still supported by The Girls' Day School Trust . The school operates over two sites, the Senior school and Junior school which are run as a single unit with...
and University College, London.
It could be said that she embraced the way of life of the upper middle classes of the English shires with the zeal of the convert. From 1938 until her death she lived in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, and from the end of 1946 onwards she was a devout Catholic; she would eventually sum herself up as "middle-aged, narrow-minded, anti-progressive AND PROUD OF IT". Most of her books are concerned with the Marlow family, an ancient landed family whose patriarch is a Royal Navy commander (later captain), and whose six daughters (out of eight children in all) all go to Kingscote, a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
where all the Marlow books with "Term" in the title are set. The complete list of modern-day Marlow books is below, with their setting in the school career of Nicola and Lawrie (twins).
| Book | Publication Year | Setting | Twins' Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Term Autumn Term Autumn Term is the first in the series of novels about the Marlow family by Antonia Forest. First published in 1948, and set in that post-war period. The plot focuses on the youngest Marlows, identical twins Nicola and Lawrence, during their first term at Kingscote School for Girls... |
1948 | Autumn term | Third Form |
| The Marlows and the Traitor The Marlows and the Traitor In the introduction to the Girls Gone By edition of The Marlows and the Traitor, Antonia Forest admits she never intended to write a series of books about the Marlows. At the time of writing the Nuremberg Trials were happening and Forest decided to write a book about a traitor. Only then did it... |
1953 | Easter holidays | Third Form |
| Falconer's Lure Falconer's Lure Falconer's Lure is the 1957 falconry based novel by Antonia Forest.Falconer's Lure is the third book in the series, between The Marlows and the Traitor and End of Term.... |
1957 | Summer holidays | Third Form |
| End of Term End of Term End of Term is a book by British children's author Antonia Forest, published in 1959. End of Term is the fourth Marlow book, between Falconer's Lure and Peter's Room.-Plot introduction:... |
1959 | Autumn term | Lower Fourth |
| Peter's Room | 1961 | Christmas holidays | Lower Fourth |
| The Thuggery Affair | 1965 | Spring half-term | Lower Fourth |
| The Ready-Made Family | 1967 | Easter holidays | Lower Fourth |
| The Cricket Term | 1974 | Summer term | Lower Fourth |
| The Attic Term | 1976 | Autumn term | Upper Fourth |
| Run Away Home | 1982 | Christmas holidays | Upper Fourth |
She also wrote The Player's Boy (1970) and The Players and the Rebels (1971), which concern themselves with the ancestors of the Marlows in Shakespeare's time, and an unrelated present-day (at the time) story, The Thursday Kidnapping (1963), the only one of her books to have been published in America [Coward-McCann, 1965].
Antonia Forest's later books are notable for their use of a technique perhaps taken to its ultimate extreme by Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was a British writer, most famous for her Just William humorous short stories and books.-Life:...
in her 1965 story William and the Pop Singers; namely the placing of characters who were created in an earlier age, and still seem essentially tied to that past time, in a very different world several decades later. So the same characters who initially recount their childhood experiences of the London Blitz eventually watch Up Pompeii!
Up Pompeii!
Up Pompeii! is a British television comedy series broadcast between 1969 and 1970, starring Frankie Howerd. The first series was written by Talbot Rothwell, a scriptwriter for the Carry On films, and the second series by Rothwell and Sid Colin. Two later specials were transmitted in 1975 and...
and, later still, make themselves up as punks, when they are only a few years older. The 1976 book The Attic Term is notable for its use of the teenage character Patrick Merrick to express the writer's personal opposition to changes in the Roman Catholic Church resulting from the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
.
Antonia Forest never completed the successor to Run Away Home and no manuscript was found amongst her papers after her death .
After many years out of print, her books have gradually been returning to the public eye with a Faber reprint of Autumn Term in 2000 followed by Girls Gone By Publishers
Girls Gone By Publishers
Girls Gone By Publishers is a publishing company run by Clarissa Cridland and Ann Mackie-Hunter and is based in Bath, Somerset. They re-publish new editions of some of the most popular girls' fiction titles from the twentieth century.-Elinor Brent-Dyer:...
reprints of Falconer's Lure, Run Away Home and The Marlows and the Traitor during 2003, The Ready-Made Family and Peter's Room in 2004, and The Thuggery Affair in 2005. The Player's Boy was reprinted by Girls Gone By Publishers
Girls Gone By Publishers
Girls Gone By Publishers is a publishing company run by Clarissa Cridland and Ann Mackie-Hunter and is based in Bath, Somerset. They re-publish new editions of some of the most popular girls' fiction titles from the twentieth century.-Elinor Brent-Dyer:...
in 2006, The Players and the Rebels in 2008, and The Thursday Kidnapping in 2009.