Early years

Dunn was born in 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 educated at a convent, which she left at the age of fourteen. Although she came from an upper class background, in 1959 she moved to Battersea

Battersea

Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...

 and made friends in the neighbourhood and worked for a time in a sweets factory. This world inspired much of what Dunn would later write.

Career

Dunn came to fame in 1963 with the publication of Up the Junction

Up the Junction

Up the Junction is a 1963 novel by Nell Dunn that depicts contemporary life in the industrial slums of Battersea near Clapham Junction.The book uses colloquial speech, and its portrayal of petty thieving, sexual encounters, births, deaths and back-street abortion provided a view of life that was...

, a series of short stories set in South London. The book became a controversial success because of its vibrant, realistic and nonjudgmental portrait of the lower classes. It was filmed for television and film and was awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize

John Llewellyn Rhys Prize

The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kingdom...

.

A collection of interviews, Talking to Women (1965), preceded the publication of her first novel.

In 1967

1967 in literature

The year 1967 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Influential science fiction anthology Dangerous Visions published.*Cecil Day-Lewis is selected as the new Poet Laureate of the UK.-New books:...

 she published her first novel Poor Cow

Poor Cow

Poor Cow is a 1967 British drama film directed by Ken Loach, based on Nell Dunn's novel of the same name.Although Malcolm McDowell is listed in the credits on the commercial release of the film, the scenes in which he appeared were deleted....

which was a bestseller and also achieved a succès de scandale. Poor Cow was made into a film starring Carol White

Carol White

Carol White was a British actress.She achieved notability for her performances in the television play Cathy Come Home and the films Poor Cow and I'll Never Forget What's'isname , but alcoholism and drug abuse damaged her career, and from the early 1970s she worked infrequently.-Life and...

 and Terence Stamp

Terence Stamp

Terence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include...

, under the direction of Ken Loach

Ken Loach

Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...

.

Her more recent adult books are Grandmothers (1991) and My Silver Shoes (1996). Dunn's acclaimed play Steaming

Steaming (play)

Steaming is a 1981 play written by English playwright Nell Dunn first staged at Theatre Royal, Stratford, in London. It won the 1981 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy ....

was produced in 1981 and her first television film Every Breath You Take

Every Breath You Take

"Every Breath You Take" is a song by The Police on the band's 1983 album Synchronicity, written by Sting and Andy Summers . The single was one of the biggest hits of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks and the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. It also topped the...

, appeared in 1987. She has also written Sisters, a film script commissioned by the BBC.

She won the 1982 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize

Susan Smith Blackburn Prize

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is for English-language women playwrights. Named for Susan Smith, alumna of Smith College, who died of breast cancer.-Winners:* 1978-79 Mary O'Malley* 1979-80 Barbara Schneider...

.

Personal life

Dunn was married to writer Jeremy Sandford

Jeremy Sandford

Jeremy Sandford was an English television screenwriter who came to prominence in 1966 with Cathy Come Home, his controversial entry in BBC1's The Wednesday Play anthology strand which was directed by Ken Loach...

 from 1957 to 1979. They have three sons. She is the daughter of Sir Philip Dunn.

Works

• Up the Junction
  Up the Junction
  Up the Junction is a 1963 novel by Nell Dunn that depicts contemporary life in the industrial slums of Battersea near Clapham Junction.The book uses colloquial speech, and its portrayal of petty thieving, sexual encounters, births, deaths and back-street abortion provided a view of life that was...
  
  1963
• Poor Cow
  Poor Cow
  Poor Cow is a 1967 British drama film directed by Ken Loach, based on Nell Dunn's novel of the same name.Although Malcolm McDowell is listed in the credits on the commercial release of the film, the scenes in which he appeared were deleted....
  
  1967
• Tear His Head Off His Shoulders 1974
• The Only Child 1978
• Grandmothers 1991
• My Silver Shoes 1996

Plays

• I Want, 1976
• Steaming
  Steaming (play)
  Steaming is a 1981 play written by English playwright Nell Dunn first staged at Theatre Royal, Stratford, in London. It won the 1981 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy ....
  
  , 1981
• Variety Night, 1982
• The Little Heroine, 1988
• Consequences, 1988
• Babe XXX, 1998
• Cancer Tales, 2003

External links

• Nell Dunn at Doollee.com
• Nell Dunn - from Chelsea to Battersea