Nina Bawden
Encyclopedia
Nina Bawden CBE
(born 19 January 1925, Ilford
) is a popular British novelist and children's writer. Her mother was a teacher and her father a marine.
broke out, she was evacuated at the age of fourteen to Aberdare
, Wales. She spent school holidays at a farm in Shropshire
along with her mother and her brothers.
Bawden attended Somerville College
, Oxford, where she gained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Her novels include Carrie's War, Peppermint Pig, and The Witch's Daughter. A number of her works have been dramatised by BBC
Children's television, and many have been translated into various languages. In 2002 she was badly injured in the Potters Bar rail crash
, and her husband Austen Kark
was killed.
She currently lives in London and Nauplion, Greece.
She has written 55 books in total.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
(born 19 January 1925, Ilford
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
) is a popular British novelist and children's writer. Her mother was a teacher and her father a marine.
Life
Nina Bawden grew up in Ilford in "a rather nasty housing estate that [her] mother despised". After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out, she was evacuated at the age of fourteen to Aberdare
Aberdare
Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...
, Wales. She spent school holidays at a farm in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
along with her mother and her brothers.
Bawden attended Somerville College
Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...
, Oxford, where she gained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Her novels include Carrie's War, Peppermint Pig, and The Witch's Daughter. A number of her works have been dramatised by BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Children's television, and many have been translated into various languages. In 2002 she was badly injured in the Potters Bar rail crash
Potters Bar rail crash
There have been at least three railway accidents in Potters Bar, a town in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, just north of Greater London. One occurred in 1898, one in 1946 and the last in 2002.-1898:...
, and her husband Austen Kark
Austen Kark
Austen Kark CBE was a managing director of the BBC World Service. He was one of three former holders of that post, along with Gerard Mansell and John Tusa, to oppose the plans of John Birt to merge the service into the BBC...
was killed.
She currently lives in London and Nauplion, Greece.
She has written 55 books in total.
Prizes and awards
- 1976 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize – The Peppermint Pig
- 1987 Shortlisted for the Booker Prize – Circles of Deceit
- 1995 Shortlisted for the WH Smith Mind-Boggling Book Award – The Real Plato Jones
- 1996 Shortlisted for the 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...
– Granny the Pag - 1993 Phoenix AwardPhoenix AwardThe Phoenix Award is awarded annually to a book originally published in English twenty years previously which did not receive a major award at the time of its publication....
– Carrie's War - 2010 Shortlisted for The Lost Man Booker Prize – The Birds on the Trees