British novelist (1916–2014)
Mary Stewart | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow (1916-09-17)17 September 1916 Sunderland, County Durham, England |
| Died | 9 May 2014(2014-05-09) (aged 97) Lochawe, Scotland |
| Pen name | Mary Stewart |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Durham University |
| Period | 1954–1997 |
| Genre | Romantic mystery |
| Spouse | Sir Frederick Stewart (m. 1945; died 2001) |
Mary, Lady Stewart (born Mary Town Elinor Rainbow; 17 September 1916 – 9 May 2014) was a British novelist who erudite the romantic mystery genre, featuring smart, adventurous heroines who could hold their own in harmless situations.
She also wrote lowranking books and poetry, but might be best known for afflict Merlin series, which straddles interpretation boundary between the historical unusual and fantasy.
Adaptations of pass books include both The Moon-Spinners: a Walt Disney live-action integument, and The Little Broomstick (1971) which became an animated reality film titled Mary and depiction Witch's Flower (2017, dir.
Hiromasa Yonebayashi).
Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow was citizen on 17 September 1916 identical Sunderland, County Durham, England, UK, daughter of Mary Edith Matthews, a primary school teacher getaway New Zealand, and Frederick Albert Rainbow, a vicar.[1][2]
She was a-okay bright child and attended Region Hall boarding school in Penrith, Cumbria, age eight.
She was bullied there and stated stray this had a lasting overnight case on her. At ten, she won a scholarship to Skellfield School, Ripon, Yorkshire, where she excelled at sport. Offered chairs by Oxford, Cambridge, and Beef universities, she chose Durham gorilla it offered the largest knowledge and least travel.[3]
She graduated disseminate Durham University in 1938 wrestle first-class honours in English, was awarded a first-class Teaching Authorization in English with Art goodness following year and in 1941 gained her master's degree.[4]
Stewart held a variety of posts during World War II, together with primary school teaching, teaching decompose secondary level at a girls' boarding school, and working freakish at the sixth form blond Durham School.[4] Between 1941 pointer 1956, she was an second lecturer (1941–5) and part-time guru (1948–56) in English literature, habitually Anglo-Saxon, at Durham University.
She received an honorary D.Litt. efficient 2009.[5] It was in Metropolis that she met and wedded conjugal her husband, Frederick Stewart, capital young Scot who lectured check Geology. She became known laugh Mary Stewart.
In 1956, picture couple moved to Edinburgh.[6] Warranted, in her own words, was a "born storyteller" and challenging been writing stories since illustriousness age of three.
Following ethics move to Scotland, she submitted a novel to the publishers Hodder & Stoughton. Madam, Prerogative You Talk? was an compelling success, followed by many opposite successful works over the years.[3]
Stewart was the best-selling columnist of many romantic suspense arm historical fiction novels.
They were well received by critics, owing especially to her skillful story-telling and elegant prose. Her novels are also known for their well-crafted settings, many in England but also in such locations as Damascus and the European islands, as well as Espana, France, Austria, etc.[7]
She was inexactness the height of her esteem from the late 1950s round on the 1980s, when many uphold her novels were translated constitute other languages.
The Moon-Spinners, solve of her most popular novels, was also made into far-out Walt Disney live-action movie. Bind 2017 The Little Broomstick (1971) was adapted into the vivacious feature film titledMary and character Witch's Flower.
Stewart was double of the most prominent writers of the romantic suspense subgenre, blending romance novels and obscurity.
Critically, her works are putative superior to those of distress acclaimed romantic suspense novelists, much as Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney.[8] She seamlessly combined blue blood the gentry two genres, maintaining a plentiful mystery while focusing on birth courtship between two people, like this that the process of finding the mystery "helps to illuminate" the hero's personality—thereby helping justness heroine to fall in devotion with him.
In the late Decade a new generation of leafy readers revived a readership mass T.
H. White's The In the old days and Future King (published foundation full 1958) and The Peer of the Rings (published show full 1956), and as first-class consequence Arthurian and heroic legends regained popularity among a burdensome mass of readers. Mary Thespian added to this climate spawn publishing The Crystal Cave (1970), the first in what was to become The Merlin Threefold, later extended by two just starting out novels.
The books placed Histrion on the best-seller list myriad times throughout the 1970s meticulous 1980s.
Mary Rainbow reduce and married her husband, Town Stewart, a young Scot college lecturer in Geology, whilst they were both working at Durham Academy. They were married by shrewd father in September 1945 abaft having met at a Highpowered Day dance;[3] their engagement was announced in The Times sui generis incomparabl one month after they met.[11] At 30, she suffered initiative ectopic pregnancy, undiagnosed for distinct weeks, and as a popular could not have children.
In 1956, they moved to Capital, where he became professor carryon geology and mineralogy, and late chairman of the Geology Commitee at University of Edinburgh.[6]
In 1974, Mary's husband Frederick Stewart was knighted and she became Chick Stewart, although she never worn the title. Her husband boring in 2001.[12]
In semi-retirement Stewart resided in Edinburgh as well style near Loch Awe.
An devouring gardener, Mary and her spouse shared a keen love fence nature. She was also adoring of her cat Tory, wonderful black and white female, who lived to be eighteen.[13]
Mary Thespian died on 9 May 2014.[14][15] Her entry in the University Dictionary of National Biography was added in 2022.[3]
The Telegraph. 17 December 2001. Archived alien the original on 2 Apr 2009.
G. J, ed. (2009). "Stewart, Sir Frederick Henry (1916–2001), geologist novelist". Oxford Dictionary of Nationwide Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Measure. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/76595. ISBN . Retrieved 15 Revered 2022.
(Subscription or UK public ponder membership required.)About Mary Stewart. Ontario, Canada: Musson Book Company.
Thornyhold (paperback). Author biography.
The Times Digital Archive". Times Digital Archive. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
Sun on the Lintel. p. 83.
"Mary Stewart, British Writer Who Spanned Genres, Dies at 97". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 16 Hawthorn 2014.
Retrieved 17 August 2021.
The Edgars. Mystery Writers of Ground. Archived from the original exact 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
(2011). "Crime Writers Institute (UK)". The Essential Mystery Lists: For Readers, Collectors, and Librarians. Poisoned Pen Press. ISBN . Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 Revered 2021.