Dame Beryl Bainbridge was born in Lancashire on 21 November 1934. She was educated at Merchant Taylors' School in Liverpool and worked as an actress at Liverpool Repertory Theatre. She was awarded a DBE in 2000. She wrote her first novel, Harriet Said, during the 1950s, although it was not published until 1972.
Her first published novel, A Weekend with Claud, appeared in 1967 (revised edition 1981), and was followed by Another Part of the Wood (1968), and The Dressmaker (1973), adapted as a film in 1989. The Bottle Factory Outing (1974) won the Guardian Fiction Prize and Injury Time (1977) won the Whitbread Novel Award. An Awfully Big Adventure (1989) drew on her experiences as an actress working in Liverpool during the 1950s and was adapted as a film. Her more recent novels, based on real lives and historical events, include The Birthday Boys (1991), the story of Captain Scott's ill-fated Antarctic expedition; Every Man For Himself (1996), set on board the Titanic; and Master Georgie (1998), chronicling a young surgeon's adventures during the Crimean War. Every Man for Himself won the Whitbread Novel Award and Master Georgie won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (for fiction), the WH Smith Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction. Her most recent novel, According to Queeney (2001), is the story of Dr Johnson's relationship with Hester Thrale.
Beryl Bainbridge lives in north London.-
A Weekend with Claud (revised as 'A Weekend with Claude; 1981) Hutchinson, 1967
Another Part of the Wood Hutchinson, 1968
Harriet Said Duckworth, 1972
Sweet William Duckworth, 1973
The Dressmaker Duckworth, 1973
The Bottle Factory Outing Duckworth, 1974
A Quiet Life Duckworth, 1976
Injury Time Duckworth, 1977
Young Adolf Duckworth, 1978
Winter Garden Duckworth, 1980
English Journey Duckworth, 1984
Watson's Apology Duckworth, 1984
Forever England Duckworth, 1985
Mum and Mr Armitage Duckworth, 1985
Filthy Lucre, or The Tragedy of Andrew Ledwhistle and Richard Soleway Duckworth, 1986
An Awfully Big Adventure Duckworth, 1989
The Birthday Boys Duckworth, 1991
Something Happened Yesterday Duckworth, 1993
Collected Stories Duckworth, 1994
Every Man For Himself Duckworth, 1996
Master Georgie Duckworth, 1998
According to Queeney Little, Brown, 2001
Front Row: Evenings at the Theatre Continuum International, 2005
The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress Little, Brown, 2008
1973 Booker Prize for Fiction (shortlist) The Dressmaker
1974 Booker Prize for Fiction (shortlist) The Bottle Factory Outing
1974 Guardian Fiction Prize The Bottle Factory Outing
1977 Whitbread Novel Award Injury Time
1990 Booker Prize for Fiction (shortlist) An Awfully Big Adventure
1996 Booker Prize for Fiction (shortlist) Every Man For Himself
1996 Whitbread Novel Award Every Man For Himself
1998 Booker Prize for Fiction (shortlist) Master Georgie
1998 James Tait Black Memorial Prize (for fiction) Master Georgie
1999 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Eurasia Region, Best Book) Master Georgie
1999 WH Smith Literary Award Master Georgie
2000 DBE
2003 David Cohen British Literature Prize (jointly with Thom Gunn)
If you are involved in this festival you can update or change details via the organisers page . Authors can list here.