Gillian Tindall (born 4 May 1938) is a British writer and historian. Among her books are ''City of Gold: The Biography of Bombay'' (1992) and ''Celestine: Voices from a French Village'' (1997). Her novel ''Fly Away Home'' won the

Somerset Maugham Award The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each year by the Society of Authors. Set up by William Somerset Maugham in 1947 the awards enable young writers to enrich their work by gaining experience in foreign countries. The awa ...

in 1972. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, Tindall worked as a journalist, writing stories for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'', ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', and ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' – and for many years she was a regular guest on the

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

arts discussion programme, ''Critics' Forum''. Since 1963 she has lived in Kentish Town, North London.

Career

Beginning as a writer of fiction, she made her initial move into non-fiction with a biography of the '' fin de siècle'' novelist

George Gissing George Robert Gissing (; 22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. His best-known works have reappeared in modern editions. They include ''The Nether World'' (1889), ''New Grub ...

. She wrote books about Londoners as separate in time as

Rosamond Lehmann Rosamond Nina Lehmann (3 February 1901 – 12 March 1990) was an English novelist and translator. Her first novel, ''Dusty Answer'' (1927), was a ''succès de scandale''; she subsequently became established in the literary world and intimate ...

, a novelist contemporary of the

Bloomsbury Group The Bloomsbury Group—or Bloomsbury Set—was a group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the first half of the 20th century, including Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Strac ...

, and

Wenceslaus Hollar Wenceslaus Hollar (23 July 1607 – 25 March 1677) was a prolific and accomplished Bohemian graphic artist of the 17th century, who spent much of his life in England. He is known to German speakers as ; and to Czech speakers as . He is particu ...

, a Czech

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

of the seventeenth century. Another of Tindall's works, ''The Journey of

Martin Nadaud Martin Nadaud (17 November 1815, Soubrebost, Creuse – 28 December 1898) rose from being a peasant boy to becoming a revolutionary and Member of Parliament. His first language was Langue d'oc and he learned French while working in Paris as a Stonem ...

: A Life And Turbulent Times'' (1999), reconstructs the life and voyage of a 19th-century Frenchman from the Limousin region – a master stonemason-builder, who became a French political figure, revolutionary, republican Member of Parliament, and then an exile in England for eighteen years. Following this book's publication, Tindall was awarded in France the title of Chevalier of the

Order of Arts and Letters The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

. Tindall specialised in the genre of miniaturist history (see, by way of comparison,

Portrait miniature A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century eli ...

in art). Her book ''The Fields Beneath'' (1977) explores the history of the London neighbourhood of Kentish Town and the spread of great cities in general, and is regarded as a seminal work of urban historical geography. Tindall's book ''The House by the Thames'' (2006) is about the house built at 49

Bankside Bankside is an area of London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. Bankside is located on the southern bank of the River Thames, east of Charing Cross, running from a little west of Blackfriars Bridge to just a short distance befor ...

in London in 1710 and the buildings that preceded it on the site. The house has served as a home for prosperous coal merchants, an office, a lodging house, and once again as a private residence in the later 20th century. It has been erroneously assumed to be where Sir

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

lived during the construction of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

; other fantasy residents of older buildings on the site include

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

and

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. The house still stands, in the shadow of the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

. Later books by Tindall's include ''Footprints in Paris: a Few Streets, a Few Lives'' (2009), which deals with the author's ancestors and their various connections to Paris over the generations; ''The Tunnel Through Time: A New Route For An Old London Journey'' (2016), which explores the layers of history that lie beneath the route of London's newest underground line, Crossrail; and ''The Pulse Glass and the Beat of Other Hearts'' (2019), a reflection on the links that exist between valued objects and human memories.

Family

Tindall's mother,

Ursula Orange Ursula Orange (1909 – 1955) was a mid-20th-century British novelist who is known for focusing her books on the domestic lives and career aspirations of young women. Biography Little has been written about Ursula Orange's life. She was born ...

, was a novelist in the 1930s and 1940s. Ursula's father was Hugh William Orange, who received a knighthood for contributions to

education in India Education in India is primarily managed by state-run public education system, which fall under the command of the government at three levels: central, state and local. Under various articles of the Indian Constitution and the Right of Child ...

. Hugh's father was the medical pioneer William Orange CB, MD, FRCP, LSA, second superintendent of

Broadmoor Hospital Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. It is the oldest of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth Hospital near Liverpool and Rampton Secure ...

.William Orange CB, MD, FRCP, LSA: A Broadmoor pioneer. Available from researchgate.ne
accessed September 28, 2017

Bibliography

Novels

*''No Name in the Street'' (1959, Cassell & Co, ASIN B0000CKDE1) *''The Water and the Sound'' (1961, Cassell & Co, ASIN B002G3FW5W) *''The Edge of the Paper'' (1963, Cassell & Co, ASIN B0031JPUCK) *''The Youngest'' (1967, Secker & Warburg, ASIN B001AIVBTA) *''Someone Else'' (1969, Walker & Company, ) *''Fly Away Home'' (1971, Hodder & Stoughton, ) *''The Traveller and His Child'' (1975, Hodder & Stoughton, ) *''The Intruder'' (1979, Hodder & Stoughton, ) *''Looking Forward'' (1983, Hodder & Stoughton, ) *''To the City'' (1987, Hutchinson & Co, ) *''Give Them All My Love'' (1989, Hutchinson & Co, ) *''Spirit Weddings'' (1992, Hutchinson & Co, )

Short stories

*''Dances of Death: Short Stories on a Theme'' (1973, Walker & Company, ) *''The China Egg and Other Stories'' (1981, Hodder & Stoughton, ) *''Journey of a Lifetime and Other Stories'' (1990, Hutchinson & Co, )

Biography

*''The Born Exile: George Gissing'' (1974, Temple Smith, )

Non-fiction

*''A Handbook on Witches'' (1965, Castle Books, ASIN B000JG9ESE) *''Rosamond Lehmann: An Appreciation'' (1985, Chatto & Windus, ) *''Countries of the Mind: The Meaning of Place to Writers'' (New edition 2011, Faber & Faber, ) *''City of Gold: The Biography of Bombay'' (1992, Penguin Books Ltd. Travel Library, ) *''Célestine: Voices From a French Village'' (1997, Henry Holt & Co., ) *''The Journey of Martin Nadaud: A Life and Turbulent Times'' (1999, St Martin's Press, ) *''The Man Who Drew London: Wenceslaus Hollar in reality and imagination'' (2003, Pimlico, ) *''The House By The Thames: And The People Who Lived There'' (2006, Pimlico, ) *''Footprints in Paris: A Few Streets, A Few Lives'' (2009, Chatto & Windus, ) *''The Fields Beneath'' (1977) (New edition 2011, Eland Press, ) *''Three Houses, Many Lives'' (2012, Chatto & Windus, ) *''The Tunnel Through Time: A New Route for an Old London Journey'' (2016, Chatto & Windus, ) *''The Pulse Glass and the Beat of Other Hearts'' (2019, Chatto & Windus, )

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tindall, Gillian 1938 births Living people Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature British historians 20th-century British novelists Writers from London