Rosemary Sutcliff (14 December 1920 – 23 July 1992) was an English novelist best known for

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

, especially

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

and retellings of myths and legends. Although she was primarily a children's author, some of her novels were specifically written for adults. In a 1986 interview she said, "I would claim that my books are for children of all ages, from nine to ninety." For her contribution as a children's writer Sutcliff was a runner-up for the

Hans Christian Andersen Medal The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". The ...

in 1974.

Biography

Sutcliff was born 14 December 1920 to George Ernest Sutcliff and his wife Nessie Elizabeth, née Lawton, in

East Clandon East Clandon is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England on the A246 between the towns of Guildford to the west and Leatherhead to the east. Neighbouring villages include West Clandon and West Horsley. In 2011 it had a population of 268 in ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

. She spent her childhood in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

and various naval bases where her father, a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

officer, was stationed. She was affected by Still's disease when she was very young, and used a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), ce ...

most of her life. Due to her chronic illness, Sutcliff spent most of her time with her mother from whom she learned many of the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

and

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

s that she would later expand into works of historical fiction. Sutcliff's early schooling was constantly interrupted by moving house and her illness. She did not learn to read until she was nine years of age, and left school at age 14 to enter the Bideford Art School, which she attended for three years, graduating from the General Art Course. Sutcliff then worked as a painter of miniatures. Inspired by the children's historical novels of Geoffrey Trease, her first published book was ''The Chronicles of Robin Hood'' in 1950. In 1954, she published what remains her best-known work '' The Eagle of the Ninth,'' part of a series on Roman Britain and its aftermath; they were not written as such or in sequential order but connected by the linking device of an emerald ring, passed down through generations of the same family. Between 1954 and 1958, Sutcliff's works ''The Eagle of the Ninth'', its sequel '' The Silver Branch'', '' Outcast'' and '' Warrior Scarlet'' were runners-up in the annual Carnegie Medal, given by the

Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, since 2017 branded CILIP: The library and information association (pronounced ), is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers in the U ...

to the year's best children's book by a

British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...

. She finally won the Medal for her third book in the ''Eagle'' series, '' The Lantern Bearers'' (1959). Where the first two books and one subsequent one were set in

Roman Britain Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered wa ...

, ''The Lantern Bearers'' immediately follows the withdrawal of the Roman Empire, when the British people are threatened by remaining Germanic troops and by invaders. Sutcliff was Carnegie runner-up again for her retelling of the

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...

in ''

Tristan and Iseult Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Based on a Celtic legend and possibly other sources, the tale is a tragedy about the illic ...

'', which in 1971 won the American Horn Book Award. In 1985, ''

The Mark of the Horse Lord ''The Mark of the Horse Lord'' is a historical novel for children written by Rosemary Sutcliff and published in 1965. It won the first Phoenix Award in 1985. It takes place in Roman Britain and tells the tale of a gladiator who becomes involved ...

'' was the inaugural winner of the

Phoenix Award The Phoenix Award annually recognizes one English-language children's book published twenty years earlier that did not then win a major literary award. It is named for the mythical bird phoenix that is reborn from its own ashes, signifying the ...

, created by the Children's Literature Association to recognise the best English-language children's book that did not win a major award when originally published twenty years earlier. It is named for the mythical bird phoenix, which is reborn from its ashes, to suggest the book's rise from obscurity. ''The Shining Company'' won the same award in 2010. Sutcliff lived for many years in

Walberton Walberton is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, north-west of Littlehampton, and south of the A27 road. The land rises from above sea level, a quarter of the height of Nore Hill, the nearest foothill of ...

near

Arundel Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much larg ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...

. In 1975, she was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

for services to children's literature, and later Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1992. She wrote incessantly throughout her life and was still doing so on the morning of her death in 1992. Sutcliff never married and had no children.

Books

Autobiography

* ''Blue Remembered Hills: A recollection'' (1983); Sutcliff's memoir of her childhood and young adulthood.

Other nonfiction

* ''Houses and History'' (London: Batsford, 1960), illustrated by William Stobbs * ''Rudyard Kipling'' (1960), a

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monogra ...

* ''Heroes and History'' (1965), illus. Charles Keeping * ''A Saxon Settler'' (People of the Past, 1965), illus. John Lawrence

''Eagle of the Ninth'' series

The series, also referred to as 'Marcus', is linked by the Aquila family dolphin ring and listed here in fictional chronological order. (They were not written as a series by the author.) # '' The Eagle of the Ninth'' (1954), illus. C. Walter Hodges ‡ # '' The Silver Branch'' (1957), illus. Charles Keeping ‡ # ''Frontier Wolf'' (1980) # '' The Lantern Bearers'' (1959) # '' Sword at Sunset'' (1963); "officially for adults" # '' Dawn Wind'' (1961), illus. Charles Keeping # ''Sword Song'' (1997, posthumous) # '' The Shield Ring'' (1956), illus. C. Walter Hodges ‡ ''Three Legions'' (1980), or ''Eagle of the Ninth Chronicles'' (2010), is an omnibus edition of the original ''Eagle of the Ninth'' trilogy (''The Eagle of the Ninth'', ''The Silver Branch'' and ''The Lantern Bearers'', 1954 to 1959).

Arthurian novels

Raymond Thompson credits Sutcliff with "some of the finest contemporary recreations of the Arthurian story" and names these seven works. The first two are also part of the ''Eagle of the Ninth'' series (above) that attempt to depict Arthur as an actual historical figure. * '' The Lantern Bearers'' (1959) * '' Sword at Sunset'' (1963) * ''

'' (1971); retells the story of

* The Arthurian Trilogy (inspired by Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur'') ** '' The Sword and the Circle'' (1981), illus. Shirley Felts ** '' The Light Beyond the Forest'' (1979), illus. Shirley Felts ** '' The Road to Camlann'' (1981), illus. Shirley Felts * ''The Shining Company'' (1990); retells the '' Y Gododdin'' story (the earliest mention of Arthur's name) ''King Arthur Stories: Three Books in One'' (1999), or ''The King Arthur Trilogy'' (2007), is an omnibus edition of the Arthurian Trilogy (1979 to 1981).

Other children's novels

* ''The Chronicles of Robin Hood'' (Oxford, 1950), illus. C. Walter Hodges—Sutcliff's first published book * '' The Queen Elizabeth Story'' (1950) illus. C. Walter Hodges * '' The Armourer's House'' (1951) illus. C. Walter Hodges * '' Brother Dusty-Feet'' (1952), illus. by C. Walter Hodges * '' Simon'' (1953), illus. Richard Kennedy, cover art by William Stobbs; set during the 17th-century

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

* '' Outcast'' (1955), illus. Richard Kennedy * '' Warrior Scarlet'' (1958), illus. Charles Keeping * ''

Knight's Fee In feudal Anglo-Norman England and Ireland, a knight's fee was a unit measure of land deemed sufficient to support a knight. Of necessity, it would not only provide sustenance for himself, his family, and servants, but also the means to furnish h ...

'' (1960), illus. Charles Keeping * ''Bridge Builders'' (1960), illus.

Douglas Relf Douglas Rupert Relf (November 1907 - April 1970) was a British artist who became well known for his work for the British Railways Western Region, and for his illustrations and dust jackets for many children's books from multiple publishers in the ...

, about the building of

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. Ru ...

. Originally published as a short story in ''Another Six (Another 6): Stories'' by Richard Armstrong, William Mayne, Noel Streatfeild, Patricia Lynch, A. Philippa Pearce, Rosemary Sutcliff. UK: Blackwell, 1959. * ''Beowulf: Dragonslayer'' (1961) illus. Charles Keeping; retells the ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. ...

'' story * ''The Hound of Ulster'' (1963), illus.

Victor Ambrus Victor Ambrus (born László Győző Ambrus, 19 August 1935 – 10 February 2021) was a Hungarian-born British illustrator of history, folk tales, and animal story books. He also became known from his appearances on the Channel 4 television ...

; retells the story of Cúchulainn * ''

'' (1965), illus. Charles Keeping; * ''The Chief's Daughter'' (1967), illus.

; * '' The High Deeds of Finn MacCool'' (1967), illus. Michael Charleton * ''A Circlet of Oak Leaves'' (1968), illus.

* ''The Witch's Brat'' (1970), illus. Richard Lebenson * ''The Truce of the Games'' (1971), illus.

* ''Heather, Oak, and Olive'' (1972), illus.

; a collection of three dramatic stories: "The Chief's Daughter", "A Circlet of Oak Leaves", and "A Crown of Wild Olive" (originally published as "The Truce of the Games") * ''The Capricorn Bracelet'' (1973), illus. Charles Keeping (later,

Richard Cuffari Richard Cuffari (March 2, 1925 – 1978)
de Grummond Collection, McCain Library and Arc ...

); six stories, linked by a Roman

armilla (military decoration) An ''armilla'' (plural ''armillae'') was an armband awarded as a military decoration (''donum militarium'') to soldiers of ancient Rome for conspicuous gallantry. Legionary (citizen) soldiers and non-commissioned officers below the rank of centu ...

, that originated as radio scripts * ''The Changeling'' (1974), illus. Victor Ambrus * ''We Lived in Drumfyvie'' (1975), by Sutcliff and Margaret Lyford-Pike. "The authors combine their talents to recreate 700 years in the life of an imaginary Scottish burgh. The folk of Drumfyvie tell their own stories. " * '' Blood Feud'' (1976), illus. Charles Keeping. Adapted as a TV movie in 1990, title
Sea Dragon
* ''

Sun Horse, Moon Horse ''Sun Horse, Moon Horse'' is a historical novel for children written by Rosemary Sutcliff and published in 1977. It takes place in Bronze Age Britain, telling the tale of a chieftain's son of the Iceni who is caught up in a conflict with the neig ...

'' (1977), illus. Shirley Felts * ''Shifting Sands'' (1977), illus. Laslzo Acs * ''Song for a Dark Queen'' (1978); retells the story of Queen Boudica * ''Eagle's Egg'' (1981), illus. Victor Ambrus * ''Bonnie Dundee'' (1983), the story of

John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee John Graham, 7th of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee (21 July 1648 – 27 July 1689) was a Scottish soldier and nobleman, a Tory and an Episcopalian. He was responsible for policing southwest Scotland during and after the religious unrest and r ...

, and the Jacobite rising of 1689 * ''Flame-coloured Taffeta'' (1986), illus. Rachel Birkett * ''The Roundabout Horse'' (1986) illus. Alan Marks * ''A Little Dog Like You'' (1987) illus. Jane Johnson * ''The Best of Rosemary Sutcliff'' (1987), illus. Charles Keeping—omnibus edition of ''Warrior Scarlet'', ''The Mark of the Horse Lord'', and ''Knight's Fee'' (1958–1965) * ''The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup'' (1993, posthumous), illus. by

Emma Chichester Clark Emma Chichester Clark (born 15 October 1955) is a British children's book illustrator and author. She has published over 60 books and is best known for her series of picture books about a child's toy called Blue Kangaroo.Joanna CareyCroc on ice ( ...

; also serialised in ''Cricket'' * '' Black Ships Before Troy'' (1993, posth.), illus. Alan Lee; retells the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Ody ...

'' story; also serialised in ''Cricket'' * ''Chess-Dream in a Garden'' (1993, posth.), illus. Ralph Thompson A fantasy for children inspired by the

Lewis Chessmen The Lewis chessmen ( no, Lewisbrikkene; gd, Fir-Tàilisg; sco, Lewis chesmen) or Uig chessmen, named after the island or the bay where they were found, are a group of distinctive 12th-century chess pieces, along with other game pieces, most of ...

. * ''The Wanderings of Odysseus'' (1995, posth.), illus. Alan Lee; retells the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Iliad'', ...

'' story

Novels for adults

* '' Lady in Waiting'' (1957); set in Tudor England, the story of Bess Throckmorton, wife of

Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebelli ...

* ''The Rider of the White Horse'' (1959); set during the 17th-century

, about Parliamentarian general

Sir Thomas Fairfax Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (17 January 161212 November 1671), also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, was an English politician, general and Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. An adept and talented comman ...

and his wife Anne who travelled on campaign with him * '' Sword at Sunset'' (1963); set in

sub-Roman Britain Sub-Roman Britain is the period of late antiquity in Great Britain between the end of Roman rule and the Anglo-Saxon settlement. The term was originally used to describe archaeological remains found in 5th- and 6th-century AD sites that hin ...

, a story of King Arthur as the Romano-Celtic warrior prince he may have been; part of ''The Eagle of the Ninth'' series * ''The Flowers of Adonis'' (1969); set in ancient Greece, about the brilliant but erratic Athenian general Alkibiades and the

Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was an ancient Greek war fought between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided for a long time until the decisive intervention of ...

* ''Blood and Sand'' (1987); set during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

, based on the life of the soldier Thomas Keith.

Other works

Plays and screenplays

* ''The New Laird''. Radio play (BBC Schools Radio serie
''Stories from Scottish History''
. Broadcast 7 May 1966. * ''Ghost Story''. Screenplay with Stephen Weeks and Philip Norman, 1975. * ''Mary Bedell''. Stage play. Produced London, 1986. * ''The Eagle of the Ninth''. Stage play with Mary Rensten.

Articles

* "History Is People". A paper distributed at a conference on Children's Literature in Education, Exeter, England, 1971. Reprinted in ''Children and Literature: Views and Reviews'', edited by

Virginia Haviland Virginia Haviland (May 21, 1911 – January 6, 1988) was an American librarian and writer who became an international authority in children's literature. She chaired the prestigious Newbery-Caldecott Award Committee, traveled and wrote extensivel ...

, pp. 305–312 Scott, Foresman 1973, pp. 305–312 * "Combined Ops". ''Junior Bookshelf'' 24 (July 1960):121–27. Reprinted in Egoff, ''Only Connect: Readings on Children's Literature'', 1st ed., pp. 244–48; 2d ed., pp. 284–88. Describes the process of writing ''Eagle of the Ninth'' and ''The Lantern Bearers''.

Collected papers

In 1966 Sutcliff made a small donation to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi in

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the popul ...

. (In this she responded to Lena Grummond's international call for original materials to establish the Collection.) The Sutcliff Papers include a manuscript and two typescripts for the radio play ''The New Laird''. That programme was taped 4 April 1966 and broadcast from Edinburgh on 17 May 1966 as part of the ''Stories from Scottish History'' series (BBC Radio Scotland). The collection also includes a small red composition book of research notes for ''The Lantern Bearers'' and for two unpublished works, ''The Amber Dolphin'' and ''The Red Dragon''.

Works about Sutcliff

* Margaret Meek, ''Rosemary Sutcliff'', New York, Henry Z. Walck, (1962), a brief biographical monograph and critical study. *

John Rowe Townsend John Rowe Townsend (19 May 1922 – 24 March 2014) was a British children's writer and children's literature scholar. His best-known children's novel is ''The Intruder'', which won a 1971 Edgar Award. His best-known academic work is a reference s ...

, "Rosemary Sutcliff", a critical essay in ''A Sense of Story: Essays on Contemporary Writers for Children'', London,

Longman Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...

, 1971, pp. 193–99. Reissued as ''A Sounding of Storytellers'' (1979). * Barbara L. Talcroft, ''Death of the Corn King: King and Goddess in Rosemary Sutcliff's Historical Novels for Young Adults'', Metuchen, New Jersey and London: The Scarecrow Press, 1995. * Miriam Youngerman Miller, "The Rhythm of a Tongue: Literary Dialect in Rosemary Sutcliff's Novels of the Middle Ages for Children", ''Children's Literature Association Quarterly'' 19:1, Spring 1994, pp. 25–31. * Hilary Wright, ''Shadows on the Downs: Some Influences of Rudyard Kipling on Rosemary Sutcliff''. ''Children's Literature in Education'' 12, No. 2:90-102 (Summer 1981) * ''The Search for Selfhood: The Historical Novels of Rosemary Sutcliff''. TLS : Essays and Reviews from the ''Times Literary Supplement'', 17 June 1965, p. 498. Reprinted in ''Only Connect: Readings on children's literature'', ed.

Sheila Egoff Sheila Agnes Egoff (January 20, 1918 – May 22, 2005) was a Canadian librarian, literary critic, and historian who was Canada's first professor of children's literature. A recipient of the Order of Canada, she was known for her studies of chil ...

et al. Toronto New York: Oxford University Press (Canadian Branch), 1969, pp. 249–255. * Abby Mims, ''Rosemary Sutcliff'' in ''British Writers: Supplement 16''. Ed. Jay Parini. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2010. Web: Gale ''Literature Resource Center''.

Awards

The biennial

Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

conferred by the International Board on Books for Young People is the highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books. Sutcliff was one of three runners-up for the writing award in 1974 (and the British nominee in 1968 as well). She won several awards for particular works. * 1959 Carnegie Medal, ''The Lantern Bearers'' * 1971 (the Dutch Silver Pencil) * 1972

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

, ''Tristan and Iseult'' * 1978 The Other Award, ''Song for a Dark Queen'' * 1985

, ''The Mark of the Horse Lord'' (1965) * 2010 Phoenix Award, ''The Shining Company'' (1990) Besides winning the 1959 Carnegie Medal, Sutcliff was a commended runner-up five times. Alan Lee, who illustrated Sutcliff's posthumously published retellings of '' The Iliad'' and ''

The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

'', won the companion

Kate Greenaway Medal The Kate Greenaway Medal is a British literary award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) ...

for the former, '' Black Ships Before Troy'' (1993).

Notes

References

External links

* – books, TV scripts, films, TV versions and life; by her literary executor Anthony Lawton
Official Birth Centenary Blog
also by her literary executor Anthony Lawton * *
"Rosemary Sutcliff: An Appreciation"
by Sandra Garside-Neville, first published in ''Solander'' (Journal of the Historical Novel Society), No. 8, pp. 2–6, December 2000
"Of the Minstrel Kind"
by Margaret Meek, a tribute to Rosemary Sutcliff at seventy published in '' Books for Keeps'' No. 64, September 1990
"Rosemary Sutcliff 1920–1992"
at HistoricalNovels.info

reviewed by Eric Eller at The Green Man Review – provides synopses and discusses the series in the context of place and chronological setting

by Raymond H. Thompson, 1986], The Camelot Project, Robbins Library Digital Projects,

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of ...

"Obituary: Rosemary Sutcliff"

Julia Eccleshare Julia Eccleshare MBE (born 1951) is a British journalist and writer on the subject of children's books. She has been Children's Books editor for '' The Guardian'' newspaper for more than ten years, at least from 2000. She is also an editorial co ...

, ''

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 publish ...

'', 27 July 1992 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sutcliff, Rosemary English children's writers English fantasy writers English historical novelists British writers of young adult literature Writers of modern Arthurian fiction Carnegie Medal in Literature winners Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English people with disabilities English women novelists Women science fiction and fantasy writers People from the Borough of Guildford People from Walberton 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers 1920 births 1992 deaths British women short story writers Women writers of young adult literature Women historical novelists Writers with disabilities Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period