Audrey Lilian Barker

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

(13 April 1918 – 21 February 2002) was an English novelist and short-story writer.

Biography

She was born in St Pauls Cray,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, and brought up in

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965, it was part of Kent. It is situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west ...

. She was an only child. When Barker turned 16, her father sent her to work at a clockmaking firm, as he did not approve of her seeking further education. She worked in the editorial office of Amalgamated Press, as a publisher's reader for the

Cresset Press The Cresset Press was a publishing company in London, England, active as an independent press from 1927 for 40 years, and initially specializing in "expensively illustrated limited editions of classical works, like John Milton, Milton's ''Paradise ...

, and at the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

as a subeditor. During her lifetime, Barker published ten collections of short stories and eleven novels, one of which – ''John Brown's Body'' – was shortlisted for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

in 1970. She was also the winner of the inaugural

Somerset Maugham Prize The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each year by the Society of Authors. Set up by William Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his pl ...

in 1947, with her collection of short stories called ''Innocents''. In 1962, she won the

Cheltenham Literary Festival ''The Times'' and ''The Sunday Times'' Cheltenham Literature Festival, a large-scale international festival of literature held every year in October in the English spa town of Cheltenham, and part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for th ...

award. Barker was also elected a fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

in 1970. Barker's work often included themes such as love, good vs. evil, youth vs. experience, and explored children as both the catalyst and victims of events. While not commercially successful during her lifetime, her writing has been well regarded by the literary critics and other authors over time.

Rebecca West Dame Cecily Isabel Fairfield (21 December 1892 – 15 March 1983), known as Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, was a British author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. An author who wrote in many genres, West reviewed books ...

quote: "I am a fanatical admirer of A. L. Barker. If you cannot read her it is your fault. You should ask your vet to put you down if you do not admire ''The Middling'' or ''An Occasion for Embarrassment''".

Gerald Murnane Gerald Murnane (born 25 February 1939) is an Australian novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist. Perhaps best known for his 1982 novel ''The Plains'', he has won acclaim for his distinctive prose and exploration of memory, identity and ...

's novel ''Inland'' refers to Barker's 1981 book ''Life Stories''. In 1992, the

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

produced dramatic readings for five of Barker's stories.

Bibliography

Novels

*''Apology for a Hero'' (1950) *''A Case Examined'' (1965) *''The Middling: Chapters in the Life of Ellie Toms'' (1967) *''John Brown's Body'' (1970) *''Source of Embarrassment'' (1974) *''A Heavy Feather'' (1978) *''Relative Successes'' (1984) *''The Gooseboy'' (1987) *''The Woman Who Talked to Herself'' (1989) *''Zeph'' (1992) *''The Haunt'' (1999)

Short story collections

*''Innocents: Variations on a Theme'' (1947) *''Novelette, with Other Stories'' (1951) *''The Joy-Ride and After'' (1963) *''Lost Upon the Roundabouts'' (1964) *''Femina Real'' (1971) *''Life Stories'' (1981) *''No Word of Love'' (1985) *''Any Excuse for a Party: collected stories'' (1991) *''Element of Doubt'' (1992) *''Submerged: selected stories'' (2002)

References

External links

Obituary from ''The Independent''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Audrey Lilian 1918 births 2002 deaths 20th-century English short story writers 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers English women short story writers English short story writers English women novelists Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People from Bromley Writers from the London Borough of Bromley