Berlie Doherty
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Berlie Doherty (born 6 November 1943) is an English novelist, poet, playwright and screenwriter. She is best known for
children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...
, for which she has twice won the Carnegie Medal. She has also written novels for adults, plays for theatre and radio, television series and libretti for children's opera.


Education and early career

Born in Knotty Ash in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in
1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 †...
to Walter Hollingsworth, Doherty was the youngest of three children."Berlie Doherty"
.
British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...
: Literature: Writers. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
"Berlie Doherty"
.
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
Publishers (Australia). Retrieved 15 September 2007.
All four grandparents had died before she was born, which she later called "a great deprivation". Aged four, she moved to
Hoylake Hoylake () is a coast, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of the Wirral Peninsula, near West Kirby and where the River Dee, Wales, River Dee meets the Irish Sea. At the 2021 United K ...
, the setting of several of her early books. She was encouraged to write by her father, from whom she later wrote that she had "inherited stories".Doherty, Berlie
"I Remember and Let's Pretend"
. ''Something About the Author Autobiographical Series'', Vol 16 (Gale Press, USA). Reprint at Berlie Doherty. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
A railway clerk by trade, he was also a keen writer whose poetry had been published in the local newspaper.
Penguin Books. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
Doherty soon followed suit, with her poetry and stories appearing on the children's pages of the ''
Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St. Paul's Square, Liverpool, England. It is published Monday through Sunday, and is Liverpool's da ...
'' and ''Hoylake News and Advertiser'' from age five.Berlie Doherty: Interview
Penguin Books. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
Her first submitted stories and poems were typed by her father, and he nourished her dream to be a writer, as she recalled in 2004: "I cherished the dream, but it was my father who nourished it. He used to tell me bedtime stories every night, and very often we would make them up together, tossing the ideas backwards and forwards like a bright ball. Then he would drop the ball—'I've had enough now', he would say, '... you can finish that for yourself.'" Berlie attended Upton Hall Convent School. She read English at the
University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to ...
(1965), and then studied social science at the
University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...
. In 1978, after starting a family, she gained a postgraduate certificate in education at the
University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...
. A lesson in creative writing as part of the certificate led to a short story about the convent school; broadcast on local radio, it was to form the nucleus of Doherty's first adult novel, ''Requiem''. After employment as a
social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
and teacher, Doherty spent two years writing and producing schools programmes for BBC Radio Sheffield.Plays
Berlie Doherty. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
Several of the series generated later publications: How Green You Are: The Making of Fingers Finnigan; Children of Winter; Tilly Minst Tales: Granny was a Buffer Girl and White Peak Farm...


Career as a writer

Doherty wrote for the newspaper children's pages from age five until she lost eligibility when she turned fourteen. She returned seriously to writing when her children had entered school, more than twenty years later. Her first book was ''How Green You Are!'', a novel published in 1982 by Methuen in its Pied Piper series, with illustrations by Elaine McGregor Turney. Next year she became a full-time writer. ''White Peak Farm'' (1984) was Doherty's third book and her first for older readers, featuring life on a contemporary family farm and its recent changes. One reviewer called it autobiographical but her only farm experience had been work for one of the Sheffield schools radio series, when she had interviewed farm teenagers in
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
, where she set the novel. (Later she moved into a 300-year-old farm cottage in the Derbyshire
Peak District The Peak District is an Highland, upland area in central-northern England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It is subdivi ...
, in the midst of farming but not as a farmer.) She has written over sixty novels and picture books for children and young adults. According to
Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. He is best known for the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials''. The first volume, ''Northern Lights'' (1995), won the Carnegie Medal
, "Doherty's strength has always been her emotional honesty."Pullman Philip. Review of ''Daughter of the Sea'' for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''. Quoted i
"Berlie Doherty"
. Penguin Books. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
Her books encompass multiple
genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
s. Some draw on her experience as a social worker to dramatise contemporary issues, including
teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female under the age of 20. Worldwide, pregnancy complications are the leading cause of death for women and girls 15 to 19 years old. The definition of teenage pregnancy i ...
in '' Dear Nobody'' (1991),
adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...
in ''The Snake-Stone'' (1995), and African AIDS orphans and
child trafficking Trafficking of children, also known as child trafficking, is a form of human trafficking and is defined by the United Nations as the "recruitment, transportation, harbouring, or receipt of a child" for the purpose of slavery, forced labour, and ...
in her latest novel, ''Abela: The Girl Who Saw Lions'' (2007).Novels
Berlie Doherty. Retrieved 17 September 2007.
A conservationist, her story book ''Tilly Mint and the Dodo'' (1988) centres on the threat of species extinction.Story books
Berlie Doherty. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
''Spellhorn'' (1989) uses a
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
setting to explore the experience of blindness. Several of her works have historical settings, such as ''Street Child'' (1993), which is set in 1860s
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and ''Treason'', set in
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
's reign. Some of them are based on Doherty's own family history; '' Granny Was a Buffer Girl'' (1986) includes the story of her parents' marriage, while ''The Sailing Ship Tree'' (1998) draws on the lives of her father and grandfather. She had been deprived of living grandparents as living links to her own "distant past"; she "re-created" both her mother's parents in ''Granny'' and re-created her father's father in ''Sailing-Ship''. Doherty's works often have a strong sense of place. She has stated that she is inspired by landscape and admires
Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...
for "the sense of people within a landscape" that his novels convey, and"Meet Berlie Doherty: At home in the inspirational Peak District"
Peak Experience. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
She now lives in Edale, Derbyshire in the Dark Peak, and many of her books like 'Jeannie of White Peak Farm', are set in the Peak District. ''Children of Winter'' (1985) is loosely based on the story of the plague village of
Eyam Eyam () is an English village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales that lies within the Peak District National Park. There is evidence of early occupation by Ancient Britons on the surrounding moors and lead was mined in the area by the Ro ...
, and the drowning of the villages of Derwent and Ashopton by the Ladybower Reservoir is recounted in ''Deep Secret'' (2004). The fantasy picture book ''Blue John'' (2003) was inspired by the Blue John Cavern at Castleton. A ghost story, The Haunted Hills was inspired by a local legend, Lost Lad, which gave name to one of the rocky outcrops on Derwent Edge close to Berlie's home. Doherty often works with children and teenagers when developing her novels, having "a conviction that children are the experts and I can always learn from them." She read her first novel, ''How Green You Are!'', to one of her classes while working as a teacher in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
; ''Tough Luck'' (1987) was written as part of a writer's residency at a
Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
school; and her research for ''Spellhorn'' included extensive work with a group of blind children from a school in Sheffield. Though best known as a writer for children, Doherty has also written two novels for adults, ''Requiem'' (1991) and ''The Vinegar Jar'' (1994). On the differences between writing for children and adults, she has said, "Children need a good strong storyline. But they need sensitive writing and must be able to relate to the characters and the plot."


Poetry

Berlie Doherty's poetry collection ''Walking on Air'' was published in 1993 and her poems have also appeared in several anthologies. She edited a collection of "story poems", ''The Forsaken Merman and other story poems'' (1998).Short stories
Berlie Doherty. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
Her poem "Here lies a city's heart ...", a Sheffield Arts commission, has been engraved on a Sheffield pedestrian shopping street, since transferred to a bench in the same area.
Public Art Research Archive. Sheffield Hallam University. Retrieved 2007-09-18.


Drama

Doherty has written many plays for
radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3  hertz (Hz) and 300  gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
, which she describes as "a wonderful medium to write for, inviting as it does both writer and listener to use their imaginations, to 'see' with their mind's eye." She has also written several plays for the theatre, including both adaptations and original works. She has adapted two of her novels for television, ''White Peak Farm'' for
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
(1988) and ''Children of Winter'' for
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
(1994). She also wrote the 2001 series ''Zzaap and the Word Master'' about two children trapped in
cyberspace Cyberspace is an interconnected digital environment. It is a type of virtual world popularized with the rise of the Internet. The term entered popular culture from science fiction and the arts but is now used by technology strategists, security ...
, broadcast on
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
as part of the Look and Read schools programming.


Works associated with music

Several of Doherty's works are intended to be accompanied by music. She has written the libretti for three children's operas.Using music
Berlie Doherty. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
''Daughter of the Sea'' was adapted from her novel of the same name, and was first performed at Sheffield Crucible Theatre, musicians including the Lindsay String Quartet in 2004, with music composed by Richard Chew. ''The Magician's Cat'' (2004) was commissioned by the
Welsh National Opera Welsh National Opera (WNO) () is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales. WNO gave its first performances in 1946. The company began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its early days, the ...
and features music by Julian Philips, composer in residence at Glyndebourne. Her most recent libretto, for the chamber opera ''Wild Cat'', was also commissioned by the Welsh National Opera as part of the trilogy 'Land, Sea, Sky' on the theme of conservation, and was first performed in May 2007 by the WNO Singing Club (a youth group), directed by Nik Ashton. The libretto was partly translated into Welsh by poet Menna Elfyn, and the music was also composed by Philips.WNO MAX: ''Wild Cat''
Welsh National Opera. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
Three commissions from the Lindsay Quartet were written to be read over live performances of their music. ''The Midnight Man'' was inspired by
Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 â€“ 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...
's Quartet in G minor, ''Blue John'' by Smetana's string quartet '' From My Life'', and ''The Spell of the Toadman'' by Janáček's string quartet ''Kreutzer Sonata''. ''The Midnight Man'' and ''Blue John'' were later published as picture books.Picture books
Berlie Doherty. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
Doherty's daughter, Sally, has also set ''The Midnight Man'' for spoken and singing voices, flute, clarinet, cello and harp.


Awards

Doherty won the annual Carnegie Medal from the
Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP, pronounced ) is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers in the United Kingdom. It was established in 2002 as a merger of th ...
, recognising 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 ...
, both for ''Granny Was a Buffer Girl'' (Methuen, 1986) and for '' Dear Nobody'' (Hamilton, 1991). She was also a highly commended runner-up for ''Willa and Old Miss Annie'' (1994). No one has won three Carnegies. ''Granny was a Buffer Girl'' was also a runner up for the 1988
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award The ''Boston Globe''–''Horn'' Book Awards are a set of American literary awards conferred by ''The Boston Globe'' and ''The Horn Book Magazine'' annually from 1967. One book is recognized in each of four categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonficti ...
. ''Dear Nobody'' also won a 1994 Sankei Award in its Japanese edition and a 1991 Writers' Guild Award in its adaptation. ''The Guardian'' named it one of five "Classics for young teens" that were in print October 2001. Other awards include a Writers' Guild Award for ''Daughter of the Sea'' in 1997. In 2002, the
University of Derby The University of Derby, formerly known as Derby College, is a public university in the city of Derby, England. It traces its history back to the establishment of the Derby Diocesan Institution for the training of schoolmistresses in 1851. It ...
awarded Doherty an honorary doctorate. ''White Peak Farm'' won the 2004
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 boo ...
from the
Children's Literature Association The Children's Literature Association (ChLA) is a non-profit association, based in the United States, of scholars, critics, professors, students, librarians, teachers, and institutions dedicated to studying children's literature.Margaret W. Denman ...
as the best English-language children's book that did not a major award when it was originally published twenty years earlier. The Phoenix Award is named for the mythical bird phoenix, which is reborn from its ashes, to suggest the book's rise from obscurity. According to
WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...
it is her third most widely held work in libraries, after ''Granny'' and ''Dear Nobody''.


Personal life

Doherty lives with children's writer Alan Brown. Her two daughters have both worked in collaboration with her: Janna Doherty illustrated ''Walking on Air''Poetry
Berlie Doherty. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
and ''Tilly Mint and the Dodo''; Sally set ''Midnight Man''Picture books
Berlie Doherty. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
and ''Daughter of the Sea'' to music.


Works


Novels for children and young adults

*''How Green You Are!'' (Methuen, 1982) *''The Making of Fingers Finnigan'' (1983) * ''White Peak Farm'' (1984; adapted for television 1988); later re-titled ''Jeannie of White Peak Farm'' at Doherty's request *''Children of Winter'' (1985; adapted for television 1994) *'' Granny Was a Buffer Girl'' (1986; adapted for radio 2002/2003) *''Tough Luck'' (1987) *''Spellhorn'' (1989) *'' Dear Nobody'' (1991; adapted for radio 1993 and television 1997) *''Street Child'' (1993; adapted for radio 2000 and television) *'' The Snake-Stone'' (1995; adapted for radio 2005) *''Daughter of the Sea'' (1996; libretto 2004) *''The Sailing Ship Tree'' (1998) *''The Snow Queen'' (1998; adapted from
Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...
) *''Holly Starcross'' (2001) *''Deep Secret'' (2004) *''Abela: The Girl Who Saw Lions'' (2007) *''A Beautiful Place for a Murder'' (2008) *''Treason'' (2011) *''The Company of Ghosts'' (2013) *''Far from Home: The Sisters of Street Child'' (2015)


Picture books, story books and short story collections

*''Tilly Mint Tales'' (1984) *''Tilly Mint and the Dodo'' (1988) *''Paddiwak and Cosy'' (1988) *''Snowy'' (1992) *''Old Father Christmas'' (1993; retelling of story by
Juliana Horatia Ewing Juliana (variants Julianna, Giuliana, Iuliana, Yuliana, etc) is a feminine given name which is the feminine version of the Roman name Julianus. Juliana or Giuliana was the name of a number of early saints, notably Saint Julian the Hospitaller, whi ...
) *''Willa and Old Miss Annie'' (1994) *''The Magical Bicycle'' (1995) *''The Golden Bird'' (1995) *''Our Field'' (1996; retelling of story by Juliana Horatia Ewing) *''Running on Ice'' (1997) *''Bella's Den'' (1997) *''Tales of Wonder and Magic'' (edited; 1997) *''The Midnight Man'' (1998) *''The Famous Adventures of Jack'' (2000) *''Fairy Tales'' (2000) *''Zzaap and the Word Master'' (2001; accompanied by television series) *''The Nutcracker'' (2002) *''Coconut Comes to School'' (2002) *''Tricky Nelly's Birthday Treat'' (2003) *''Blue John'' (2003) *''The Starburster'' (2004) *''Jinnie Ghost'' (2005) *''The Humming Machine'' (2006) *''The Winspinner'' (2008) *''Peak Dale Farm: A Calf Called Valentine'' (2009) *''Peak Dale Farm: Valentine's Day'' (2009) *''The Three Princes'' (2011) *''Wild Cat'' (2012) *''Joe and the Dragonosaurus (2015)


Poetry collections

*''Walking on Air'' (1993) *''Big Bulgy Fat Black Slugs'' (1993; with Joy Cowley and June Melser) *''The Forsaken Merman and Other Story Poems'' (edited; 1998) *''Kieran''


Novels for adults

*''Requiem'' (1991; expanded from radio play of 1982) *''The Vinegar Jar'' (1994)


Selected plays*, radio plays

*''The Drowned Village'' (1980) *''Unlucky for Some'' (1980) *''Home'' (1982) *''A Case for Probation'' (1983) *''Sacrifice'' (1985) *''Return to the Ebro'' (1986; adapted as a radio play as ''There's a Valley in Spain'', 1990)* *''The Sleeping Beauty'' (1993)*


Libretti for children's opera

*''Daughter of the Sea'' (2004) *''The Magician's Cat'' (2004), with music by Julian Philips *''Wildcat'' (2007), with music by Julian Philips


See also


Notes


References


External links

* * *
Berlie Doherty Radio Plays
* —immediately, the first edition of ''White Park Farm'' under its new title {{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Berlie British child writers Carnegie Medal in Literature winners English children's writers English women novelists English dramatists and playwrights English television writers English women poets English opera librettists Novelists from Liverpool Poets from Liverpool 1943 births Living people English women dramatists and playwrights Women opera librettists People from Knotty Ash English women television writers Alumni of the University of Sheffield Writers from Liverpool Alumni of St Aidan's College, Durham