HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mary Lassiter Hoffman (born 1945) is a British writer and critic. She has had over 90 books published whose audiences range from children to adults. One of her best known works is the children's book ''Amazing Grace'', which was a ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' best-seller at 1.5 million copies and a finalist for the 1991
Kate Greenaway Medal The Carnegie Medal for Illustration (until 2022 the Kate Greenaway Medal) is a British award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Librar ...
. From 2002 to 2012, she wrote the teen fiction series '' Stravaganza''.


Background

Born in Hampshire, England in 1945, Mary Hoffman was the youngest of three daughters. From a young age, she enjoyed going underground to visit the office of her father who worked for the railway. Hoffman won a scholarship to
James Allen's Girls' School James Allen's Girls' School, abbreviated JAGS, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school situated in Dulwich, South London, England. Founded in 1741, it is the second oldest girls’ independent school in Great Britain, with ...
in
Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of H ...
. From there she went to the University of Cambridge to study English at
Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...
and then spent two years studying Linguistics at
University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
. In 1998, she was made an Honorary Fellow of 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 ...
for her work with children and schools. She worked at the
Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...
for nearly five years, contributing to courses for teachers on reading, language and children's literature. For eighteen years she was Reading Consultant to
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 ...
Schools TV's ''Look and Read'' series and wrote the teaching scripts. She has been a freelance, self-employed professional writer and journalist since the mid-90s. She has argued for the role of British Children's Laureate to encompass active lobbying against cutbacks to libraries and was a nominee for the 2011–2013 post. Hoffman lives with her husband Stephen Barber, whom she married in 1972. She moved from London to
West Oxfordshire West Oxfordshire is a local government district in northwest Oxfordshire, England, including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Carterton and Witney, where the council is based. Area The area is mainly rural downla ...
in 2001. They have three daughters, including the writer Rhiannon Lassiter. Hoffman frequently works in Italy and speaks Italian. She has also lectured in Latin and Anglo-Saxon. Hoffman is a contributing blogger t
Book Maven
an
The History Girls
In 2016, Hoffman and Barber founded The Greystones Press, an independent book publishing company.


Writing

Mary Hoffman's first book was ''White Magic'' in 1975. At the suggestion of
Richard Adams Richard George Adams (10 May 1920 – 24 December 2016) was an English novelist. He is best known for his debut novel ''Watership Down'' which achieved international acclaim. His other works included ''Maia'', '' Shardik'' and '' The Plague Do ...
, she had it published by
Rex Collings Gustav Rex Collings (18 June 1925 – 23 May 1996, Hitchin, Hertfordshire) was an English publisher who specialized in books relating to Africa and children's books. He ensured the publication of Wole Soyinka's plays, and was the first to publish ...
after it was rejected by several other publishers. Hoffman has written 24 picture books including the ''Amazing Grace'' series. When it was published, she received an award from
Waldenbooks Walden Book Company, Inc., doing business as Waldenbooks, was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware, as well as a children's e ...
. ''Amazing Grace'' was adapted to the stage by
Shay Youngblood Sharon Ellen Youngblood (October 16, 1959 – June 11, 2024) was an American playwright, author of short stories and novels, artist, and educator. Her works explored themes of identity, community, and resilience, giving voice to generations of Afr ...
and ranked as one of the 50 best culturally diverse children's books by
Seven Stories Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books is a museum and visitor centre dedicated to children's literature and based in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, close to the city's regenerated Quayside. The renovated Victorian ...
. The 2015 anniversary edition features an afterword by
LeVar Burton Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994), Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''Roots'' (1977 ...
. The illustrator, Caroline Binch, hired members of a family in Gambia as models for Grace and other characters. Hoffman has described the trip to visit them as her first trip to Africa. Hoffman began to focus more on teen fiction in the years since, becoming known for the ''Stravaganza'' series and the historical novel ''The Falconer's Knot'', which won the French Prix Polar Jeunesse and was shortlisted 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 ...
Children's Book Award and North East Teenage Book Award. Hoffman has written several re-tellings of myths, legends, fairy tales, nursery stories and biblical stories. These include ''Women of Camelot'', which tells the King Arthur stories from the points of view of the female characters. She has also edited collections of stories, including ''Lines in the Sand'' (2003) – a response to the allied invasion of Iraq, with all funds raised donated to
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
in Iraq. She was nominated for the
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award () is an international children's literary award established by the Swedish government in 2002 to honour the Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002). The prize is five million SEK, making it ...
in 2011. Her works for adults are published under a variety of names including Amy Lovell, Suzy Cavendish and Mary Lassiter.


References


External links

*
The Greystones Press
* *
Mary Lassiter
at LC Authorities, with 1 record {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Mary 1945 births Living people British children's writers British fantasy writers 20th-century British novelists 21st-century British novelists People educated at James Allen's Girls' School Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Alumni of University College London