Susan Lillian Townsend (; 2 April 194610 April 2014) was an English writer and humorist whose work encompasses novels, plays and works of journalism. She was best known for creating the character Adrian Mole. After writing in secret from the age of 14, Townsend first became known for her plays, her signature character first appearing in a radio drama, but her work soon expanded into other forms. She enjoyed great success in the 1980s, with her Adrian Mole books selling more copies than any other work of fiction in Britain during the decade. This series, which eventually encompassed nine books, takes the form of the character's diaries. The earliest books recount the life of a teenage boy during the Thatcher years, but the sequence eventually depicts Adrian Mole in middle age. '' The Queen and I'' (1992), another popular work which was well received, was an outlet for her republican sentiments, although the

Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

is still rendered with sympathy. Both the earliest Adrian Mole book and ''The Queen and I'' were adapted for the stage and enjoyed successful runs in London's West End. Townsend was poor until well into her thirties and used her experiences of hardship in her work. In her later years, she experienced ill health, in part related to the

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

she developed in the mid-1980s, and in her last years endured serious sight and mobility problems.

Early life

Townsend was born at the Maternity Hospital in Causeway Lane,

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, the oldest of three sisters. Her father had worked at a factory making

jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...

s before becoming a

postman A mail carrier, also referred to as a mailman, mailwoman, mailperson, postal carrier, postman, postwoman, postperson, person of post, letter carrier (in American English), or colloquially postie (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Unite ...

, while her mother worked in a factory canteen.Obituary: Sue Townsend
''Daily Telegraph'', 11 April 2014 She attended Glen Hills Primary School, where the school secretary was Mrs Claricotes, a name she used for the school secretary in the Adrian Mole books. At the age of eight, Townsend contracted

mumps MUMPS ("Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System"), or M, is an imperative, high-level programming language with an integrated transaction processing key–value database. It was originally developed at Massachusetts Gen ...

, and was obliged to stay at home. Her mother bought a collection of

Richmal Crompton Richmal Crompton Lamburn (15 November 1890 – 11 January 1969) was a popular English writer, best known for her ''Just William (book series), Just William'' series of books, humorous short stories, and to a lesser extent adult fiction books. L ...

's Just William books at a

jumble sale A jumble sale (UK), bring and buy sale (Australia, also UK) or rummage sale (US and Canada) is an event at which second hand goods are sold, usually by an institution such as a local Boys' Brigade, Boys' Brigade Company, Scouting, Scout group, ...

which Townsend read avidly. Later, she said the William Brown character was an influence on her best-known creation.Marcus Williamso
"Sue Townsend obituary: Author whose hapless, brilliantly drawn teenage hero, Adrian Mole, made her the best selling author of the 1980s"
''The Independent'', 11 April 2014 After failing her 11-plus exam, Townsend went to the secondary modern South Wigston High School. During her childhood, while up a tree playing with her peers, she witnessed the murder of a fellow schoolgirl, but the children were not believed.Ann Donal
"To meet one of life's naturals"
''The Herald'', 23 October 1999 The murder was committed by Joseph Christopher Reynolds (31), convicted at Leicester Assizes for the murder of Janet Warner, and hanged by Albert Pierrepoint on 17 November 1953. It was to be the last execution carried out at Leicester Prison.

Marriage and pre-writing career

Townsend left school at the age of fourteen and worked in a variety of jobs including packer for Birds Eye, a petrol station attendant and a receptionist. Working at a petrol station allowed her the chance to read between serving customers."Interview: Secret passions of a republican mole: Sue Townsend explains why she killed off the Queen Mother in a council house"
''The Independent'', 1 September 1992 She married Keith Townsend, a

sheet metal Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Thicknesses can vary significantly; extremely thin sheets are considered foil (metal), foil or Metal leaf, leaf, and pieces thicker than 6 mm (0.25 ...

worker on 25 April 1964; the couple had three children under five by the time Townsend was 23 (Sean, Daniel, and Victoria). In 1971 the marriage ended and she became a single parent. In this position, Townsend and her children endured considerable hardship. In ''Mr Bevan's Dream: Why Britain Needs Its Welfare State'' (1989), a short book in the ''Counterblasts'' series, she recounts an experience from when her eldest child was five. Because the

Department of Social Security A ministry of social security or department of social security is a government entity responsible for social security affairs. It may be a ministry office, a department, or, as in the United States, a nominally independent agency. Notable ones ar ...

was unable to give her even 50p to tide them over, she was obliged to feed herself and her children on a tin of peas and an Oxo cube as an evening meal. Townsend would collect used Corona bottles, to redeem the 4p return fee by which to feed her children. Aged thirteen, her son questioned one Sunday why they did not go to animal parks on weekends like other families. She later recounted that it was the start of her writing which became the Adrian Mole books, looking at life through the clinical eyes of a teenager but in a comedic manner. Townsend then chose to research the world of teenagers and started attending youth clubs as a volunteer organiser. This led to her training as a youth worker. While employed as a supervisor at an adventure playground, she observed a man making

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

s nearby and, because he was married, put off talking to him; it was a year before he asked her for a date. It was at a canoeing course she met her future second husband, Colin Broadway, who was the father of her fourth child, Elizabeth.Kate Kellawa
Obituary: Sue Townsend
''The Guardian'', 11 April 2014 Townsend and Broadway married on 13 June 1986.

Transition to a writing career

Townsend's new partner encouraged her to join a writers' group at the Phoenix Theatre, Leicester, in 1978, when she was in her early thirties. Initially too shy to speak, she did not write anything for six weeks, but was then given a fortnight to write a play. This became the thirty-minute drama ''Womberang'' (1979), set in the waiting room of a

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

department.Richard Webbe
"Adrian Mole author Sue Townsend talks money"
''Sunday Telegraph'', 1 July 2012 At the Phoenix, she became the

writer-in-residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

. During this time she was mentored by several theatre directors including Ian Giles and principally Sue Pomeroy who commissioned and directed a number of her plays including ''Womberang'', ''Dayroom'', ''Groping for Words'' and subsequently ''Ear, Nose and Throat''. She was also introduced to William Ash, then chairman of the Soho Poly (now Soho Theatre), who likewise played a significant part in shaping her early career. She met writer-director Carole Hayman on the stairs of the Soho Poly theatre and went on to develop many theatre pieces with her for the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

and

Joint Stock A joint-stock company (JSC) is a business entity in which shares of the company's capital stock, stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their share (finance), shares (certifi ...

, including ''Bazarre and Rummage'' and ''The Great Celestial Cow''. They later co-wrote two television series, ''The Refuge'' and ''The Spinney''. At the time of writing the first Adrian Mole book, Townsend was living on the Eyres Monsell Estate, near the house in which playwright

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his murder in 1967 committed by his partner, was short but highly i ...

was brought up. Mole "came into my head when my eldest son said 'Why don't we go to safari parks like other families do?' That's the only real line of dialogue from my family that's in any of the Mole books. It's in because it triggered it. I remembered that kind of whiny, adolescent self-pity, that 'surely these are not my parents.'"Alex Clar
"'I didn't know what Adrian Mole looked like – well, not until I saw John Major on the telly'"
''The Guardian'', 7 November 2009

Success of Adrian Mole

The first two published stories appeared in a short-lived arts' journal entitled ''magazine,'' in the editing and production of which Townsend was involved, featuring the character then still called Nigel Mole. Actor Nigel Bennett had given her help and encouragement to persist with the work and sent the script to John Tydeman, the deputy head of BBC Radio Drama. The character first came to national awareness in a single radio play, ''The Diary of Nigel Mole, Aged 13¾'', broadcast by

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

on New Year's Day 1982."Obituary: Sue Townsend"
BBC News, 11 April 2014 Someone at the publishers Methuen heard the broadcast and commissioned Townsend to write the first book, ''The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾'' which came out in September 1982David Hendy ''Life on Air: A History of Radio Four'', Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, p.373 The publisher insisted on the change of name because of the similarity to

Nigel Molesworth Nigel Molesworth is a fictional character, the supposed author of a series of books about life in an English prep school named St Custard's. The books were written by Geoffrey Willans, with cartoon illustrations by Ronald Searle. The Moleswo ...

, the schoolboy character created by

Ronald Searle Ronald William Fordham Searle (3 March 1920 – 30 December 2011) was an English artist and satirical cartoonist, comics artist, sculptor, medal designer and illustrator. He is perhaps best remembered as the creator of St Trinian's School and f ...

and

Geoffrey Willans Herbert Geoffrey Willans, RNVR, (4 February 1911 – 6 August 1958), an English writer and journalist, is best known as the creator of Nigel Molesworth, the "goriller of 3B" and "curse of St. Custard's", as in the four books with illustration ...

. A month after the book's appearance it had topped the best seller list and had sold a million copies after a year. Adapted as a play, the stage version premiered in Leicester and ran at

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c. 1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the arch ...

for more than two years.Michael Billingto
"'Plays poured out of her'"
''The Guardian'', 11 April 2014 The first two books were seen by many as a realistic and humorous treatment of the inner life of an adolescent boy. They also captured something of the

zeitgeist In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a ''Zeitgeist'' (; ; capitalized in German) is an invisible agent, force, or daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history. The term is usually associated with Georg W. F ...

of Britain during the Thatcher era. ''The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole'' (1984) was reputedly based on her children's experiences at Mary Linwood Comprehensive School in Leicester. Several of the teachers who appear in the book (such as Ms Fossington-Gore and Mr Dock) are based on staff who worked at the school in the early 1980s. When the book was televised, it was mostly filmed at a different school nearby. Mary Linwood Comprehensive was closed in 1997. These first two books were adapted into a television series, broadcast in 1985 and 1987, and a video game.

Later life and career

'' The Queen and I'' (1992) is a novel whose plot involves the

rehoused in a council estate after a Republican revolution. Townsend had become a republican while a child. In an interview for ''The Independent'' published in September 1992 she related that after finding the idea of God a ridiculous idea, an argument in favour of the British monarchy also collapsed. "I was frightened that people believed in it all, the whole package, and I must be the only one with these feelings. It was a moment of revelation, but at the same time it would have been wicked ever to mention it." In addition, she was "being taught about infinity, which I found mind-boggling. It made me feel we were all tiny, tiny specks: and if I was, then they – the Royal Family – were, too." Like the first Mole book, ''The Queen and I'' was adapted for the stage with songs by

Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was an English singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame in the late 1970s, during the punk rock, punk and new wave music, new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Kilburn ...

and Mickey Gallagher. Michael Billington writes that Townsend "was ahead of the game" in treating the royal family as a suitable subject for drama. He writes: "Far from seeming like a piece of republican propaganda, the play actually made the royals endearing." A later book in a similar vein, ''

Queen Camilla Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. Camilla was raised in East ...

'' (2006), was less well received. On 25 February 2009,

Leicester City Council Leicester City Council is the local authority for the city of Leicester, in the ceremonial county of Leicestershire, England. Leicester has had a council from medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1997 the council ...

announced that Townsend would be given the Honorary Freedom of Leicester (where she lived). Townsend became a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature 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 ...

(FRSL) in 1993. Amongst her honours and awards, she received honorary doctorates from the

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

, from

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public university, public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university sinc ...

and

De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body ...

, Leicester. In 1991 Townsend appeared on BBC Radio 4's ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...

''. Her chosen book was ''

Lucky Jim ''Lucky Jim'' is a novel by Kingsley Amis, first published in 1954 by Victor Gollancz Ltd, Victor Gollancz. It was Amis's first novel and won the 1955 Somerset Maugham Award for fiction. The novel follows the academic and romantic tribulations ...

'' by

Kingsley Amis Sir Kingsley William Amis (16 April 1922 – 22 October 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, short stories, radio and television scripts, and works of social crit ...

and her luxury item was a

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

Political beliefs

In 1989 Townsend published ''Mr Bevan's Dream – Why Britain Needs its Welfare State'', one of the series of ''Counterblast'' essays written by such authors as Paul Foot,

Marina Warner Dame Marina Sarah Warner (born 9 November 1946) is an English historian, mythographer, art critic, novelist and short story writer. She is known for her many non-fiction books relating to feminism and myth. She has written for many publication ...

and Fay Weldon which critiqued, either directly or indirectly the social consequences of

Thatcherism Thatcherism is a form of British conservative ideology named after Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher that relates to not just her political platform and particular policies but also her personal character a ...

. She describes being "mesmerised" when seeing

Aneurin Bevan Aneurin "Nye" Bevan Privy Council (United Kingdom), PC (; 15 November 1897 – 6 July 1960) was a Welsh Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician, noted for spearheading the creation of the British National Health Service during his t ...

, the prime mover of the British

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the State (polity), state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal oppor ...

on television for the first time. The book consists of a series of short

anecdotal Anecdotal evidence (or anecdata) is evidence based on descriptions and reports of individual, personal experiences, or observations, collected in a non- systematic manner. The term ''anecdotal'' encompasses a variety of forms of evidence. This ...

stories which touch on ways in which the welfare and education systems of the day supported or (mostly) failed ordinary citizens. In "The Quick Birth", Townsend recalls the experience of giving birth to her first child, born prematurely but who survived thanks to the dedicated

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

staff at her local hospital in Leicester; "Community Care" deals with the treatment of vulnerable people with mental health issues; "Mr Smith's privatised penis", the final section, is a dystopian satire on a future where pavements, sunlight, fresh air and even lovemaking have been sold off to private enterprise. "In this pamphlet, I have fallen back on the traditional working-class method for expressing ideas – the anecdote, or what is now called the "oral tradition" (which is only a fancy term for working-class people talking to each other but not bothering to record what they've heard"). Townsend, in a 2009 ''Guardian'' interview with Alex Clark, described herself as a "passionate socialist" who had no time for

New Labour New Labour is the political philosophy that dominated the history of the British Labour Party from the mid-late 1990s to 2010 under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The term originated in a conference slogan first used by the ...

. "I support the memory and the history of the party and I consider that these lot are interlopers", she told Clark. Despite these comments, Townsend said in 1999 that she had only voted Labour once, and in fact, her preference was "Communist, Socialist Workers, or a minority party usually." The journalist Christina Patterson observed of Townsend in 2008: "Her heart, it's clear from her books and a few hours in her company, is still with the people she left behind, the people who go largely unchronicled in literature, the people who are still her friends."

Health problems

Townsend experienced ill health for several years. She was a chain smoker, had

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

(TB),

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...

at 23 and had a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in her 30s. She developed

in the 1980s. It was a condition with which she struggled, believing herself to be the "world's worst diabetic".Kate Kellawa
"Sue Townsend: 'I hate it when people call me a national treasure'"
''The Observer'', 1 August 2010 The condition led to Townsend's being registered blind in 2001, and she wove this theme into her work. After experiencing kidney failure, she underwent dialysis and in September 2009 she received a kidney from her elder son Sean, after a two-year wait for a donor. She also had degenerative

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

, which left her reliant on a wheelchair. By this time, she was dictating to Sean, who worked as her typist. Surgery was carried out at Leicester General Hospital and Townsend spoke to the BBC about her illness on an appeal for National Kidney Day.

Death

Townsend died at her home on 10 April 2014, eight days after her 68th birthday, following a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

Stephen Mangan Stephen James Mangan (born 16 May 1968) is a British actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He has played Guy Secretan in '' Green Wing'', Dan Moody in '' I'm Alan Partridge'', Seán Lincoln in ''Episodes'', Bigwig in ''Watership Down'', Postma ...

, who portrayed Adrian Mole in the 2001 television adaptation, stated that he was "greatly upset to hear that Sue Townsend has died. One of the warmest, funniest and wisest people I ever met". Townsend was survived by her husband, four children and ten grandchildren.

Awards

Works

Adrian Mole series

* '' The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾'' (1982), her best-selling book, and the best-selling new British fiction book of the 1980s. * '' The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole'' (1984) * '' The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole'' (1989) * '' Adrian Mole: From Minor to Major'' (1991) is an omnibus of the first three, and includes as a bonus the specially written ''Adrian Mole and the Small Amphibians''. * '' Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years'' (1993) * '' Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years'' (1999) * '' Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction'' (2004) * ''

The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole, 1999–2001 ''The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole, 1999–2001'' is a book in the Adrian Mole series, written by Sue Townsend. Chronologically the sixth book in the series, it was published in 2008, four years after ''Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruc ...

'' (2008) * '' Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years'' (2009)

Other novels

* '' Rebuilding Coventry'' (1988) * '' The Queen and I'' (1992), a story about the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

living a "normal" life on an urban housing estate following a republican revolution. * ''Ghost Children'' (1997), a novel treating the issues of bereavement, child abuse and women's self-esteem in relation to body image. * '' Number Ten'' (2002) * ''

'' (2006) * ''The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year'' (2012)

Plays

* ''Womberang'' (Soho Poly – 1979) * ''The Ghost of Daniel Lambert'' ( Leicester Haymarket Theatre, 1981) Theatre closed in January 2006 * ''Dayroom'' (Croydon Warehouse Theatre, 1981) * ''Captain Christmas and the Evil Adults'' (Phoenix Arts Theatre, 1982) now known as the

Sue Townsend Theatre Sue Townsend Theatre (formerly the Phoenix Theatre, Phoenix Arts Centre and the Upper Brown Street Theatre) is a theatre in the city of Leicester, England. The centre hosts live shows and films of the arthouse and world cinema genres. Julian ...

* ''Bazaar and Rummage'' (Royal Court Theatre, 1982) * ''Groping for Words'' (Croydon Warehouse, 1983) * ''The Great Celestial Cow'' (Royal Court Theatre and tour, 1984) * ''The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾-The Play'' (Leicester Phoenix, 1984) now known as

* ''Ear Nose and Throat'' (National large-scale tour Good Company Theatre Productions, 1988) * ''Disneyland It Ain't'' (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 1989) * ''Ten Tiny Fingers, Nine Tiny Toes'' (Library Theatre, Manchester, 1989) * ''The Queen and I'' (Vaudeville Theatre, 1994; toured Australia in summer 1996 as ''The Royals Down Under'')

Non-fiction

* ''Mr Bevan's Dream: Why Britain Needs Its Welfare State'' (1989) * ''The Public Confessions of a Middle-Aged Woman'' (2001)

Footnotes

External links

Old Biography page

British Council Contemporary Writers Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Sue 1946 births 2014 deaths English blind people Blind writers English republicans English atheists English children's writers English humorists Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Kidney transplant recipients Writers from Leicester 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights British women humorists