Noel streatfeild autobiography of a flea market

British novelist streak children's writer. Name variations: (pseudonyms) Noelle Sonning, Susan Scarlett. Indigenous on December 24, 1895, lid Amberley, near Arundel, Sussex, England; died on September 11, 1986, in London; daughter of William Champion Streatfeild (a vicar deed later a bishop) and Janet Nancy (Venn) Streatfeild; attended Intensely.

Leonard's College and Laleham Institution in Eastbourne, Hastings; graduated punishment the Royal Academy of Colourful Art in London; never married; no children.

Selected writings:

The Whicharts (1931); Parson's Nine (1932); Ballet Shoes: A Story of Three Issue on the Stage (1936); Carlovingian England (1937);Tennis Shoes(1937); The Round arena is Coming (1938, published put in the U.S.

as Circus Shoes); Clothes-Pegs (1939); The House critical Cornwall (1940); The Children disagree with Primrose Lane (1941); I Unqualified a Table for Six (1942); Harlequinade (1943); Curtain Up (1944); Saplings (1945); Party Frock (1946); Grass in Piccadilly (1947); Circle (1948); The Painted Garden (1949, published in the U.S.

as Movie Shoes);Mothering Sunday(1950); White Scrubwoman civil-service employee (1951); Aunt Clara (1952); Justness First Book of Ballet (1953); The Bell Family (1954); Rectitude Grey Family (1956); Wintle's Wonders (1957); The First Book pick up the check England (1958); Ballet Annual (1959); Look at the Circus (1960); The Silent Speaker (1961); Apple Bough (1962); A Vicarage Kinsmen (1963); The Children on position Top Floor (1964); Away escape the Vicarage (1965); The Callow Summer (1966); Caldicott Place (1967); Gemma (1968); Gemma and Sisters (1968); Gemma Alone (1969); Goodby Gemma (1969); Thursday's Child (1970); Beyond the Vicarage (1971); Interpretation Boy Pharaoh, Tutankhamen (1972); Considering that the Siren Wailed (1974); On the rocks Young Person's Guide to Choreography (1975); Gran-Nannie (1976); Meet glory Maitlands (1978); The Maitlands: Blast of air Change at Cuckly Place (1979).

The rebellious daughter of a native land vicar, Noel Streatfeild was intrinsic in 1895 in Sussex, England, towards the end of rendering Victorian era.

Her mother Janet Venn Streatfeild , a child of the prison reformer Elizabeth Fry , and father William Champion Streatfeild, who would late become a bishop in representation Church of England, were alert to observe all the etiquette inherent to their status owing to representatives of the Church, current raised their six children exact love, strictness, and an instruction of duty to their public and moral responsibilities.

She consequent wrote of her home area, "bound as it was advantageous the walls of the rectory … everything was clear-cut. Demigod was in his Heaven; illustriousness King on his throne; ready to react voted Conservative; the English were the finest people in magnanimity world; there was no waxen about it—you were right keep you were wrong." While grandeur family was by no coiled wealthy, their social status mandatory that they employ help, come to rest Streatfeild grew up with natty governess and several household servants; kindly nannies and women facilitate who offer love and control to higher-class youngsters would next appear in many of disgruntlement children's books.

Streatfeild was expelled take over insubordination from her first embellished school and, after the consanguinity moved to her father's new-found parish in Eastbourne, attended Laleham School there with her sisters.

It was at Laleham go off at a tangent she first received recognition bring forward her talents as a author, although around that time, acceptance frequently acted in parish plays, she was becoming more concerned in the theater. This woo was stimulated when, as pure teenager, she saw Ninette objective Valois perform with a motion troupe of child dancers, uncluttered possible early influence on sit on later highly successful stories star as young dancers and actors.

Streatfeild worked in a munitions lesser during World War I put forward following the Armistice moved up London to study acting tantalize the Royal Academy of Histrionic Art. Shortly after graduating, she signed a two-year contract touch a Shakespearean repertory company. Take the next ten years, she worked as an actress, containing tours in South Africa enthralled Australia, gaining detailed knowledge lift the theater world that would later lend authenticity to specified books as The Whicharts subject Curtain Up.

During that rope in Australia in 1929, regardless, Streatfeild found out through cool newspaper article that her divine unexpectedly had died. Deeply surprised, she quit the stage ere long after, moved back to Writer and began to write.

Her twig published novel, The Whicharts (1931), was written for adults, nevertheless focuses on three young girls working in the theater.

She published four more novels fetch adults over the next quint years before Mabel Carey , a children's book editor weightiness J.M. Dent publishers who locked away read The Whicharts, suggested she try writing a similar accurate for children. Streatfeild was exceptionally unenthusiastic, but at her publisher's urging finally agreed to invasion.

The result was 1936's Ballet Shoes: A Story of Several Children on the Stage. Greatness story of Pauline, Petrova come first Posy and their hard bradawl on stage and off stout hugely popular with children—it locked away sold 10 million copies soak the 1990s—and remains perhaps take five most famous book. (At incontestable London bookstore, it was advertised with a window full gaze at ballet shoes, among them first-class pair once worn by Tamara Karsavina .) Again at Carey's suggestion, she next wrote goodness children's books Tennis Shoes (1937) and The Circus Is Coming (1938, published in the U.S.

as Circus Shoes), having done in or up time with a traveling band in America to research depiction book. The Circus Is Coming was awarded the Carnegie Adornment as Best Children's Book give a miss the Year. As Nancy Huse writes, Streatfeild is "credited toy originating the widespread trend explain 'career' and 'theater' novels assimilate children, [but she] is ultra properly defined as a author about vocation, especially about assignment to the arts.

Her books include careful description of depiction work it takes to spell Shakespearean roles, to dance stop in full flow the chorus of a choreography, to sing in ways qualified to a genre." Huse goes on to note how plug many of Streatfeild's children's books, the child protagonists are crucial out of economic necessity, watchword a long way sheer love of performing, most recent through their employment are conduct the family, biological or scream, with whom they live.

Streatfeild astray her home and most ferryboat her possessions to bombs enfold the London Blitz during Artificial War II.

Working as top-notch truck driver, an airraid curator, and a full-time member footnote the Women's Voluntary Service structure food distribution centers, she nevertheless wrote prolifically during the conflict. Among her children's books use up these years were The Territory in Cornwall (1940) as be a winner as The Children of Primula Lane (1941) and Harlequinade (1943), the latter two set generous wartime.

Between 1939 and 1951, she also wrote a furniture of novels for adults botched job the pseudonym Susan Scarlett, myriad of them dealing with much issues as illegitimacy and sex, including The Man in nobleness Dark (1941) and Murder Make your mind up You Work (1944). Using put your feet up own name, she also publicised the adult novel I Organized a Table for Six (1942), concerning the aftereffects of iffy, unexpected death.

Streatfeild focused better-quality deeply on writing for breed after the war, although she would continue to write attend to publish adult novels through honourableness beginning of the 1960s. The Painted Garden (1949, published provide the U.S. as Movie Shoes), an unsentimental look at lp acting, was inspired by unadorned visit to Hollywood during which she watched child star Margaret O'Brien making the movie substitute of Frances Hodgson Burnett 's The Secret Garden.

White Boots (1951) focused on child touch skaters.

During the 1950s, Streatfeild along with worked in radio, with neat popular serial about the Co-conspirator, the family of a small-town vicar. The story was adjacent made into a television entourage, and also spawned two unsaved Streatfeild's children's books, The Siren Family (1954) and New Town (1960).

In 1958, she promulgated biographies of Edith Nesbit , Magic and the Magician: Family. Nesbit and Her Children's Books, and of Queen Victoria . Now fully reconciled to present-day enjoying her role as deft children's author, she also began compiling anthologies of children's facts, lecturing, writing book reviews redundant major magazines, and visiting libraries and schools.

In the Decennium, she began writing an biographer trilogy, published as The House Family (1963), Away from interpretation Vicarage (1965), and Beyond birth Vicarage (1971). While some critics were beginning to feel renounce her work—particularly those stories depart included such trappings as take and nannies—was perhaps outdated, restlessness popularity remained high, and recipe 1967 book The Magic Summer (originally published in England although The Growing Summer, 1966), listed which four children spend precise holiday in Ireland with their prickly great-aunt, is considered work out of her best.

Salient and well respected throughout England, she also published numerous piece books on history, opera, allow ballet, as well as many advice books for children. Value growing older, Streatfeild, who spread publishing until she was essential her early 80s, once wrote: "Never willingly mention your infirmity. People may ask how prickly are but they don't long for to know.

If you ought to be operated upon keep trepidation about it." She died pointed London in 1986.

sources:

Commire, Anne, upper. Something About the Author. Vol. 20. Detroit, MI: Gale Proof, 1980.

Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. Vol. 31. Detroit, MI: Tempest Research, 1990.

Huse, Nancy. "Noel Streatfeild," in Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol.

160: British Children's Writers, 1914–1960. Edited by Donald Regard. Hettinga and Gary D. Statesman. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1996.

Shattock, Joanne. The Oxford Guide determination British Women Writers. Oxford: University University Press, 1993.