Lavinia Derwent
Lavinia Derwent | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Dodd 1909 Cheviot Hills, England |
| Died | 1989 |
| Pen name | Lavinia Derwent |
| Occupation | Writer and broadcaster |
| Nationality | British |
| Genre | Children's fiction, adult fiction |
| Notable works | The Sula quartet |
Lavinia Derwent was the pen name of Scottish author and broadcaster Elizabeth Dodd MBE (1909–1989).[1] Derwent was born in an isolated farmhouse in the Cheviot Hills some seven miles from Jedburgh. She began making up stories about animals at an early age. She also wrote a version of Greyfriars bobby. Her autobiographical books, include her Border and Manse series. Border Bairn is set around her home town of Jedburgh, while Lady of the Manse has a Berwickshire setting. Derwent's Manse books drew on her experiences of keeping her brother's house in order. Her brother was a Church of Scotland minister.[2]
Broadcasting
Derwent's first successful series was her Tammy Troot stories. They were read out in the 1920s on Auntie Kathleeen's Children's Hour on Scottish Radio.[3] The first of the books was published in 1947. They were still being reprinted in the 1970s. In the 1970s she co-presented the television series Teatime Tales (alternating with Molly Weir and Cliff Hanley) on STV in which she recollected stories from her own childhood.[1]
The Sula Books
Derwent wrote a best-selling book about a fictional island called Sula which later featured in BBC's Jackanory, read by John Cairney.[4] It was also made into a television series. The original novels were: Sula,[5] Return to Sula,[6] The Boy From Sula[7] and Song of Sula.[8]
Bibliography
- Tammy Troot (1947)
- Tammy Troot's Capers (1947)
- Huffy Puffy the little red engine (1951)
- Macpherson (1961)
- Further Adventures of Tammy Troot (1975)
- Sula (1969)
- Return to Sula (1971)
- The Boy from Sula (1973)
- Song of Sula (1976)
- Macpherson's Island (1970)
- Macpherson's Skyscraper (1978)
- A Breath of Border Air (1977)
- Another Breath of Border Air (1978)
- God Bless the Borders (1981)
- A Border Bairn (1980)
- Beyond the Borders (1989)
- The Tale of Greyfriars Bobby (1985)
- The Lady of the Manse (1985)
- A Mouse in the Manse (1987)
References
- ^ a b "Lavinia Derwent - 1909 – 1989". Jedburgh Historic Town. 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "Elizabeth Dodd (Lavinia Derwent)". Scottish Literary Locations. 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "Lavinia Derwent". Books from Scotland - The Best of Scottish Books. 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "Radio Times 1923 - 2009". BBC. 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- ^ Derwent, Lavinia (1969). Sula. Victor Gollancz Ltd. ISBN 0862410681.
- ^ Derwent, Lavinia (1971). Return to Sula. Victor Gollancz Ltd. ISBN 0862410738.
- ^ Derwent, Lavinia (1973). The Boy from Sula. Victor Gollancz Ltd. ISBN 9780863154003.
- ^ Derwent, Lavinia (1976). Song of Sula. Victor Gollancz Ltd. ISBN 9780863154386.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- Use dmy dates from November 2012
- 1909 births
- 1989 deaths
- People from the Scottish Borders
- Scottish children's writers
- Scottish television presenters
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Scottish women writers
- Scottish women novelists
- British women children's writers
- 20th-century British women writers
- 20th-century British novelists