Duff Cooper Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 29 (1984) Winner
Hilary Spurling
ヒラリー・スパーリング
Hilary Spurling
Aliases:
Susan Hilary Forrest
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1940-12-25 （Stockport, Cheshire, England）
- Nationality
- British
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Stockport (birth) → Bristol (education) → Oxford (education) → United Kingdom (long-term residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Biographer, Journalist
- Active Years
- 1964-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerville College, Oxford | — | — | — | — | United Kingdom |
Somerville College, Oxford
Country:
United Kingdom
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Rose Mary Crawshay Prize | Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1884–1919 | — | British Academy / related bodies | 受賞 |
| 1984 | Duff Cooper Prize | Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1884–1919 | — | Duff Cooper Prize committee | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Whitbread Book of the Year | Matisse the Master: The Conquest of Colour 1909–1954 | — | Whitbread Book Awards | 受賞 |
| 2010 | James Tait Black Memorial Prize (biography) | Burying the Bones: Pearl Buck in China | 伝記 | James Tait Black Memorial Prize committee | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) | — | — | Royal Society of Literature | 選出 |
Rose Mary Crawshay Prize
1976
Work:
Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1884–1919
Organization:
British Academy / related bodies
Result:
受賞
Duff Cooper Prize
1984
Work:
Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1884–1919
Organization:
Duff Cooper Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Whitbread Book of the Year
2005
Work:
Matisse the Master: The Conquest of Colour 1909–1954
Organization:
Whitbread Book Awards
Result:
受賞
James Tait Black Memorial Prize (biography)
2010
Work:
Burying the Bones: Pearl Buck in China
Category:
伝記
Organization:
James Tait Black Memorial Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL)
2005
Organization:
Royal Society of Literature
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 26 (2005) Winner
Costa Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 35 (2005) Excellence Award
James Tait Black Memorial Prizes
1 appearances
-
Edition 92 (2010) Winner
Works
Major Works
Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1884–1919
1974 BiographyA detailed biography of Ivy Compton-Burnett covering her early life and formative years, examining the influences that shaped her writing.
life historyformation of a writer
Secrets of a Woman's Heart: The Later Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1920–1969
1984 BiographyA continuation focusing on the later life of Ivy Compton-Burnett, analysing her personal life and later works.
late careercharacter analysis
The Unknown Matisse: Volume 1 – A Life of Henri Matisse 1869–1908
1998 Biography / Art historyA comprehensive biography of Henri Matisse's early life, incorporating previously little-known material and art-historical context.
art historyformation of an artist
Matisse the Master: The Conquest of Colour 1909–1954
2005 Biography / Art bookA study of Matisse's exploration of colour and his later life, featuring detailed chronology and analysis of works.
study of colourartist biography
Burying the Bones: Pearl Buck in China
2010 BiographyA biography of Pearl Buck focusing on her life in China, linking cultural background with personal history.
cultural exchangewomen writers
Anthony Powell: Dancing to the Music of Time
2017 Biography / Literary studiesA portrait of Anthony Powell with commentary on his major work, A Dance to the Music of Time, combining biography and literary analysis.
literary criticismauthor biography
Bibliography
- Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1884–1919 (1974)
- Mervyn Peake: Drawings (editor) (1974)
- Invitation to the Dance: A Handbook to Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time (1977)
- Secrets of a Woman's Heart: The Later Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1920–1969 (1984)
- Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book: Elizabethan Country House Cooking (1986)
- Paul Scott: A Life (1990)
- Paper Spirits. Collage Portraits by Vladimir Sulyagin (introduction) (1992)
- Ivy: The Life of I. Compton-Burnett (1995)
- The Unknown Matisse: Volume 1 – A Life of Henri Matisse 1869–1908 (1998)
- La Grande Thérèse: The Greatest Swindle of the Century (1999)
- The Girl from the Fiction Department: A Portrait of Sonia Orwell (2002)
- Matisse the Master: The Conquest of Colour 1909–1954 (2005)
- Ann Stokes: Artists' Potter (contributor) (2009)
- Matisse: The Life (abridged) (2009)
- Burying the Bones: Pearl Buck in China (2010)
- Anthony Powell: Dancing to the Music of Time (2017)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Meticulous, archival-research-based biographical proseScholarly yet readable narrative
- Recurring Motifs
- Tracing formation of artists and writersLinking personal history with cultural context
Legacy
Hilary Spurling is a biographer renowned for meticulous archival research and accessible prose; her biographies of Matisse and Pearl Buck combine scholarly value with broad recognition. She has received multiple prizes and is highly regarded in British literary circles.
Academic Societies
- Royal Society of Literature
Archives
- British Library (manuscript/collections possible)
Quotes
-
Her biographies combine meticulous research with clear narration, balancing scholarly rigour and readability.
Source: Summary of reviews (e.g. The Guardian) (2006)
Trivia
- Born on 25 December 1940 (Christmas Day).
- Married playwright John Spurling in 1961; the couple have three children.