John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 25 (1966) Winner
Margaret Drabble
マーガレット・ドラブル
Māgaretto Doraburu
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1939-06-05 （Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England）
- Nationality
- British
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Quaker (background/influence)
- Residence History
- London → Somerset
Career
- Occupations
- biographer, novelist, short story writer
- Active Years
- 1963-
- Memberships
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- Influenced By
- Angus Wilson, Saul Bellow, Doris Lessing
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newnham College, University of Cambridge | — | English Literature | — | — | United Kingdom |
Newnham College, University of Cambridge
English Literature
Country:
United Kingdom
Won a scholarship to Newnham College; studied English Literature at Cambridge.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize | The Millstone | — | — | 受賞 |
| 1967 | James Tait Black Memorial Prize | Jerusalem the Golden | — | — | 受賞 |
| 1972 | The Yorkshire Post Book Award (Finest Fiction) | The Needle's Eye | — | The Yorkshire Post | 受賞 |
| 1973 | E. M. Forster Award | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | 受賞 |
| 1973 | Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature | — | — | Royal Society of Literature | 選出 |
| 2003 | St. Louis Literary Award | — | — | Saint Louis University Library Associates | 受賞 |
| 2006 | Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Letters) | — | — | University of Cambridge | 授与 |
| 2011 | Golden PEN Award | — | 生涯功労 | English PEN | 受賞 |
| 1980 | Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) | — | — | The Crown (Birthday Honours) | 叙勲 |
| 2008 | Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) | — | — | The Crown (Birthday Honours) | 叙勲（デイム） |
John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize
1966
Work:
The Millstone
Result:
受賞
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
1967
Work:
Jerusalem the Golden
Result:
受賞
The Yorkshire Post Book Award (Finest Fiction)
1972
Work:
The Needle's Eye
Organization:
The Yorkshire Post
Result:
受賞
E. M. Forster Award
1973
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result:
受賞
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
1973
Organization:
Royal Society of Literature
Result:
選出
St. Louis Literary Award
2003
Organization:
Saint Louis University Library Associates
Result:
受賞
Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Letters)
2006
Organization:
University of Cambridge
Result:
授与
Golden PEN Award
2011
Category:
生涯功労
Organization:
English PEN
Result:
受賞
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
1980
Organization:
The Crown (Birthday Honours)
Result:
叙勲
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
2008
Organization:
The Crown (Birthday Honours)
Result:
叙勲（デイム）
Awards & Nominations
James Tait Black Memorial Prizes
1 appearances
-
Edition 49 (1967) Winner
St. Louis Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 36 (2003) Winner
Works
Major Works
A Summer Bird-Cage
1963 Novel (social realism)Drabble's debut novel about a young woman newly married; explores tensions between family life and intellectual ambition, notable for its informal first-person voice.
women's independenceconflict between family and intellect1960s society
The Millstone
1965 Novel (feminist realism)A novel about an unmarried woman who becomes a mother; a seminal 1960s feminist work dealing with maternity and society, drawing on some of Drabble's personal experiences.
motherhoodsocial stigmafemale agency
Jerusalem the Golden
1967 Novel (coming-of-age / university life)Follows a northern English woman attending university in London; contains elements resonant with Drabble's own background.
coming of ageclass and originsintellectual pursuit
The Needle's Eye
1972 Novel (social novel)Tells the story of an heiress who gives away her inheritance; examines relationships, morality, and class.
inheritancemoralityclass
The Dark Flood Rises
2016 Novel (late-career reflection / social commentary)A late-career novel addressing ageing, memory and social change; Drabble indicated in 2024 that this is her final novel.
ageingmemorysocial change
Bibliography
- A Summer Bird-Cage (1963)
- The Garrick Year (1964)
- The Millstone (1965)
- Jerusalem the Golden (1967)
- The Waterfall (1969)
- The Needle's Eye (1972)
- The Realms of Gold (1975)
- The Ice Age (1977)
- The Middle Ground (1980)
- The Radiant Way (1987)
- A Natural Curiosity (1989)
- The Gates of Ivory (1991)
- The Witch of Exmoor (1996)
- The Peppered Moth (2001)
- The Seven Sisters (2002)
- The Red Queen (2004)
- The Sea Lady (2006)
- The Pure Gold Baby (2013)
- The Dark Flood Rises (2016)
Translations of Works
- The Millstone — translations exist (details not provided)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- social realism and detailed depiction of contemporary Englandintimate first-person narrative voice (in early works)careful psychological characterisation
- Recurring Motifs
- women's lives and motherhoodclass and northern English originsageing and memory (in later works)
Legacy
Margaret Drabble is a leading English writer since the 1960s, acclaimed for novels that probe women's lives and the social fabric of contemporary England. Her fellowships, honorary degrees and numerous awards have secured her standing in the literary establishment.
Academic Societies
- Royal Society of Literature
Archives
- University of Iowa Special Collections (research files for Drabble's biography of Angus Wilson)
Quotes
-
“I now loathe the United States and what it has done to Iraq and the rest of the helpless world.”
Source: The Daily Telegraph (personal view column) (2003)
Trivia
- Her elder sister is novelist and critic A. S. Byatt.
- Joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1960 and served as an understudy to Vanessa Redgrave and Diana Rigg.
- Appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2008.
- Her daughter Rebecca Swift ran The Literary Consultancy and died in 2017.