John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 23 (1964) Winner
Nell Dunn
ネル・ダン
Neru Dan
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1936-06-09 （London, England）
- Nationality
- British
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- London (birthplace) → Chelsea (upbringing) → Battersea (moved to and inspiration for writings) → Crickhowell, South Wales (small hill farm residence)
Career
- Occupations
- playwright, novelist, screenwriter
- Active Years
- 1963-
- Memberships
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtauld Institute of Art | — | — | — | — | United Kingdom |
Courtauld Institute of Art
Country:
United Kingdom
Educated at a convent until age 14; later attended the Courtauld Institute of Art.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | John Llewellyn Rhys Prize | Up the Junction | — | John Llewellyn Rhys Prize | winner |
| 1982 | Susan Smith Blackburn Prize | Steaming | — | Susan Smith Blackburn Prize | winner |
| 2004 | Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature | — | — | Royal Society of Literature | elected |
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
1963
Work:
Up the Junction
Organization:
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
Result:
winner
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
1982
Work:
Steaming
Organization:
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
Result:
winner
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2004
Organization:
Royal Society of Literature
Result:
elected
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Up the Junction
1963 short storiesA collection of short stories set in South London portraying the lives and struggles of working-class women.
classwomen's livesurban working-class
Adaptations
- [television drama] Up the Junction (The Wednesday Play) / Ken Loach (1965)
- [film] Up the Junction (film) (1968)
Poor Cow
1967 novelA novel about a young working-class woman's experiences of family life and hardship. Adapted into a film in 1967.
motherhoodworking-class lifeindividual struggle
Adaptations
- [film] Poor Cow (film) / Ken Loach (1967)
Steaming
1981 playA play centred on a group of women, exploring community, solidarity, and everyday conflicts with humour.
female solidaritycommunityeveryday struggle
Bibliography
- Up the Junction (1963)
- Poor Cow (1967)
- I Want (with Adrian Henri, 1972)
- Tear His Head Off His Shoulders (1974)
- The Only Child (1978)
- Grandmothers (1991)
- My Silver Shoes (1996)
- The Muse (2020)
Adaptations
- Up the Junction (TV drama, 1965)
- Up the Junction (film, 1968)
- Poor Cow (film, 1967)
- Every Breath You Take (TV film, 1987)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- vivid realismdialogue-driven narrationnon-judgemental portrayal
- Recurring Motifs
- working-class lifewomen's roles and motherhoodurban everyday life
Legacy
Nell Dunn is an important figure in British social realism since the 1960s, noted for her vivid portrayals of working-class women. Her work has been adapted for stage and screen, and she has been recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Academic Societies
- Royal Society of Literature
In Popular Culture
- Works such as Up the Junction and Poor Cow were adapted for television and film and became part of a body of works addressing British social issues in the 1960s–70s.
Quotes
-
"Whenever my father saw my appalling spelling, he would laugh. But it wasn't an unkind laugh. In his laugh there was the message, 'You are a completely original person, and everything you do has your own mark on it.' He wanted us all to be unique."
Source: The Independent (interview) (2013)
Trivia
- Evacuated to the United States during World War II with her sister Serena.
- Educated at a convent until age 14.
- Learned to read at nine and has stated she never passed an exam.
- Moved to Battersea in 1959 and worked for a time in a confectionery factory.
- After her partner Dan Oestreicher died of lung cancer, she became a patron of Dignity in Dying.