Hilary Spurling
Encyclopedia
Hilary Spurling, CBE
, FRSL (born December 25th,1940) is a British writer, known as a journalist and biographer. She won the Whitbread Prize for the second volume of her biography of Henri Matisse
in January 2006. Burying The Bones: Pearl Buck
in China was published in March 2010.
She is married to playwright John Spurling, and has three children (Amy, Nathaniel and Gilbert) and two grandchildren.
, an independent school
in Bristol
in South West England
, followed by the University of Oxford
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRSL (born December 25th,1940) is a British writer, known as a journalist and biographer. She won the Whitbread Prize for the second volume of her biography of Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
in January 2006. Burying The Bones: Pearl Buck
Pearl S. Buck
Pearl Sydenstricker Buck also known by her Chinese name Sai Zhenzhu , was an American writer who spent most of her time until 1934 in China. Her novel The Good Earth was the best-selling fiction book in the U.S. in 1931 and 1932, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932...
in China was published in March 2010.
She is married to playwright John Spurling, and has three children (Amy, Nathaniel and Gilbert) and two grandchildren.
Education
Spurling was educated at Clifton High SchoolClifton High School (Bristol)
Clifton High School is an independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded as Clifton High School for Girls in 1877 by visionaries including John Percival, the first Headmaster of Clifton College...
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
, followed by the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Works
- Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-BurnettIvy Compton-BurnettDame Ivy Compton-Burnett, DBE was an English novelist, published as I. Compton-Burnett. She was awarded the 1955 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for her novel Mother and Son.-Life:...
1884-1919 (1974) - Mervyn PeakeMervyn PeakeMervyn Laurence Peake was an English writer, artist, poet and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the Gormenghast books. They are sometimes compared to the work of his older contemporary J. R. R...
: Drawings (1974) editor - A Handbook to Anthony PowellAnthony PowellAnthony Dymoke Powell CH, CBE was an English novelist best known for his twelve-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time, published between 1951 and 1975....
's Music of Time (1977) as Invitation to the Dance - Secrets of a Woman's Heart: The Later Life of Ivy Compton-BurnettIvy Compton-BurnettDame Ivy Compton-Burnett, DBE was an English novelist, published as I. Compton-Burnett. She was awarded the 1955 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for her novel Mother and Son.-Life:...
1920-1969 (1984) - Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book: Elizabethan Country House Cooking (1986)
- Paul ScottPaul ScottPaul Mark Scott was a British novelist, playwright, and poet, best known for his monumental tetralogy the Raj Quartet. His novel Staying On won the Booker Prize for 1977.-Early life:...
: A Life (1990) - Paper Spirits. Collage Portraits by Vladimir Sulyagin (1992) introduction
- The Unknown Matisse: Volume 1 - A Life of Henri MatisseHenri MatisseHenri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
1869-1908 (1998) - La Grande Thérèse: The Greatest Swindle of the Century (1999) on Thérèse HumbertThérèse HumbertThérèse Humbert was a French female fraudster, who pretended to be an heir of an imaginary American millionaire Robert Crawford.Humbert was born Thérèse Daurignac, a peasant girl in Aussonne, Languedoc, France. As a child, she once convinced her friends to pool their jewelry so that she could fool...
- 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 version of two earlier works) (2009)
Awards
- 1976, Rose Mary Crawshay PrizeRose Mary Crawshay PrizeThe Rose Mary Crawshay Prize is a literary prize for female scholars. It was inaugurated in 1888 and is stated by the British Academy to be the only UK literary prize for female scholars...
for Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1884-1919 - 1984, Duff Cooper PrizeDuff Cooper PrizeThe Duff Cooper Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of history, biography, political science or poetry, published in English or French. The prize was established in honour of Duff Cooper, a British diplomat, Cabinet member and acclaimed author. The prize was first awarded...
for Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1884-1919 - 2005, Whitbread Book of the Year2005 Whitbread Awards-Children's Book:Winner:*Kate Thompson, The New PolicemanShortlist:*Frank Cottrell Boyce, Framed*Geraldine McCaughrean, The White Darkness*Hilary McKay, Permanent Rose-First Novel:Winner:*Tash Aw, The Harmony Silk FactoryShortlist:...
award for Matisse the Master: The Conquest of Colour 1909-1954 - 2010, James Tait Black Memorial PrizeJames Tait Black Memorial PrizeFounded in 1919, the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are among the oldest and most prestigious book prizes awarded for literature written in the English language and are Britain's oldest literary awards...
for biography, for Burying the Bones: Pearl Buck in China