Veronica Buckley
Encyclopedia
Veronica Buckley is a writer and biographer. She was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. In 1979 she graduated from the University of Canterbury with first class honours in French with philosophy, and was awarded a postgraduate scholarship in cultural and social history at the University of London. Before embarking on her writing career she worked as a musician, and as a technical writer and information management specialist in the IT industry.
Following doctoral research in Modern History at Oxford University, Veronica Buckley wrote her first scholarly biography, about the seventeenth-century Swedish Queen Christina. Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric, was published in 2004, and translated into eight languages. It was rated one of the 20 best non-fiction books of the year by The Telegraph.
Buckley's second book, Madame de Maintenon: The Secret Wife of Louis XIV, was published by Bloomsbury in July 2008. It is a biography of Françoise d’Aubigné, who rose from the humblest of beginnings to become the morganatic wife of the Sun King, and highly influential at his Court. In April 2008, the first edition was recalled and reprinted because of erroneous references to a literary work. A press article in The Guardian "exposed" the error, despite the fact that it had already been corrected. The book went on to win a broadly positive critical reception though Buckley was criticised by some reviewers for her interpretation of her subject's religious views.
Having been based in Paris for several years, Veronica Buckley now lives in Vienna with her husband, the writer Philipp Blom.
Buckley, Veronica. Christina, Queen of Sweden. Harper Perennial, London, 2005. ISBN 1-84115-736-8 pbk
Buckley, Veronica. Madame de Maintenon: The Secret Wife of Louis XIV. Bloomsbury, London, 2008. ISBN 978 0 7475 8098 0 hbk
Buckley, Veronica. The Secret Wife of Louis XIV: Françoise d’Aubigné, Madame de Maintenon, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, 2009
As Contributor:
Leo Hollis, (Ed.), Historic Paris Walks, Cardogan, London, 2006
Rainer Wieland (Ed.), Frauen schön und stark: Frauen von heute über die Schönen der Kunst, Knesebeck, Munich, 2009 (in German)
Philipp Blom and Veronica Buckley Die Welt von Gestern: Berlin, Brandstätter, Vienna, 2011
Philipp Blom (Ed.), Angelo Soliman - Ein Afrikaner in Wien, exhibition catalogue, Brandstätter, Vienna, 2011 (in German)
Following doctoral research in Modern History at Oxford University, Veronica Buckley wrote her first scholarly biography, about the seventeenth-century Swedish Queen Christina. Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric, was published in 2004, and translated into eight languages. It was rated one of the 20 best non-fiction books of the year by The Telegraph.
Buckley's second book, Madame de Maintenon: The Secret Wife of Louis XIV, was published by Bloomsbury in July 2008. It is a biography of Françoise d’Aubigné, who rose from the humblest of beginnings to become the morganatic wife of the Sun King, and highly influential at his Court. In April 2008, the first edition was recalled and reprinted because of erroneous references to a literary work. A press article in The Guardian "exposed" the error, despite the fact that it had already been corrected. The book went on to win a broadly positive critical reception though Buckley was criticised by some reviewers for her interpretation of her subject's religious views.
Having been based in Paris for several years, Veronica Buckley now lives in Vienna with her husband, the writer Philipp Blom.
Publications and editions
Buckley, Veronica. Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric. Fourth Estate, London, 2004Buckley, Veronica. Christina, Queen of Sweden. Harper Perennial, London, 2005. ISBN 1-84115-736-8 pbk
Buckley, Veronica. Madame de Maintenon: The Secret Wife of Louis XIV. Bloomsbury, London, 2008. ISBN 978 0 7475 8098 0 hbk
Buckley, Veronica. The Secret Wife of Louis XIV: Françoise d’Aubigné, Madame de Maintenon, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, 2009
As Contributor:
Leo Hollis, (Ed.), Historic Paris Walks, Cardogan, London, 2006
Rainer Wieland (Ed.), Frauen schön und stark: Frauen von heute über die Schönen der Kunst, Knesebeck, Munich, 2009 (in German)
Philipp Blom and Veronica Buckley Die Welt von Gestern: Berlin, Brandstätter, Vienna, 2011
Philipp Blom (Ed.), Angelo Soliman - Ein Afrikaner in Wien, exhibition catalogue, Brandstätter, Vienna, 2011 (in German)
Reviews and external links
- Review of Christina, Queen of Sweden, The Sunday Times 11 April 2004
- Review of Christina, Queen of Sweden, Frances Wilson, The Guardian 10 April 2004
- Review of Christina, Queen of Sweden, Harriet Lane, The Observer 2 May 2004
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/04/11/bobuc11.xml&DCMP=EMC-art_16042004Review of Christina, Queen of Sweden, Philip ZieglerPhilip Ziegler-Background:Born in Ringwood, Ziegler was educated at St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne, and went with the school when it merged with Summer Fields School, Oxford. He was afterwards at Eton College and New College, Oxford...
, The Saturday Telegraph 11 April 2004] - Review of Madame de Maintenon, The Economist, 24 July 2008
- Review of Madame de Maintenon, Professor Munro Price, The Telegraph 3 August 2008
- Veronica Buckley at A M Heath & Co Literary Agents
- Veronica Buckley's website