Claire Tomalin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Claire Tomalin
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Tomalin, 2013
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| Born | Claire Delavenay 20 June 1933 London, England |
| Occupation | Author, journalist |
| Education | Hitchin Girls' School; Dartington Hall School |
| Alma mater | Newnham College, Cambridge |
| Notable works | The Invisible Woman: The story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens (1990): Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self (2002) |
| Spouse |
Nicholas Tomalin
(m. 1955; Michael Frayn
(m. 1993) |
| Children | 5 |
Claire Tomalin, born Claire Delavenay on June 20, 1933, is a famous English writer and journalist. She is best known for writing detailed life stories, called biographies. She has written about many important historical figures like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Samuel Pepys.
Contents
About Claire Tomalin's Life
Early Years
Claire Tomalin was born in London, England, on June 20, 1933. Her mother, Muriel Herbert, was a composer, and her father, Émile Delavenay, was a French academic.
School Days
Claire went to school at Hitchin Girls' Grammar School and Dartington Hall School. Later, she studied at Newnham College at the University of Cambridge.
Writing Career
Claire Tomalin started her writing career in 1974. Her first book was The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft. This book won the Whitbread Book Award.
Since then, she has written many other biographies about famous people:
- Shelley and His World (1980)
- Katherine Mansfield: A Secret Life (1987)
- The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens (1990). This book won several awards and was even made into a film.
- Mrs Jordan's Profession (1994)
- Jane Austen: A Life (1997)
- Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self (2002). This book won the Whitbread biography and Book of the Year prizes.
- Thomas Hardy: The Time-Torn Man (2006). A television film about Hardy followed this book.
- Charles Dickens: A Life (2011)
- The Young H. G. Wells: Changing the World (2021)
Claire also edited a children's story by Mary Shelley called Maurice. In 1999, she published a collection of her reviews called Several Strangers.
Other Work
Claire Tomalin has also helped organize exhibitions. In 1995, she created two shows about the actress Mrs Jordan. In 1997, she organized an exhibition about Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley.
In 2004, she helped put up a blue plaque for Mary Wollstonecraft. This plaque marks a place where Wollstonecraft lived. Claire has also been a trustee for important places like the National Portrait Gallery. She is also a Vice-President of the Royal Literary Fund and the Royal Society of Literature.
Family Life
In 1955, Claire Tomalin married Nicholas Tomalin, who was also a journalist. They had five children together. Nicholas passed away in 1973.
While raising her children, Claire worked as a literary editor. She worked for the New Statesman and then The Sunday Times. In 1993, she married the writer Michael Frayn. They live in Petersham, London.
Awards and Recognition
Claire Tomalin has received many awards for her writing and contributions:
- James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Invisible Woman (1990)
- Hawthornden Prize for The Invisible Woman (1991)
- Whitbread Book Award for Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self (2002)
- Rose Mary Crawshay Prize for Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self (2003)
- Samuel Pepys Award for Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self (2003)
- She was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self (2003)
- She has been an Honorary Member or Fellow at several colleges at Cambridge, including Magdalene College (2003), Lucy Cavendish College (2003), and Newnham College (2004).
- She has received many honorary degrees (D.Litt) from different universities, including UEA (2005), Birmingham (2005), and Cambridge (2007).
- She was shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards (Biography) for Charles Dickens: A Life (2011).
- She received the Biographers International Organization Annual Award (2016).
- She was awarded the Bodley Medal (2018).
Claire Tomalin's Books
Here is a list of some of the books Claire Tomalin has written:
- The Young H. G. Wells: Changing the World (2021) (ISBN: 978-1-984-87902-8)
- A Life of My Own (2017). This is her autobiography, telling her own life story. (ISBN: 978-0-241-23995-7)
- Charles Dickens: A Life (2011) (ISBN: 0-14-103693-1)
- Thomas Hardy: The Time-Torn Man (2007) (ISBN: 978-1-594-20118-9)
- Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self (2002) (ISBN: 0-670-88568-1 or 0-14-028234-3)
- Jane Austen: A Life (2000) (ISBN: 0-14-029690-5)
- Several Strangers; writing from three decades (1999) (ISBN: 0-670-88567-3)
- Katherine Mansfield: A Secret Life (1987) (ISBN: 0-14-011715-6)
- Mrs. Jordan's Profession: The Story of a Great Actress and a Future King (1995) (ISBN: 0-14-015923-1)
- The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens (1990) (ISBN: 0-14-012136-6)
- Shelley and His World (1980) (ISBN: 0-500-13068-X)
- The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft (1974) (ISBN: 0-14-016761-7)
