Leland Bardwell facts for kids

Leland Bardwell (born Constan Olive Leland Hone, 1922–2016) was a talented Irish writer. She wrote poems, novels, and plays. Leland was an important part of the writing communities in London and Dublin. She even helped edit magazines like Hibernia and Cyphers. Leland published many books of poetry, novels, and short stories. Her work earned her special awards, like the Marten Toonder Award. Later in life, she helped start the Scríobh Literary Festival in Sligo. Her book A Restless Life tells about her life story.

Growing Up: Leland Bardwell's Early Life

Leland Bardwell was born in India in 1922. Her parents, William Hone and Mary Collise, were Irish. When she was two years old, her family moved to Ireland. She grew up in Leixlip, County Kildare. Leland had a challenging childhood.

She went to school at Alexandra College. She also studied for a short time in Switzerland. Leland worked many different jobs in Ireland and later in Scotland. In 1948, she met a poet named Michael Bardwell. They had two children together.

Leland Bardwell's Writing Journey

Leland Bardwell became a part of the exciting writing scene in Soho, London. She spent time with other famous writers. These included Anthony Cronin, Francis Bacon, and Patrick Kavanagh. In the 1950s, she had three more children with Fintan McLachlan. One of their children is the composer John McLachlan.

Her family then moved back to Dublin. There, Leland worked as a reviewer for Hibernia magazine. She also edited the poetry section.

Publishing Her Work

From 1970 onwards, Leland Bardwell's writing was published regularly. Her first book of poems was The Mad Cyclist. After that, her first novel, Girl on a Bicycle, came out. Leland wrote many plays and short stories. Some of her works, like Outpatients, were even produced for RTÉ and the BBC.

In 1984, she wrote a musical play called No Regrets. This play was about the life of singer Édith Piaf. It first opened at the Gaiety Theatre. The play later toured all over Ireland.

Influences and Recognition

Leland Bardwell's difficult childhood greatly influenced her writing. Her experiences in London and Dublin also shaped her stories. In her memoir, A Restless Life, she described her life as "a crescendo of madness."

Other writers of her time thought she was a very important poet. These included Patrick Kavanagh and Paul Durcan. When her fourth poetry collection, The White Beach, was published, Eilean Ni Chuilleanain praised her work. She said it was "witty, full of sharp intimate honesty, full of truth and surprises."

In 1975, Leland Bardwell helped start a literary magazine called Cyphers. She co-founded it with Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin and Macdara Woods. She was an editor for the magazine until 2012. Leland received the Marten Toonder Award in 1993. She also won the Dede Korkut Short Story Award from Turkish PEN in 2010.

Later in life, Leland Bardwell moved to County Monaghan and then to Sligo. In Sligo, she helped start the Scríobh Literary Festival in 1993. She was also a member of Aosdána, an Irish association for artists. Leland also helped manage the literary works of Patrick Kavanagh.

Leland Bardwell's Published Books

Here are some of the books Leland Bardwell wrote:

Poetry

• The Mad Cyclist [New Writers' Press, 1970]
• The Fly and the Bed Bug [Beaver Row Press, 1984]
• Dostoevsky's Grave: Selected Poems [Dedalus, 1991]
• The White Beach: New and Selected Poems, 1960-1998 [Salmon Publishing, 1998]
• Them's Your Mammy's Pills [Dedalus, 2015]

Novels

• Girl on a Bicycle [Irish Writers Co-operative, 1977]
• That London Winter [Co-op Books, 1981]
• The House [Brandon, 1984]
• There We Have Been [Attic Press, 1989]
• Mother to a Stranger [Blackstaff Press, 2002]

Short story collection

• Different Kinds of Love [Attic Press, 1987]

Memoir

• A Restless Life [Liberties Press, 2008]

Plays

• Thursday [Trinity College, Dublin, 1974]
• Open Ended Prescription [ Peacock Theatre, Dublin,1979]
• The Edith Piaf Story [National Stadium, Dublin, 1984]
• Jocasta [Dhá Ean Theatre company, Sligo 2001]

Contributions

• Ms. Muffet and Others: A Funny, Sassy, Heretical Collection of Feminist Fairytales. Dublin, Attic Press, 1986.