Monica Dickens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Monica Dickens
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The cover of An Open Book, Dickens's 1978 autobiography
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Monica Enid Dickens
10 May 1915 Paris, France
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| Died | 10 December 1992 (aged 77) Roedean, Sussex, England
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| Relatives | Charles Dickens (great-grandfather); Sir Henry Fielding Dickens (grandfather) |
Monica Enid Dickens, who received the MBE award, was an English writer. She was born on May 10, 1915, and passed away on December 25, 1992. Monica was the great-granddaughter of the very famous author Charles Dickens.
Contents
Monica's Early Life and Career
Monica Dickens was known as "Monty" by her family and friends. She was born in Paris, France, into a well-known family. Her father, Henry Charles Dickens, was a lawyer. Her great-grandfather was the famous writer Charles Dickens.
Monica didn't always fit in with the fancy world she grew up in. She was even expelled from St Paul's Girls' School in London! She once threw her school uniform into the River Thames. Instead of becoming a "debutante" (a young woman introduced to society), she decided to work as a domestic servant. This meant she worked as a cook and general helper in people's homes.
Her experiences working in these jobs gave her ideas for her first book. This book, called One Pair of Hands, was published in 1939.
Monica's Diverse Jobs and Books
Monica continued to explore different jobs. Her book One Pair of Feet (1942) was all about her time working as a nurse. After that, she worked in an aircraft factory. She also worked for a local newspaper called the Hertfordshire Express. Her time at the newspaper inspired her 1951 book, My Turn to Make the Tea.
Soon after, Monica moved from England to the United States. She married Roy O. Stratton, an officer in the United States Navy. They adopted two daughters named Pamela and Prudence. Even though she lived in places like Washington, D.C. and Falmouth, Massachusetts, most of her books were still set in Britain. For twenty years, she also wrote a regular column for the British women's magazine Woman's Own.
Helping Others Through Her Writing
Monica Dickens cared deeply about helping people and animals. She showed this through her work with different charities.
She worked with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. This work influenced her books No More Meadows (1953) and Kate and Emma (1964). She also helped the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Her love for animals was clear in her 1963 book Cobbler's Dream.
Monica also supported the Samaritans, a charity that helps people in distress. Her 1970 novel The Listeners was about this charity. She even helped start the first American branch of the Samaritans in Massachusetts in 1974.
Children's Books and TV Shows
From 1970 onwards, Monica started writing books for children. Her popular Follyfoot series of books grew from her earlier adult novel Cobbler's Dream. The Follyfoot books were so popular that they became a children's TV series. This show, also called Follyfoot, was made by Yorkshire Television and aired between 1971 and 1973. It was loved by children around the world for many years.
In 1978, Monica Dickens wrote her own life story in a book called An Open Book. After her husband passed away in 1985, she moved back to the UK. She continued writing until she died on Christmas Day in 1992, at the age of 77. Her very last book was published after her death. Monica was also a broadcaster sometimes throughout her writing career.
Monica's Books for Children
Monica Dickens wrote several series of books for young readers.
The World's End Series
- The House at World's End (1970)
- Summer at World's End (1971)
- World's End in Winter (1972)
- Spring Comes to World's End (1973)
The Follyfoot Series
- Follyfoot (1971)
- Dora at Follyfoot (1972)
- The Horses of Follyfoot (1975)
- Stranger at Follyfoot (1976)
The book Cobbler's Dream also features the same characters as in the Follyfoot series.
The Messenger Series
- The Messenger (1985)
- Ballad of Favour (1985)
- Cry of a Seagull (1986)
- The Haunting of Bellamy 4 (1986)
Other Children's Books
- The Great Escape (1975)
Films Based on Monica's Work
Some of Monica Dickens's stories were turned into movies!
- The Lamp Still Burns (1943) was made from her 1942 novel One Pair of Feet.
- Love in Waiting (1948) came from one of her original ideas.
- Life in Her Hands (1951) was a screenplay she wrote with Anthony Steven.
The Story of "Strine"
In 1964, Monica Dickens visited Australia to promote her books. A funny story happened during a book signing in Sydney. A woman handed Monica her book and asked, in a strong Australian accent, "How much is it?"
Monica thought the woman was telling her what name to write in the book! She misheard "How much is it?" as "Emma Chisit." This funny misunderstanding led to the creation of "Strine". Strine is a way of writing down Australian accents to show how words can sound different. This idea became very popular in newspapers and later in a series of funny books.
