Pat Barker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pat Barker
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Pat Barker in October 2012
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| Born | Patricia Mary W. Drake 8 May 1943 Thornaby-on-Tees, North Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics |
| Subject | Memory, trauma, survival, recovery |
| Notable works | Regeneration Trilogy |
| Notable awards | Booker Prize, Guardian First Book Award |
| Spouse | David Barker |
| Children | 2 |
Patricia Mary W. Barker, born on May 8, 1943, is a famous English writer. She has won many awards for her books. Her stories often explore ideas like memory, dealing with difficult experiences, and finding ways to overcome challenges.
She is well-known for her Regeneration Trilogy from the 1990s. More recently, she has written books about the Trojan War, like The Silence of the Girls (2018).
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Patricia Mary W. Drake was born on May 8, 1943. She grew up in Thornaby-on-Tees, England, in a working-class family. Her mother, Moyra, raised her alone for a time. They lived with Barker's grandmother and step-grandfather.
When Barker was seven, her mother married and moved out. Barker chose to stay with her grandmother, whom she loved very much. Her grandparents ran a fish and chip shop, but they struggled financially. Barker said her family was very poor during this time.
At age eleven, Barker earned a spot at a Grammar school. She attended King James Grammar School and Grangefield Grammar School. Barker has always loved reading. She studied international history at the London School of Economics from 1962 to 1965. After graduating, she returned home to care for her grandmother.
Her Writing Career
Starting as a Novelist
Pat Barker began writing fiction in her mid-twenties. Her first few novels were not published. She felt they were not quite right. She wanted her writing to have a more realistic and strong voice.
Her first published novel was Union Street (1982). It told seven connected stories about working-class women in England. Their lives were often difficult due to poverty. Publishers at first thought the book was too sad.
Barker met another writer, Angela Carter, who helped her. Union Street was praised as a "masterpiece" and a powerful first novel. It was later made into a Hollywood movie, Stanley & Iris (1990). However, Barker said the film was quite different from her book. Union Street became one of her publisher's most popular books.
Barker's first three published novels focused on the lives of working-class women in Yorkshire. These books were Union Street (1982), Blow Your House Down (1984), and Liza's England (1986). Critics described them as full of strong feelings, honest, and real. Liza's England was called a "modern-day masterpiece." It followed the life of a working-class woman born at the start of the 20th century.
The Regeneration Trilogy
After Liza's England, Barker felt she was being labeled too much as a "northern, working-class, feminist" writer. She wanted to show she could write about other topics. She also wanted to write about men.
So, she decided to write about the First World War. Her step-grandfather had been wounded in the war and never spoke about it. This inspired her. She wrote the Regeneration Trilogy: Regeneration (1991), The Eye in the Door (1993), and The Ghost Road (1995).
These books explore the history of World War I. They focus on the lasting effects of difficult experiences, like shell shock. Barker used writings from war poets and a doctor who helped soldiers. Many characters are based on real people, like Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon. She also created a fictional character, Billy Prior, who appears in all three books.
Barker believes that historical novels can help us understand today's problems. She said that writing about the past can make people more open to new ideas.
The Regeneration Trilogy was very well-liked by critics. It was called "brilliant, intense and subtle" and a "triumph." The New York Times described it as a "fierce meditation on the horrors of war." Another author, Jonathan Coe, called it "one of the few real masterpieces of late 20th century British fiction." In 1995, The Ghost Road won the important Booker Prize.
Awards and Recognition
Pat Barker has received many awards for her writing.
- In 1983, she won the Fawcett Society prize for Union Street.
- In 1993, she won the Guardian Fiction Prize for The Eye in the Door.
- In 1995, she won the Booker Prize for The Ghost Road.
- In 1997, she received an honorary doctorate from the Open University.
- In 2000, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Critics often say that Barker's writing is direct and honest. The Guardian said that her books offer "plain truths" and a "clear eye." The Independent wrote that she is a great writer about war and human nature.
In 2019, Barker was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction for The Silence of the Girls. This book was praised as "chilling, powerful, audacious" and a "searing twist on The Iliad." The Guardian called it an "important, powerful, memorable book." In July 2024, Barker was made an honorary Fellow of the British Academy.
Personal Life
In 1969, Pat Barker met David Barker, a zoology professor. They had two children together and married in 1978. Their daughter, Anna Barker Ralph, is also a novelist. Pat Barker's husband passed away in 2009.
List of Works
- Union Street (1982)
- Blow Your House Down (1984)
- The Century's Daughter (also known as Liza's England; 1986)
- The Man Who Wasn't There (1988)
- Regeneration Trilogy:
- Regeneration (1991)
- The Eye in the Door (1993)
- The Ghost Road (1995)
- Another World (1998)
- Border Crossing (2001)
- Double Vision (2003)
- Life Class (2007)
- Toby's Room (2012)
- Noonday (2015)
- Trojan Wars series:
- The Silence of the Girls (2018)
- The Women of Troy (2021)
- The Voyage Home (2024)
Images for kids
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