Winston Graham facts for kids

Winston Mawdsley Graham was a famous English writer. He is best known for his exciting series of historical novels called Poldark. These books are set in Cornwall, England. Graham also wrote many other types of books, including thrilling suspense stories and plays. He was born Winston Grime but later changed his name to Graham in 1947. He was also given an OBE award for his work.

About Winston Graham

Winston Graham was born on June 30, 1908, in Victoria Park, Manchester, England. When he was a child, he got very sick with pneumonia. Because of this, he went to a local school instead of a bigger one. His father, Albert Grime, was a successful tea seller.

When Winston was 17, he moved to a beautiful place called Perranporth in Cornwall. He lived there for 34 years! Winston always wanted to be a writer. After his father passed away, his mother supported him while he wrote books at home. He wrote them all by hand.

Graham loved playing tennis when he was young. He even wrote in his diary how many games he played each day. He lived in Perranporth until 1960. Then, he moved to the south of France for a short time before settling in East Sussex. He was part of the Society of Authors and a member of the Royal Society of Literature.

In 1939, Graham married Jean Williamson. They had met when she was only 13 years old. Jean often helped Winston with ideas for his books. The character of Demelza in his Poldark series was partly based on her. Their daughter said that Jean was very observant and remembered everything, which helped her father. Jean passed away in 1992. They had two children, Andrew and Rosamund.

Winston Graham died on July 10, 2003, when he was 95 years old. His autobiography, Memoirs of a Private Man, was published shortly after he passed away.

Winston Graham's Books

Graham's very first novel, The House with the Stained Glass Windows, was published in 1934.

His first Poldark novel, Ross Poldark, came out in 1945. He wrote 11 more Poldark books after that. The last one, Bella Poldark, was published in 2002. All these stories are set in Cornwall, especially near Perranporth, where Graham lived for many years.

Graham also wrote many exciting suspense novels. He wrote 30 other novels besides the Poldark series. He also wrote a collection of short stories and three non-fiction books. Some of his most famous books, apart from Poldark, are Marnie (published in 1961) and The Walking Stick (published in 1967). In 1955, his novel The Little Walls won an important award for crime novels.

In 1972, Graham wrote a factual book called The Spanish Armadas. This book was about the conflicts between England and Spain in the 1500s. He explained that there was a second, lesser-known attempt by Spain to invade England in 1597. This attempt was stopped by a big storm.

Graham also wrote several plays. His books have been translated into 31 different languages, meaning people all over the world can read his stories!

Books on Screen

The first seven Poldark novels were made into two BBC television series. These shows were broadcast in the UK between 1975 and 1977. They were incredibly popular, with about 14 million viewers! Some church services were even rescheduled so people could watch Poldark episodes. Graham himself didn't like the early episodes of the show very much.

The Poldark novels have been adapted for television two other times since then.

Graham's suspense novel Marnie (from 1961) was made into a movie in 1964. The famous director Alfred Hitchcock directed it. It starred Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery. Marnie was also adapted into a play and an opera.

Five of Graham's other books have also been made into films:

• Take My Life (1947)
• Night Without Stars (1951)
• Fortune Is a Woman (1957)
• Sócio de Alcova (1962 Brazil) / Carnival of Crime (1964 US)
• The Walking Stick (1970)

Remembering Winston Graham

The Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro, Cornwall, had a special exhibition about Winston Graham's life and works in 2008. This celebrated 100 years since his birth. A special writing prize, called the Winston Graham Historical Prize, was also started. It is for new, unpublished stories, especially those connected to Cornwall.

Most of Winston Graham's original writings and papers have been given to the Royal Institution of Cornwall. His children, Andrew Graham and Rosamund Barteau, donated them. Other papers are kept at Boston University and other places.

See also

In Spanish: Winston Graham para niños