Shirley Hughes
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| Shirley Hughes | |
| Born: | July 16, 1927 Wirral Peninsula, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | Freelance writer and illustrator |
| Nationality: | British |
| Writing period: | 1960s – present |
| Genres: | Children's |
Shirley Hughes (born 16 July 1927, Wirral, United Kingdom) is an English writer and illustrator. She has written more than fifty books which have sold more than 11.5 million copies, and illustrated over two hundred. She currently lives in London.[1][2][3]
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[edit] Early life
Hughes grew up in West Kirby, in the Wirral. She has stated that during childhood she was inspired by artists like Arthur Rackham and W. Heath Robinson, and later the cinema and the Walker Art Gallery.[4] She was educated at West Kirby High School, and studied drawing and costume design at the Liverpool School of Art, then the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford.[2] Whilst at Oxford, she was encouraged to work in the picture book format and to make lithographic illustrations. Soon she was commissioned by Collins. After art school Hughes moved to Notting Hill, London[5] and married John Vulliamy, an architect and etcher, and they had three children together.[6]
[edit] Work
Hughes began her work during the 1950s and 1960s by illustrating other books, such as My Naughty Little Sister by Dorothy Edwards and The Bell Family by Noel Streatfield.[5] Her first work as an author was Lucy & Tom's Day, first published in 1960. This story proved popular, and so Lucy and Tom became a series.[1] She went on to write over fifty more stories, including a series about a young boy named Alfie, and his sister Annie-Rose.[6]
[edit] Awards
Her 1977 story, Dogger, was the first to be published widely abroad.[4] This story also won her the Kate Greenaway medal the same year. In 1984 Hughes won the Eleanor Farjeon award for distinguished services to children's literature. In 1999, she was awarded an OBE, and in 2000 she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In 2003 she was granted an Honorary Fellowship by Liverpool John Moores University.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Shirley Hughes - Penguin UK Authors. URL retrieved on 1 January 2007.
- ^ a b Random House profile. URL retrieved on 1 January 2007.
- ^ Times Online: It's all about Alfie. URL retrieved on 1 January 2007.
- ^ a b Shirley Hughes at Walker Books. URL retrieved on 1 January 2007.
- ^ a b c Shirley Hughes - Alfie, Dogger and Friends. URL retrieved on 1 January 2007.
- ^ a b Booklist of Works by Childrens Book Illustrators. URL retrieved on 1 January 2007.
