English women writers. Famous British writers

The selection includes the most famous works of English writers. These are British novels, detective stories and stories popular with readers around the world. We didn't stop at one genre or time. There is science fiction, fantasy, humorous stories, dystopias, children's adventures and other masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the present. The books are different, but they have something in common. All of them made a tangible contribution to the development of world literature and art, reflected national characteristics UK residents.

Famous English writers

Let's not forget about Iris Murdoch, John le Carré, JK Rowling, Ian McEwan, Joanne Harris, Julian Barnes and other talented contemporary English writers. Another shining example gifted author - Kazuo Ishiguro. In 2017, this famous British writer of Japanese origin received the Nobel Prize in Literature. The selection includes his novel about touching love and sense of duty “The Remains of the Day.” Add and read. And then be sure to watch the excellent film adaptation - starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson - “At the End of the Day” (dir. James Ivory, 1993).

Literary awards and film adaptations

These works are a treasure trove of inspiration for directors, producers, and screenwriters. It’s hard to imagine that if Bernard Shaw had not written the play “Pygmalion,” we would not have seen the stunning transformation of Audrey Hepburn from an illiterate flower girl into a sophisticated aristocrat. It's about about the film "My wonderful lady"(dir. George Cukor, 1964).

From modern books and their successful film adaptations check out “The Long Fall.” Nick Hornby wrote an ironic novel about the relationship between good human communication and the desire to live. The film of the same name with Pierce Brosnan and Toni Collette (dir. Pascal Chomel, 2013) turned out to be soulful and life-affirming.

Geographical information

The selection of English writers and their works was impressive - more than 70 books. This is a real book challenge! Add the books you like and immerse yourself in a slightly prim, but so elegant world!

Nick Hornby is known not only as the author of such popular novels as Hi-Fi and My Boy, but also as a screenwriter. The writer’s cinematic style makes him very popular in adapting books by various authors into film adaptations: “Brooklyn”, “An Education of Sentiments”, “Wild”.

In the past, an ardent football fan, he even expressed his obsession in the autobiographical novel “Football Fever.”

Culture is often a key theme in Hornby's books; in particular, the writer does not like it when pop culture is underestimated, considering it to be limited. Also, the key themes of the works are often the hero’s relationship with himself and others, overcoming and searching for himself.

Nick Hornby now lives in the Highbury area of ​​North London, where he is just a stone's throw from his beloved stadium. football team"Arsenal".

Doris Lessing (1919 - 2013)

After the second divorce in 1949, she moved with her son to London, where at first she rented an apartment with a couple lung woman behavior.

The topics that worried Lessing, as often happens, changed during her life, and if in 1949-1956 she was primarily occupied with social issues and communist themes, then from 1956 to 1969 her works began to be psychological character. In more later works The author was close to the postulates of the esoteric movement in Islam - Sufism. In particular, this was expressed in many of her science fiction works from the Canopus series.

In 2007, the writer was awarded Nobel Prize on literature.

The novel "Bridget Jones's Diary", which was born from the column that Helen wrote in the Independent newspaper, brought the writer worldwide success and the love of millions of women.

The plot of "The Diary" repeats in detail the plot of Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice", right down to the name of the main character. male character— Mark Darcy.

They say that the writer was inspired to write the book by the 1995 TV series and especially by Colin Firth, since he migrated without any changes to the film adaptation of “The Diary.”

In Great Britain Stephen is known as an esthete and big original driving around in his own cab. Stephen Fry incomparably combines two abilities: to be the standard of British style and to regularly shock the public. His bold statements about God confuse many, which, however, does not in any way affect his popularity. He is openly gay - last year, 57-year-old Fry married a 27-year-old comedian.

Fry does not hide the fact that he used drugs and suffers from bipolar disorder, about which he even made a documentary.

It’s not easy to define all of Fry’s areas of activity; he jokingly calls himself “a British actor, writer, king of dance, prince of swimsuits and blogger.” All of his books invariably become bestsellers, and interviews are analyzed for quotes.

Stephen is considered a rare owner of a unique classic English accent; an entire book has been written about the art of “speaking like Stephen Fry”.

Julian Barnes has been called the "chameleon" of British literature. He is excellent at creating works that are different from each other without losing his individuality: eleven novels, four of which are detective stories, written under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh, a collection of short stories, a collection of essays, a collection of articles and reviews.

The writer was repeatedly accused of francophony, especially after the publication of the book “Flaubert's Parrot,” a kind of mixture of a biography of the writer and a scientific treatise on the role of the author in general. The writer's attraction to everything French is partly explained by the fact that he grew up in the family of a French teacher.

His novel “The History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters” became a real event in literature. Written in the dystopian genre, the novel seeks answers to a number of philosophical questions about the essence of man, his past, present and future.

A favorite of children and adults around the world, the restless Paddington Bear was “born” in 1958, when Michael Bond last moment Before Christmas I realized that I forgot to buy a gift for my wife. Out of hopelessness, the author, who had already written many plays and stories by that time, bought his wife a toy bear in a blue raincoat.

In 2014, a film was made based on his books, where London became one of characters narration. It appears before us as if through the eyes of a little guest from dense Peru: at first rainy and inhospitable, and then sunny and beautiful. In the picture you can recognize Notting Hill, Portobello Road, streets near Maida Vale station, Paddington station and the Natural History Museum.

Interestingly, the writer now lives in London just near Paddington station.

Rowling went from welfare dole to author of the best-selling book series in history in just five years, which became the basis for films that in turn are recognized as the second highest-grossing franchise.

As Rowling herself said, the idea for the book came to her during a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990. .

Neil Gaiman is called one of the main modern storytellers. Hollywood producers are lining up for the film rights to his books.

He also wrote scripts himself more than once. His famous novel Neverwhere was born from just such a script for a mini-series filmed at the BBC in 1996. Although, of course, the opposite is more often the case.

Scary tales Neil is also loved for the fact that they blur the lines between intellectual and entertaining literature.

The writer is a winner of prestigious awards; many of Ian’s works have been filmed.

The writer's first works were distinguished by cruelty and great attention to the theme of violence, for which the author was awarded the nickname Ian Macabre. He was also called the black wizard of modern British prose and a world-class expert on all types of violence.

IN further creativity all these themes remained, but seemed to fade into the background, running like a red thread through the fate of the heroes, without lingering in the frame themselves.

The writer spent his childhood on the run: he was born in Czechoslovakia into an intelligent Jewish family. Due to her nationality, his mother moved to Singapore and then to India. Almost all of the writer’s relatives died during the Second World War, and his mother, having married a British military man for the second time, raised her children as real Englishmen.

Stoppard became famous for the play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” a reimagined tragedy of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” which, under Tom’s pen, turned into a comedy.

The playwright has a lot in common with Russia. He visited here in 1977, working on a report about dissidents who were kept in psychiatric hospitals. "It was cold. Moscow seemed gloomy to me,” the author shares his memories.

The writer also visited Moscow during the production of a play based on his play at the RAMT Theater in 2007. The theme of the 8-hour performance is the development of Russian political thought XIX century with its main characters: Herzen, Chaadaev, Turgenev, Belinsky, Bakunin.

Warm greetings to my readers!

Both small and big. Although today's lesson will be dedicated to rather first. We are waiting for English writers for children and their works. We will also touch on the “oldies” from the 19th century. And consider the “youth” of the 20th century. And I will also give you a list of where they are famous books and the famous ones are arranged in order of my sincere love :).

Let `s start?

• Lewis Carroll

Many people know this writer from his restless heroine Alice and her endless travels to Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. The writer's biography itself is no less interesting than his books. He grew up in a large family - with 3 brothers and 7 sisters. He loved to draw and dreamed of becoming an artist.

The story itself tells us about a girl who finds herself in a wonderful Magic world. Where the multitude meets interesting characters: And Cheshire cat, and the mad hatter, and the queen of cards.

• Roald Dahl

Roald was born in Wales into a Norwegian family. Most spent his childhood in boarding houses. One of the latter was located next to the famous Cadbury chocolate factory. It is believed that it was then that the idea came to him to write his best children's story- "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

This story is about a boy, Charlie, who receives one of five tickets. This ticket will take him into the closed chocolate factory. Together with 4 other participants, he completes all the tasks in the factory and remains the winner.

• Rudyard Kipling

This author is known to us for his story "The Jungle Book", which tells about a boy named Mowgli who grew up among wild forests along with a variety of animals. Most likely, this story was inspired by his own childhood. The fact is that Rudyard was born and lived for the first 5 years of his life in India.

• Joanne Rowling

The most famous “storyteller” of our time gave us that same one. Joan wrote this story for her children. And at that time their family lived very poorly.

And the books themselves give us the opportunity to plunge into the world of magic and magic. The boy Harry finds out that he is a wizard and goes to Hogwarts school. Interesting adventures await him there.

It's cheaper to buy books here!

• Joan Aiken

This woman simply had to become a writer, because everyone in her family wrote: from her father to her sister. But Joan was engaged specifically in children's literature. So its the most famous work became the story “A Piece of Heaven in a Pie.” And it was this story that our domestic TV channels filmed. True, this story is known to the Russian people under the name “Apple Pie”.

• Robert Louis Stevenson

Not a man - a pirate! You just want to shout “Hey-hey!”, because this man invented the pirate Captain Flint in his story “Treasure Island”. Hundreds of boys stayed up at night to follow the adventures of this hero.

The author himself was born in cold Scotland. He studied to be an engineer and lawyer. Moreover, his first book was published when Robert was only 16 years old, using money borrowed from his father. But he came up with the story about treasure island much later. And what’s interesting is while playing with my son. Together they drew a treasure map and came up with stories.

• John Tolkien

The creator of modern from another world - "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" - stories so fantastic and exciting that they take your breath away.

The author of the books, John, worked as a teacher. As a child, he learned to read early, so he did it often. He admitted that he hated the story “Treasure Island” with a fierce hatred, but madly loved “Alice in Wonderland.” The author himself wrote stories for which he was nicknamed “the father of fantasy.”

• Pamela Travers

This woman's real name is Helen. She was born in far, far away Australia. But at the age of 8 she moved with her mother to Wales. As a child, Pamela loved animals very much. She was fiddling around in the yard and imagining herself as a bird. As she grew up, she traveled a lot, but eventually returned to England.

One day she was asked to babysit two small and restless children. So, while playing, she began to invent a story about a nanny who carried things with her in a suitcase and who had an umbrella with a parrot-shaped handle. Then the plot develops on paper and this is how the world got the famous nanny Mary Poppins. The first book was followed by others - continuations of the story about the nanny.

I think we'll end here. Read interesting books, learn the language and develop. And don’t miss the opportunity to receive new blog articles instantly by email - subscribe to the newsletter.

See you again!

Check out the video below for some more great writers and their works that are worth reading!

McEwan masterfully combines a laconic narrative style with an unpredictable ending. Its story centers on two friends, the editor of a popular newspaper and the composer composing the Millennium Symphony. True, practically nothing remained of their friendship, only hidden anger and resentment. It is worth reading to find out how the confrontation between old comrades ended.

In this collection we have included the most English novel writer, in which he tries to explain what good old England is. The events take place on the island-attraction of White, where all sorts of stereotypes about the country are collected: the monarchy, Robin Hood, The Beatles, beer... Indeed, why do tourists need modern England, if there is miniature copy, combining all the most interesting things?

Victorian love story poets of the 19th century century, which is intertwined with the history of modern scientists. A book for the intelligent reader who will enjoy the rich language, classic plots and numerous allusions to cultural and historical phenomena.

Coe for a long time composed jazz music which affected him literary creativity. “What a scam!” akin to improvisation, this is a bold and unexpected novel.

Michael, writer mediocre, gets the opportunity to tell the story of the wealthy and very influential Winshaw family. The problem is that these greedy relatives who have taken over all areas public life, poison the lives of other people and do not inspire sympathy.

If you've seen Cloud Atlas, this is an incredible complicated story invented by David Mitchell. But today we recommend that you take up reading another, no less interesting novel.

"Dream No. 9" is often compared to best works. A young boy, Eiji, comes to Tokyo in search of the father he has never met. In eight weeks in the metropolis, he managed to find love, fall into the clutches of the yakuza, make peace with his alcoholic mother, find friends... You have to figure out for yourself which of this happened in reality and which in a dream.

"Tennis Balls of Heaven" - modern version“The Count of Monte Cristo”, supplemented with new details and meanings. Although we know the plot, it is simply impossible to stop reading.

Main character- student Ned Muddstone, for whom everything in life is going better than ever. He is handsome, smart, rich, well-mannered, from a good family. But because of a stupid joke from envious comrades, his whole life changes dramatically. Ned finds himself locked in a mental hospital, where he lives with only one goal - to get out in order to take revenge.

The novel about the life of 30-year-old Bridget Jones is popular all over the world. Thanks in part to the Hollywood adaptation starring Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth. But mostly because of the eccentric and so charming Bridget. She counts calories, tries to quit smoking and drink less, experiences setbacks in her personal life, but is still optimistic about the future and believes in love.

There are books in which you forgive the simplicity of the plot, the banality of the scenes, and stupid coincidences simply because they have soulfulness. "Bridget Jones's Diary" is that rare case.

The story of the boy with the scar is real cultural phenomenon. The first book "Harry Potter and philosopher's Stone"was rejected by 12 publishers, and only the small Bloomsbury, at its own risk, decided to publish it. And it was right. "" was a resounding success, and Rowling herself received the love of readers around the world.

Against the backdrop of magic and enchantment, we are talking about familiar and important things - friendship, honesty, courage, readiness to help and resist evil. That's why Rowling's fictional world captivates readers of all ages.

"The Collector" is John Fowles' most frightening and at the same time exciting novel. The main character, Frederick Clegg, loves collecting butterflies, but at some point he decides to add a cute girl, Miranda, to his collection. We learn this story from the words of the kidnapper and from the diary of his victim.

Thomas More (1478 - 1535), from whom famous English writers actually originate, despite his “serious” origins from the family of a famous judge in London, had exceptional cheerfulness from childhood. For 13 years he found himself in the service of the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Morton.

However, not only his wit, but also his thirst for knowledge contributed to the fact that his stern mentor predicted the fate of an “amazing man” for him.

Beginning in 1510, the young lawyer became interested VIII, and this meant the beginning of a political career for Thomas. 11 years later he was so successful at it that he was knighted, with the prefix “sir” added to his name. And for the manifesto “In Defense of the Seven Sacraments,” he was awarded the title Defender of the Faith of England by Pope Leo X.

Researchers still do not know whether to classify his “History of Richard III” as historical or work of art. It is similar to the chronicles of those years, but it also represents the point of view of the author, who gives an assessment of the events of 1483; this version was very popular in the works of writers of the 19th century.

Thomas More had other talents - poet and translator. He is credited, in particular, with the authorship of 280 Latin epigrams, translations from Greek language and poems.

More's most significant creation is Utopia, which remains relevant in England today. Her ideas were used by Russian writers of the 19th century. In the genre of the novel, he laid down a powerful message of socialist thought.

It can be considered a kind of manifesto for utopian socialism of the 19th century. A master of epigrams, he himself spoke of his work as useful and funny. Cancellation ideas private property and exploitation of labor are also used by modern writers.

Jonathan Swift (1667 - 1745) is known to the general public only as the author of the famous Gulliver's Travels. However, this talented satirist of England proved himself to be a brave publicist, philosopher, poet and public figure, who most of all advocated for solving the problems of their native Irish. They consider him their confessor famous writers 19th century.

Swift came from a poor family. His father, his full namesake, died in the rank of a minor judicial official when his wife was pregnant with the future classic English literature. Therefore, all the work of raising the baby was taken upon himself by his uncle Godwin, and his my own mother Jonathan practically didn't know.

He studied at Trinity College (Dublin University) with a bachelor's degree, but this study left him with a lifelong skepticism towards science. He was much better at languages ​​- Latin and Greek, as well as French, plus he had excellent makings of a writer who influenced the literature of England in the 19th century.

Even before receiving his master's degree at Oxford (1692), he made his debut in the literary field as a poet.

Two years later, Jonathan became a confessor and was sent to Ireland. The religious fervor of the future critic of morals did not last long, and already in 1696-1699 he returned to English literature with satirical stories, parables and poems, which were developed in Russian literature of the 19th century.

Nevertheless, having lost his patrons in London, he was forced to return to the bosom of the church, without ceasing to create in the field of satire. In 1702, he became a doctor of divinity at the same Trinity College from which he had previously graduated.

One of the two parables he had previously written, “The Tale of the Barrel,” brought him popularity in England. In 1713, he took the position of dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, thus entering big politics. The main topic his aspirations were the struggle for Irish autonomy, which English writers actively glorified in their works of the 19th century.

It is interesting that the first two volumes of Gulliver were published anonymously in England (1726). The remaining two, however, did not take long to arrive (1727) and, despite some successes of censorship, which slightly spoiled the book, “Travels” instantly became incredibly popular. Suffice it to say that within a few months the book was reprinted three times, and then its translations began, which continued into the 19th and 20th centuries.

Samuel Richardson (1689 – 1761) can rightfully be called the founding father of the “sensitive” literature of England, which was continued by writers of the 19th century. With three novels - "Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded", "Clarissa, or the Story of a Young Lady" and "The Story of Sir Charles Grandison" - he formed the foundation of his worldwide fame.

He was not only a wonderful writer, but also a reputable printer and publisher in England. He survived the death of his wife and five sons, married again, and his second wife bore him four daughters. However, Samuel himself was from big family, in which, in addition to himself, eight more children grew up.

Already in adolescence Samuel was drawn to writing. At the age of 13, girls he knew begged him to write answers for them to love letters sent to them. Thus, with simple research into girls’ hearts, he prepared the ground for his “three pillars”, on which their fruits grew in the 19th century.

As a 17-year-old boy, he became a printer, and for seven long years he worked as a laborer for the master, who disliked Richardson so much that he, the only one of his workers, did not give him any concessions. After leaving him, Samuel opened his own printing house, and then married for convenience the daughter of his former employer.

Richardson wrote his first novel at the age of 51, and this creation instantly became a bestseller, and its author a lifetime classic.

Each of Samuel's three novels tells the story of the life of a certain class of England, from the lowest to the highest. Their main advantage is a fundamental analysis of feelings and abundant moral teaching. The most successful critics unanimously call it “Clarissa, or the Story of a Young Lady,” the ideas of which came to court in the 19th century and are also used by modern authors.

Henry Fielding (1707 - 1754) is the founder of the genre realistic novel in England, author of The History of Tom Jones, Foundling, and also a prolific playwright. Coming from a general's family, a hereditary nobleman, he graduated from Eton, studied for two years in Leiden, but was forced to return to London and earn a living as a playwright.

His first opuses with a clearly satirical slant came under fire from official criticism, and after the release of The Golden Rump from his pen, the authorities adopted the Law on Theater Censorship, which was still relevant in the 19th century.

Fielding had to quit the theater, enter Templely and concentrate on his legal career in order to support his family. Along the way, he became interested in journalism, but was often poor, and only the patronage of the wealthy benefactor Ralph Allen (later the prototype of Olvetri in Tom Jones) helped his children, after Henry’s death, receive a decent education.

However, the attractiveness of satire did not allow him to leave dramaturgy forever, and the success of his “Thumb Boy” in England became a continuation of his career in this field. His first major success became “Shamela”, in this novel he takes the baton from Jonathan Swift and successfully criticizes the melodramatic genre, which was in great favor at that time and most fully developed in the 19th century.

However, neither in this nor in the subsequent Joseph Andrews did Fielding achieve the same level of mastery as in The History of the Life of the Late Jonathan Wild the Great. The theme of fraud begun in this novel continued in The Effeminate Spouse.

The crowning achievement of Fielding's work is undoubtedly his Tom Jones. Here's the genre picaresque novel is already almost completely formed in order to sail further on the waves of English literature, accessible to followers.

And the tilt towards sentimentalism that he made in “Emilia” only testifies to the multifaceted talent of this great English writer.

Walter Scott (1771 – 1832) was the first to use the today fashionable word “freelancer” (in “Ivanhoe”), and he was not a free artist, but a hired one medieval warrior. In addition to writing and poetry, history and advocacy, the founder historical novel The 19th century was no stranger to collecting antiquities.

He was born the ninth child in a family of intellectuals, where his father was a wealthy lawyer, and his mother was the daughter of a medical professor. However, at the age of one, little Walter suffered from infantile paralysis, and therefore, despite repeated treatment, he right leg I lost my mobility forever.

The future novelist of the 19th century spent his childhood with his grandfather, a farmer, amazing those around him with his liveliness of mind and unique memory. His years of study were associated with his native Edinburgh; here the boy developed a passion for studying the ballads and tales of Scotland and creativity German poets.

At the age of 21 he became a certified lawyer., and then starts his own legal practice. At this time, he travels a lot around Britain, collecting his favorite English legends and ballads.

The writer meets his first love in the same lawyer family. However, the girl chose a banker over him, which forever broke his heart, pieces of which littered all his subsequent literary opuses.

Unfortunately, childhood illnesses made themselves felt in 1830 with apoplexy. Now he is losing his mobility right hand. Over the next two years, he suffered two more such strokes, and died in 1832 from a heart attack.

Now his Abbotsford estate houses a museum containing all the relics associated with his life's achievements. They began with translations of the ballads of one of his favorite German poets, Burger - “Lenora” and “Wild Hunter”. The next one in his translation was Goethe's drama Goetz von Berlichingham.

It is clear, therefore, that Scott’s debut in 19th-century literature could only have been poetic work– ballad “Midsummer Evening” (1800). Already in 1802, he burst into a two-volume work, which included both Scott’s original ballads and his revised English legends.

And a year later literary world witnessed the birth of the first novel in verse, Marmion. In addition, he holds the throne of the founder of the historical poem, and his work in the years 1805-1817 popularized the lyric-epic poem.

So, having already become famous poet, he graduated from Waverley in 1814 and began a career that brought him worldwide fame, which is the envy of writers all over the planet. Despite his poor health, Walter Scott was phenomenally productive. He published less than two novels a year.

This was the Honoré de Balzac of 19th century English literature! It is interesting that from the very beginning he sought his path in the genre of the historical novel of England. And, judging by the success of Rob Roy, Woodstock, Ivanhoe, Quentin Durward, The Antiquarian and his other novels that followed Waverley, he completely succeeded!