Aiken, Joan

Aiken, Joan

▪ British author
in full  Joan Delano Aiken  
born September 4, 1924, Rye, Sussex, England
died January 4, 2004, Petworth, West Sussex
 prolific British author of fantasy, adventure, horror, and suspense tales for both juvenile and adult readers. Perhaps best-known as the inventor of a genre called the “unhistorical romance,” Aiken wrote tales that combine humour and action with traditional mythic and fairy tale elements. Many of these works are set in an invented historical era during the imagined reign of James III of England, who was known as the Old Pretender.

      Aiken was the daughter of the poet Conrad Aiken (Aiken, Conrad). While still a student, she had two poems published in The Abinger Chronicle, a prestigious little magazine, and at age 18 her first short story was published. As an adult, she wrote radio scripts and worked as a librarian for the United Nations. In 1955 she became an editor for the literary magazine Argosy and later was a copywriter for an advertising agency.

      Aiken's first books, All You've Ever Wanted (1953) and More Than You Bargained For (1955), are short-story collections. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1962) was her first novel to combine elements of history, horror, and adventure. Set in 19th-century England, the children's book was the first in a series that included Black Hearts in Battersea (1964), The Whispering Mountain (1968), Dido and Pa (1986), and Midwinter Nightingale (2003). In 1974 Arabel's Raven was published and launched a popular series that followed the adventures of Arabel and Mortimer, her pet raven. A prolific writer, Aiken penned more than 60 short-story collections and novels for children. Her many books of adult fiction, beginning with The Silence of Herondale (1964), are categorized as terror, suspense, and mystery stories. She also wrote a number of novels based on Jane Austen (Austen, Jane)'s works, including Mansfield Revisited (1984), Jane Fairfax: Jane Austen's Emma Through Another's Eyes (1990), and Eliza's Daughter (1994). Among Aiken's nonfiction works are The Way to Write for Children (1982).

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  • Aiken, Joan Delano — ▪ 2005       British author (b. Sept. 4, 1924, Rye, Sussex, Eng. d. Jan. 4, 2004, Petsworth, West Sussex, Eng.), wrote fantasy, adventure, horror, and suspense tales for both juvenile and adult readers. Aiken, the daughter of the American writer… …   Universalium

  • Joan Delano Aiken — (* 4. September 1924 in Rye, Sussex, England; † 4. Januar 2004 in Petworth, West Sussex) war eine britische Schriftstellerin. Sie schrieb Fantasy und Mystery Romane sowie Fantasy Geschichten für Kinder. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joan Aiken — Joan Delano Aiken (4 de septiembre de 1924 – 4 enero de 2004) fue una novelista inglesa. Nacida en Rye, East Sussex, en una familia de escritores que incluía a su padre, el poeta Conrad Aiken (ganador de un premio Pulitzer por su obra poética),… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Joan Aiken — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Aiken. Joan Aiken est une écrivaine anglaise, née le 4 septembre 1924 et morte le 4 janvier 2004. Elle est la fille du poète américain Conrad Aiken. Elle a commencé par écrire des livres pour… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Joan Aiken — Joan Delano Aiken (* 4. September 1924 in Rye, Sussex, England; † 4. Januar 2004 in Petworth, West Sussex) war eine britische Schriftstellerin. Sie schrieb Fantasy und Mystery Romane sowie Fantasy Geschichten für Kinder. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joan Aiken — Joan Delano Aiken (September 4 1924 ndash; January 4 2004) was an English novelist. She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane… …   Wikipedia

  • Aiken (surname) — Aiken is a surname, and may refer to*Ann Aiken (born 1951), US District Court Judge *Blair Aiken (born 1956), American NASCAR driver *Carl Aiken, Jamaican reggae singer Shinehead *Caroline Aiken (born 1955), musician from Atlanta, Georgia… …   Wikipedia

  • Aiken — ist der Name mehrerer Personen: Clay Aiken (* 1978), US amerikanischer Pop und Rock Sänger Conrad Aiken (1889–1973), US amerikanischer Schriftsteller D. Wyatt Aiken (1828–1887), US amerikanischer Politiker und Armeeoffizier Frank Aiken… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Aiken —  Cette page d’homonymie répertorie des personnes (réelles ou fictives) partageant un même patronyme.  Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents lieux partageant un même toponyme. Aiken peut désigner : Patronyme Conrad Aiken… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Aiken — I Aiken   [ eɪkɪn],    1) Conrad Potter, amerikanischer Schriftsteller, * Savannah (Georgia) 5. 8. 1889, ✝ ebenda 17. 8. 1973, Vater von 4); studierte an der Harvard University mit T. S. Eliot und V. W. Brooks, wurde v. a. von E. A. Poe, G.… …   Universal-Lexikon

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