Fay Weldon
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Fay Weldon
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
,
FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...
(born Franklin Birkinshaw; 22 September 1931 – 4 January 2023) was an English author, essayist and playwright. Over the course of her 55-year writing career, she published 31 novels, including ''
Puffball Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that bursts on impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores when mature. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass several genera, including '' Calvatia'', '' ...
'' (1980), '' The Cloning of Joanna May'' (1989), '' Wicked Women'' (1995)'' and The Bulgari Connection'' (2000), but was most well-known as the writer of ''
The Life and Loves of a She-Devil ''The Life and Loves of a She-Devil'' is a 1983 novel by British feminism, feminist author Fay Weldon. A story about a highly unattractive woman who goes to great lengths to take revenge on her husband and his attractive lover, Weldon stated tha ...
'' (1983) which was televised by the BBC in 1986. Married three times and with four children, Weldon was a self-declared
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
. Her work features what she described as "overweight, plain women". She said there were many reasons why she became a feminist, including the "appalling" lack of equal opportunities and the myth that women were supported by male relatives.


Early life

Weldon was born Franklin Birkinshaw to a literary family in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England, on 22 September 1931. Her maternal grandfather, Edgar Jepson (1863–1938), her uncle Selwyn Jepson and her mother Margaret Jepson wrote novels (the latter sometimes under the nom de plume Pearl Bellairs, from the name of a character in
Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...
's short story "Farcical History of Richard Greenow"). Weldon grew up in
Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
, New Zealand, where her father, Frank Thornton Birkinshaw, worked as a doctor. In 1936, when she was five, her parents agreed to separate, later divorcing (1940). She and her sister Jane spent the summers with her father, first in
Coromandel Coromandel may refer to: Places India *Coromandel Coast, India **Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements ** Dutch Coromandel *Coromandel, KGF, Karnataka, India New Zealand *Coromandel, New Zealand, a town on the Coromandel Peninsula *Coro ...
, later in
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
. She attended Christchurch Girls' High School for two years from 1944. Weldon has described herself as a "plump, cheerful child", stating in a blog post that began as an unpublished article for the ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'': "I was born large, blonde and big-boned into a family of small beautiful women. My mother thought it was unlikely that anyone would marry me, and therefore I would have to pass exams, earn my own living and make my own way in the world. Or that’s what I thought she thought." She goes on to explain how this view of herself affected her later writing career. "I’d be happier to have been seen as a skinny, feisty child, a slim and serious adult, and a handsome octogenarian with an interesting literary past. But that was not to be, despite a lifetime of diets. It was however a state of affairs which made me write a good few novels with overweight, plain women as their heroines. I’ve always been on their side – they are the unseen majority." In September 1946, when she was 15, Weldon returned to England with her mother and sister. She recalled: "I was a literary groupie from the antipodes...Not that I had any intention of being a writer at the time – too much like hard work. All I wanted was to get married and have babies." She did not see her father again before his death in 1949. In England Weldon won a scholarship to the all-girls
South Hampstead High School ) , established = as St. Johns Wood School , closed = , type = Independent day school , religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = , head ...
, before going on to study
Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
and
Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
at the
University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...
, Scotland. Later she recalled attending classes with the moral philosopher
Malcolm Knox Sir Thomas Malcolm Knox (28 November 1900 – 6 April 1980) was a British philosopher who served as Principal of St Andrews University from 1953–1966 and Vice-president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1975–1978. Biography Knox ...
, who "spoke exclusively to the male students, maintaining that women were incapable of moral judgement or objectivity." She completed her
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in 1952 and moved to London, where she worked as a clerk at the
Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...
for a salary of £6 a week.


Early career

Weldon had temporary jobs as a waitress and hospital ward orderly before working as a clerk for the Foreign Office, where she wrote pamphlets to be dropped in
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
as part of the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. She had to leave this job after she became pregnant. Later she took a job with
Crawford's Advertising Agency Crawford's Advertising Agency, formally WS Crawford Ltd, was one of the most important British advertising agencies of the first half of the 20th century. It was responsible for introducing a highly visual style more influenced by European artistic ...
, where she worked with the writer
Elizabeth Smart Elizabeth Ann Gilmour (née Smart; born November 3, 1987) is an American child safety activist and commentator for ABC News. She gained national attention at age 14 when she was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City by Brian David Mitchell. ...
, and where she could earn enough to support herself and her young son (Nicolas). As head of
copywriting Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or ...
at Ogilvy, Benson & Mather, she was responsible for publicising (but not originating) the phrase " Go to work on an egg". She coined the slogan "Vodka gets you drunker quicker," saying in a ''
Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
'' interview: "It just seemed ... to be obvious that people who wanted to get drunk fast needed to know this." Her bosses disagreed and suppressed it.


Literary career


Writing career

In 1963 Weldon began writing for radio and television. In 1967, her first novel, ''The Fat Woman's Joke'' was published. "When I submitted my first novel in 1966 it was accepted without demur. I thought this was because I was a wonderful writer, But it wasn't. It was because I had learned to have nothing turned down." She subsequently built a successful and prolific career, publishing over thirty novels, collections of short stories, films for television, newspaper and magazine articles and becoming a well-known face and voice on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. She described herself as a "writeaholic". In 1971 Weldon wrote the first episode of the landmark television series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', 70for which she won a Writers Guild award for Best British TV Series Script. In 1980 Weldon wrote the screenplay for director/producer
John Goldschmidt John Goldschmidt (born 1943) is a British-Austrian film director and producer. Goldschmidt was born in London, but grew up in Vienna leaving at the age of 16 to return to London. Goldschmidt has both Austrian and British nationality. He studied ...
's television movie ''Life for Christine'', which told the true story of a 15-year-old girl's life imprisonment. The film was shown in prime-time on the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
Network by Granada Television. She also wrote the screenplay for the 1980 BBC miniseries adaptation of
Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
's '' Pride and Prejudice'', starring Elizabeth Garvie and
David Rintoul David Rintoul (born David Wilson; 29 November 1948) is a Scottish stage and television actor. Rintoul was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, and won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ...
. In 1989, she contributed to the book for the
Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...
West End musical '' Someone Like You''. Weldon's most celebrated work is her 1983 novel ''
The Life and Loves of a She-Devil ''The Life and Loves of a She-Devil'' is a 1983 novel by British feminism, feminist author Fay Weldon. A story about a highly unattractive woman who goes to great lengths to take revenge on her husband and his attractive lover, Weldon stated tha ...
'', which she wrote at the age of 52. Her novel ''The Hearts and Lives of Men'' was written and published in serial form, appearing in the British magazine ''
Woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
'' between 1 February and 15 November 1986. She told ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', "It was written as the Dickens novels were written....You made it up as you went along, confined by the structure of the story, which is going to go on for you don't know how long—but you have to be able to bring it to an end with three weeks' warning." In 2000, Weldon's novel '' The Bulgari Connection'' became notorious for its product placement, naming the jewellers not only in the title but another 34 times, while a minimum of 12 times was stipulated in the £18,000 contract.


Other literary activities

In 1996, she was a member of the jury at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival. She was also chair of judges for the 1983
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...
. The judging for that prize produced a draw between
J. M. Coetzee John Maxwell Coetzee OMG (born 9 February 1940) is a South African–Australian novelist, essayist, linguist, translator and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is one of the most critically acclaimed and decorated authors in ...
's '' Life & Times of Michael K'' and
Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Wes ...
's ''
Shame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. Definition Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...
'', leaving Weldon to choose between the two. According to Stephen Moss in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', "Her arm was bent and she chose Rushdie" only to change her mind as the result was being phoned through. Weldon was appointed Professor of Creative Writing at
Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June ...
in West London in 2006: "A great writer needs a certain personality and a natural talent for language, but there is a great deal that can be taught – how to put words together quickly and efficiently to make a point, how to be graceful and eloquent, how to convey emotion, how to build up tension, and how to create alternative worlds." In 2012 Weldon was appointed Professor of Creative Writing at
Bath Spa University Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshire. The insti ...
, where she shared an office with Professor Maggie Gee. Weldon served together with
Daniel Pipes Daniel Pipes (born September 9, 1949) is an American historian, writer, and commentator. He is the president of the Middle East Forum, and publisher of its ''Middle East Quarterly'' journal. His writing focuses on American foreign policy and the ...
as the most notable foreign members of the board of the Danish Press Freedom Society (Trykkefrihedsselskabet).


Feminism

A self-declared feminist, Weldon's work features what she described as "overweight, plain women" – as she deliberately sought, she said, to write about and give a voice to women who are often overlooked or not featured in the media. She said there were many reasons why she became a feminist, including "appalling" lack of equal opportunities and the myth that women were supported by male relatives. "What drove me to feminism fifty years ago was the myth that men were the breadwinners and women kept house and looked pretty." She noted that the turning point for her, however, was the outright sexism in the media industry at that time, such as when she attended a casting session of a TV drama she had written and watched the male director and producer "...cast the lead by flicking through Spotlight and just choosing the girl they both most fancied. And they were amazed when I objected: female skill, talent, experience, intelligence meant nothing to them". However, some of Weldon's commentary drew controversy. In a 1998 interview for the ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...
'', Weldon stated that rape "isn't the worst thing that can happen to a woman if you're safe, alive and unmarked after the event." She was roundly condemned by groups representing women victims of rape and violence. In a 2017 interview on BBC Two's ''
Newsnight ''Newsnight'' (or ''BBC Newsnight'') is BBC Two's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. The programme is broadcast on weekdays at 22:30. and is also availa ...
'', she expressed ambivalence about the successes of feminism. Social change had been enormous, "thanks to feminism," but it wasn't all wonderful: "We saw a world of young, healthy, intelligent, striving women. And we didn't really, honestly, take much notice of those who were not like us."


Personal life

In 1953, while working at the Foreign Office, Weldon became pregnant by musician Colyn Davies whom she met when he was moonlighting as a doorman. She said that while she wanted the child (son Nicolas), she decided she did not want the father. In 1957, tired of struggling to support herself as a single mother, she married Ronald Bateman, a headmaster 25 years her senior.Saner, Emine
"'I'm the only feminist there is – the others are all out of step'"
''The Guardian'', 22 August 2009.
They lived together in
Acton, London Acton () is a town and area in west London, England, within the London Borough of Ealing. It is west of Charing Cross. At the 2011 census, its four wards, East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 62,480, a ...
, for two years, until the marriage ended. In 1961, aged 29, Weldon met her second husband, Ron Weldon, a jazz musician and antiques dealer.Grice, Elizabeth
"Fay Weldon: 'Dying? I don't want to do that again'"
''Daily Telegraph'', 12 March 2009.
They married in 1963 when Fay was pregnant with her second son Dan (born that same year). They lived in East Compton,
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
, later having two more sons, Tom (1970) and Sam (1977). It was while she was pregnant with Dan that Weldon began writing for radio and television. The couple visited therapists regularly and in 1992 Ron left Fay for his astrological therapist, who had told him that the couple's astrological signs were incompatible. They began divorce proceedings, although Ron died in 1994, just eight hours before the divorce was finalised. In 1994 Weldon married Nick Fox, a poet who was also her manager, but instigated divorce proceedings in 2020. In 2000 Weldon became a member of the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
and was confirmed in St Paul's Cathedral. She stated that she liked to think that she was "converted by St Paul". Weldon died at a care home in
Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
, England, on 4 January 2023, at the age of 91.


Awards

* Writers' Guild Award for the pilot of the original TV programme ''Upstairs Downstairs'' (1973) * The
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...
Best Novel nominee (1979) for ''Praxis'' *
Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and ass ...
Travelling Scholarship (1980) * Winner of the ''Los Angeles Times'' Fiction Prize for ''The Heart of the Country'' (1989) *
Whitbread Prize The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...
Best Novel nominee (1996) for ''Worst Fears'' * PEN/Macmillan Silver Pen Award (1996) for '' Wicked Women'' * Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) 2001


Literary works


Novels

*'' The Fat Woman's Joke'' (1967) *'' Down Among the Women'' (1971) *'' Words of Advice'' (1974) *''
Little Sisters The Little Sisters is an informal name for a group of some of the smaller islands of the British Virgin Islands, south of Tortola and southwest of Virgin Gorda. These islands are also called the ''Southern Islands''. * Norman Island * Pelican ...
'' (1975) *'' Female Friends'' (1975) *'' Remember Me'' (1976) *''
Praxis Praxis may refer to: Philosophy and religion * Praxis (process), the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, embodied, or realised * Praxis model, a way of doing theology * Praxis (Byzantine Rite), the practice of fai ...
'' (1978) *''
Puffball Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that bursts on impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores when mature. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass several genera, including '' Calvatia'', '' ...
'' (1980) *'' The President's Child'' (1982) *'' The Shrapnel Academy'' (1986) *'' The Heart of the Country'' (1987) *'' The Hearts and Lives of Men'' (1987) *''
Leader of the Band "Leader of the Band" is a song written by Dan Fogelberg from his 1981 album ''The Innocent Age''. The song was written as a tribute to his father, Lawrence Fogelberg, a musician and the leader of a band, who was still alive at the time the song wa ...
'' (1988) *'' The Cloning of Joanna May'' (1989) *'' Darcy's Utopia'' (1990) *''
Growing Rich Growing may refer to: * Growth (disambiguation) * Growing (band), a noise band based in Brooklyn, New York * Growing (Sleeping People album), ''Growing'' (Sleeping People album), 2007 *Growing (Rina Chinen album) * Growing, a children's song sung ...
'' (1992) *'' Life Force'' (1992) *''Question of Timing'' (1992) *''Trouble'' (1993) *''
Affliction Affliction or Afflicted may refer to: Books * ''Affliction'' (novel), a 2013 Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novel by Laurell K. Hamilton * ''Affliction'', a novel by Russell Banks, basis of the 1998 film Film and TV * ''Affliction'' (1997 film), ...
'' (1994) *''
Splitting Splitting may refer to: * Splitting (psychology) * Lumpers and splitters, in classification or taxonomy * Wood splitting * Tongue splitting * Splitting, railway operation Mathematics * Heegaard splitting * Splitting field * Splitting principle ...
'' (1995) *'' Worst Fears'' (1996) *'' Big Women'' (1997) *'' Rhode Island Blues'' (2000) *'' The Bulgari Connection'' (2000) *'' Mantrapped'' (2004) *'' She May Not Leave'' (2006) *'' The Spa Decameron'' (2007) *'' The Stepmother's Diary'' (2008) *'' Chalcot Crescent'' (2009) *'' Kehua!'' (2010)


Series

She Devil *''
The Life and Loves of a She-Devil ''The Life and Loves of a She-Devil'' is a 1983 novel by British feminism, feminist author Fay Weldon. A story about a highly unattractive woman who goes to great lengths to take revenge on her husband and his attractive lover, Weldon stated tha ...
'' (1983) *''Death of a She Devil'' (2017) Love and Inheritance *'' Habits of the House'' (2012) *''Long Live the King'' (2013) *''The New Countess'' (2013) *''Love and Inheritance Trilogy'' (2013) – Omnibus Spoils of War *''Before the War'' (2017) *''After the Peace'' (2018) The Chapbooks *'' The Rules of Life'' (1987) *''Wolf the Mechanical Dog'' (1988) *''The Roots of Violence'' (1989) *''Party Puddle'' (1989)


Non-fiction

* '' Letters to Alice: On First Reading Jane Austen'' (1984) * ''Rebecca West'' (1985) * ''Sacred Cows'': ''A Portrait of Britain, Post-Rushdie, Pre-Utopia'' (1989) * '' Godless in Eden'' (1999) * '' Auto da Fay'' (2002) – an autobiography of her early years. * ''
What Makes Women Happy What or WHAT may refer to: * What, an interrogative pronoun and adverb * "What?", one of the Five Ws used in journalism Film and television * ''What!'' (film) or ''The Whip and the Body'', a 1963 Italian film directed by Mario Bava * '' What ...
'' (2006) * ''Why Will No-One Publish My Novel?'' (2018)


Plays

* Madame Bovary: Breakfast with Emma (2003) * Flood Warning (2003) * The Four Alice Bakers (1999) * The Reading Group (1999) * Tess of The D’urbervilles (1992) * Knightley’s State (1990) * Someone Like You (1989) * Nana (1988) * Hole in the Top Of The World (1987) * A Dolls House (1988) * ''Jane Eyre'', an adaptation of the novel by Charlotte Brontë, first performed 1986 (The Playhouse Theatre, London) * After The Prize (1981) * I Love My Love (1981) * ''Action Replay - A Play'' (1980), first performed 1979 (Birmingham Repertory Studio Theatre);Published by A Samuel French, Acting Edition. * Mr. Director (1977) * Moving House (1976) * Friends (1975) * Words of Advice (1970) * Permanence (1969) * Mixed Doubles (1969) * The Last Word? (1967)


Anthologies containing stories by Fay Weldon

* ''The 4th Bumper Book of Ghost Stories'' (1980) * ''The Literary Ghost'' (1991) * ''The Penguin Book of Modern Fantasy by Women'' (1995) * ''The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories'' (1996) * ''Mistresses of the Dark'' (1998) * ''The Mammoth Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories'' (1998) * ''Crossing the Border'' (1998) * ''The Mammoth Book of Haunted House Stories'' (2000)


Collections and Omnibus

* ''Watching Me, Watching You'' (1981) * ''Polaris'' (1985) * ''Moon Over Minneapolis'' (1991) * ''Angel, All Innocence'' (1995) * '' Wicked Women'' (1995) * ''A Hard Time to Be a Father'' (1998) * ''Nothing to Wear and Nowhere to Hide'' (2002) * ''Poolside'' (2007) - with Alice Adams,
Amy Bloom Amy Beth Bloom (born 1953) is an American writer and psychotherapist. She is professor of creative writing at Wesleyan University, and has been nominated for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Biography Bloom is t ...
, John Cheever,
Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...
, A. M. Homes, Andrea Lee,
Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. Her novels '' Bla ...
,
Edna O'Brien Josephine Edna O'Brien (born 15 December 1930) is an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer. Elected to Aosdána by her fellow artists, she was honoured with the title Saoi in 2015 and the "UK and Ireland Nobel" D ...
,
Julie Orringer Julie Orringer (born June 12, 1973) is an American writer and lecturer. She attended Cornell University and the Iowa Writer's Workshop, and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. She was born in Miami, Florida and now lives in Brooklyn with ...
,
James Purdy James Otis Purdy (July 17, 1914 March 13, 2009) was an American novelist, short-story writer, poet, and playwright who, from his debut in 1956, published over a dozen novels, and many collections of poetry, short stories, and plays. His work ha ...
, Graham Swift, John Updike and
David Foster Wallace David Foster Wallace (February 21, 1962 – September 12, 2008) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and university professor of English and creative writing. Wallace is widely known for his 1996 novel '' Infinite Jest'', whi ...
* ''Great Escapes'' (2008) - with
Amanda Craig Amanda Craig (born 1959) is a British novelist, critic and journalist. She was a recipient of the Catherine Pakenham Award. Early life Born in South Africa, Craig grew up in Italy before moving to London. Her parents were British journalist, ...
,
Virginia Ironside Virginia Ironside (born 3 February 1944) is a British journalist, agony aunt and author. Born in London, she is the daughter of Christopher Ironside, painter and coin designer, and Janey Ironside who was the first professor of fashion design at t ...
,
Kathy Lette Kathryn Marie Lette (born 11 November 1958) is an Australian-British author whose works have been best-sellers. Early life Lette was born on 11 November 1958 in Sydney's southern suburbs. She appeared in ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' of 20 Au ...
,
Deborah Moggach Deborah Moggach (née Hough; born 28 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. She has written nineteen novels, including '' The Ex-Wives'', ''Tulip Fever'' (made into the film of the same name), ''These Foolish Things'' (made into ...
,
Kate Mosse Katharine Mosse (born 20 October 1961) is a British novelist, non-fiction and short story writer and Television presenter, broadcaster. She is best known for her 2005 novel ''Labyrinth (novel), Labyrinth'', which has been translated into more ...
, Lesley Pearse,
Rose Tremain Dame Rose Tremain (born 2 August 1943) is an English novelist, short story writer, and former Chancellor of the University of East Anglia. Life Rose Tremain was born Rosemary Jane Thomson on 2 August 1943 in London to Viola Mabel Thomson and ...
, Jane Elizabeth Varley and
Isabel Wolff Isabel Wolff is a British novelist in the Chick Lit genre. She was born in Warwickshire, United Kingdom. She graduated from Cambridge University with a Bachelor of Science in English. She currently lives in Islington, London and has a home on th ...
* ''Fay Weldon Omnibus: Collected Works of Fay Weldon'' (2014) * ''Mischief'' (2015) * ''The Collected Novels Volume One'' (2018) ''The Collected Novels Volume Two'' (2018) * ''The Collected Novels Volume Three'' (2018)


Short stories and novellas

* "Angel, All Innocence" (1977) – short story * " Weekend" (1978) – short story * "Spirit of the House" (1980) – short story * "Watching Me, Watching You" (1981) – short story * "Down the Clinical Disco" (1985) – short story * "A Good Sound Marriage" (''US Journal'', 1991) – short story * ''The Ted Dreams'' (2014) – novella


Television series (writer)

*
Upstairs Downstairs Upstairs Downstairs may refer to: Television *Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971 TV series), a British TV series broadcast on ITV from 1971 to 1975 *Upstairs Downstairs (2010 TV series), ''Upstairs Downstairs'' ...
(1971) (first episode, two others) * Pride and Prejudice (1980) * Heart of the Country (1987) * Growing Rich (1992) * Big Women (1998)


Criticism and reviews


''Chalcot Crescent''

* *


References


External links

* * Rosemary Goring
"Fay Weldon on her 30th novel"
(interview), ''Herald Scotland'', 20 July 2012. * Hester Lacey

''Financial Times'', 27 July 2012. * Stuart Jeffries

''The Guardian'', 5 September 2006. Interview and review of ''What Makes Women Happy''. Weldon describes her near-death experience and spiritual journey from atheism to belief in God. * Fay Weldon
"My left knee"
''
Saga Magazine Saga is a British company focused on serving the needs of those aged 50 and over. It has 2.7 million customers. The company operates sites on the Kent and Sussex coast: Enbrook Park and Priory Square. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange. ...
'', 10 October 2011. Weldon writes candidly about having her knee replaced at 80, and her fears prior to the operation. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weldon, Fay 1931 births 2023 deaths 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English women writers Academics of Bath Spa University Academics of Brunel University London Alumni of the University of St Andrews British copywriters British feminist writers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English Anglicans English female screenwriters English feminist writers English women novelists Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at Christchurch Girls' High School People educated at South Hampstead High School People from Hampstead