Geraldine Bedell is a British novelist and writer for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

''. She drew wide public attention when she claimed she had been disinvited from a planned appearance at the first International Festival of Literature in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, because her novel '' The Gulf Between Us'' featured a homosexual sheikh. Writer Margaret Atwood cancelled her scheduled appearance but later retracted when she found out that Bedell had never been invited to the Festival nor had her book been banned. Atwood subsequently made two virtual appearances at the Festival and appeared in person at the 2011 Festival.

Family

She is married to

Charles Leadbeater Charles Leadbeater, also known as Charlie Leadbeater, is a British author and former advisor to Tony Blair. Biography A graduate of Balliol College, Oxford, he first came to widespread notice in the 1980s as a regular contributor to the magaz ...

and is the sister of

Elaine Bedell Elaine Anne Bedell (born 1960) is an English television producer and executive, currently CEO of the Southbank Centre, London, a complex of artistic venues. Her former roles include Director of Comedy and Entertainment at ITV, and Executive Ch ...

,"Media families 20: The Bedells"
''The Independent'', 30 June 1997 CEO of the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...

. Bedell's first marriage was to banker Jon Norton, with whom she has two children. After their divorce, Norton married the Labour Party politician and minister

Mo Mowlam Dr Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam (18 September 1949 – 19 August 2005) was a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mini ...

in 1995. Mowlam died in 2005.

Books

* ''The Handmade House'' (Penguin, 2005) * '' The Gulf Between Us'' (Penguin, 2009) * ''Party Tricks'' (Hodder & Stoughton, 1996) * ''A Fabulous Fling'' (HarperCollins, 2000)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedell, Geraldine 21st-century English novelists English women novelists English romantic fiction writers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Women romantic fiction writers 21st-century English women writers