Lady Antonia Margaret Caroline Fraser, (' Pakenham; born 27 August 1932) is a British author of history, novels,
biographies
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
and
detective fiction
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specul ...
. She is the widow of the 2005
Nobel Laureate in Literature
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, caption =
, awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature
, presenter = Swedish Academy
, holder = Annie Ernaux (2022)
, location = Stockholm, Sweden
, year = 1901
, ...
,
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spann ...
(1930–2008), and prior to his death was also known as Lady Antonia Pinter.
Mel Gussow
Melvyn Hayes "Mel" Gussow (; December 19, 1933 – April 29, 2005) was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for ''The New York Times'' for 35 years.
Biography
Gussow was born in New York City and grew up in Rockville ...
"The Lady Is a Writer"
''The New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...
'', 9 September 1984, Sec. 6, Health: 60, col. 2. Print. The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company is an American mass media company that publishes ''The New York Times''. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, New York City.
History
The company was founded by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones in New York City. T ...
, 9 September 1984; retrieved 8 April 2009.[Antonia Fraser]
"Writer's Rooms: Antonia Fraser"
''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 ...
'', Culture: Books, Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group plc (GMG) is a British-based mass media company owning various media operations including ''The Guardian'' and ''The Observer''. The group is wholly owned by the Scott Trust Limited, which exists to secure the financial and e ...
, 13 June 2008; retrieved 8 April 2009. (Includes photograph of Antonia Fraser's study.)["Non-Fiction: Author: Antonia Fraser"]
, Orion Books, 2004–2007 pdated 2009 retrieved 9 April 2009.
Family background and education
Fraser is the first-born of the eight children of
The 7th Earl of Longford (1905–2001) and his wife,
Elizabeth, Countess of Longford, ''
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Elizabeth Harman (1906–2002). As the daughter of an
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particula ...
, she is accorded the
courtesy title "Lady" and thus customarily addressed formally as "Lady Antonia".
[
As a teenager,][Ginny Dougary]
"Lady Antonia Fraser's Life Less Ordinary"
br> "In a Frank Interview, the Famed Writer Talks about Motherhood, Catholicism, Her Parents and Soulmate Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spann ...
", ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...
'', News Corporation
News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp.), also variously known as News Corporation Limited, was an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New ...
, 5 July 2008, 9 April 2009. she and her siblings converted to Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, following the conversions of their parents.[Daniel Snowman,]
"Lady Antonia Fraser"
''History Today
''History Today'' is an illustrated history magazine. Published monthly in London since January 1951, it presents serious and authoritative history to as wide a public as possible. The magazine covers all periods and geographical regions and pub ...
'' 50.10 (October 2000): pp. 26–28, ''History Today'', n.d., 8 April 2009 (excerpt; full article available to subscribers or pay-per-view customers). Her "maternal grandparents were Unitarians – a non-conformist faith with a strong emphasis on social reform ...". In response to criticism of her writing about Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
, she has said, "I have no Catholic blood". Before his own conversion in his thirties following a nervous breakdown in the Army, as she explains: "My father was Protestant Church of Ireland, and my mother was Unitarian up to the age of 20 when she abandoned it."[
She was educated at the ]Dragon School
("Reach for the Sun")
, established = 1877
, closed =
, type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school
, religion = Church of England
, president =
, head_label = Head
, head = Emma Golds ...
in Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,["Non-Fiction: Antonia Fraser: Author Q&A"](_blank)
, ''Orion Books'', 2004–2007 pdated 2009 retrieved 9 April 2009. St Mary's School, Ascot
St Mary's School Ascot is a Roman Catholic independent day and boarding school for girls in Ascot, Berkshire, England.2011 ISI InspectioReport/ref> It is a member of the Girls' Schools Association. It was named 2015 " Public School of the Ye ...
, and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located on the banks of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formall ...
; the last was also her mother's alma mater.[Nicholas Wroe,]
"Profile: The History Woman"
''The Guardian'', Arts & Humanities, 24 August 2002; retrieved 8 April 2009.
, ''University of Oxford Alumni'', University of Oxford, 29 October 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2008. Prior to going to Oxford in 1950, she was a debutante
A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal ...
in the London social season
The social season, or season, refers to the traditional annual period in the spring and summer when it is customary for members of the social elite of British society to hold balls, dinner parties and charity events. Until the First World War, ...
.
Career
Fraser began work as an "all-purpose assistant" for George Weidenfeld
George Weidenfeld, Baron Weidenfeld, (13 September 1919 – 20 January 2016) was a British publisher, philanthropist, and newspaper columnist. He was also a lifelong Zionist and renowned as a master networker. He was on good terms with popes, ...
at Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991.
History
George Weidenfeld a ...
(her "only job"), which later became her own publisher and part of Orion Publishing Group
Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It was founded in 1991 and acquired Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, ...
, which publishes her works in the UK.[Antonia Fraser]
"Antonia Fraser: Author Q&A"
, Orion Books, 2004–2007 pdated 2009 Retrieved 9 April 2009.
Her first major work, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991.
History
George Weidenfeld a ...
, was ''Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
'' (1969), which was followed by several other biographies, including ''Cromwell, Our Chief of Men'' (1973).["History Books by Antonia Fraser"]
an
"Other Books by Antonia Fraser"
at ''AntoniaFraser.com'', Antonia Fraser, 2007; retrieved 9 April 2009
, ''Orion Books'', 2004–2007 pdated 2009 9 April 2009. Fraser won the Wolfson History Award in 1984 for ''The Weaker Vessel'', a study of women's lives in 17th-century England.[ From 1988 to 1989, she was president of English ]PEN
A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity wh ...
, and she chaired its Writers in Prison Committee.
She also has written detective novel
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...
s, the most popular involving a character named Jemima Shore
Jemima Shore is a fictional character created by Antonia Fraser, and is portrayed as TV's consummately professional investigative journalist. She is featured in a series of crime novels.
Novels
* '' Quiet as a Nun'' (1977)
* ''The Wild Island ...
, and they were adapted into the television series '' Jemima Shore Investigates'', which aired in the UK in 1983.[
From 1983 to 1984, she was president of ]Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
's Sir Walter Scott Club.["Our President in 1983/84 was: Lady Antonia Fraser"]
biography, ''Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy'' ...
Club'', n.d. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
Fraser's study, ''The Warrior Queens'' (1989), is an account of military royal women since the days of Boadicea and Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. ...
. In 1992, a year after Alison Weir
Alison Weir ( Matthews; born 1951) is a British author and public historian. She primarily writes about the history of English royal women and families, in the form of biographies that explore their historical setting. She has also written n ...
's book ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'', she published a book with the same title.
She chronicled the life and times of Charles II in a well-reviewed 1979 eponymous biography.[ The book was cited as an influence on the 2003 ]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. ...
/ A&E mini-series, ''Charles II: The Power & the Passion'', in a featurette on the DVD, by Rufus Sewell
Rufus Frederik Sewell (; born 29 October 1967) is a British film and stage actor. In film, he has appeared in '' Carrington'' (1995), '' ''Hamlet' (1996), '' Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), '' Dark City'' (1998), ''A Knight's Tale ''(2001), ''The ...
who played the title character. Fraser served as editor for many monarchical biographies, including those featured in the ''Kings and Queens of England'' and ''Royal History of England'' series, and, in 1996, she also published a book entitled ''The Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sought ...
: Terror and Faith in 1605'', which won both the St. Louis Literary Award and the Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors’ organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its Dagger awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. T ...
(CWA) Non-Fiction Gold Dagger
The Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year.
From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. From ...
.[Antonia Fraser]
''The Gunpowder Plot''
, 2007, Antonia Fraser website; retrieved 13 June 2008.
Her biography, '' Marie Antoinette: The Journey'' (2001, 2002), was adapted for the film ''Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and ...
'' (2006), directed by Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed crime drama film ...
, with Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film ''New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her rol ...
in the title role, and ''Love and Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Ve ...
: The Women in the Life of the Sun King'' (2006).[
]
Related experience
Fraser was a contestant on the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...
panel game
A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on ''The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...
''My Word!
''My Word!'' is a British radio quiz panel game broadcast by the BBC on the Home Service (1956–67) and Radio 4 (1967–88). It was created by Edward J. Mason and Tony Shryane, and featured the humorous writers Frank Muir and Denis Norden ...
''Cf.
The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...
My Word!
', BBC Radio 4, 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. ...
, 9 April 2009. from 1979 to 1990.
She serves as a judge for the Enid McLeod Literary Prize, awarded by the Franco-British Society, previously winning that prize for her biography ''Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and ...
'' (2001).["Benefits"]
Franco-British Society, 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2009.[Alex Danchev]
"They Remember, But Others Forget"
''Times Higher Education Supplement
''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The Thes''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education.
Ownership
TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...
'', News Corporation, 2 March 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
Lady Antonia Fraser is a Vice-President of The London Library.
Memoir
Fraser's memoir ''Must You Go? My Life with Harold Pinter'' was published in January 2010 and she read a shortened version as BBC Radio Four's ''Book of the Week'' that month.["Antonia Fraser to tell Harold Pinter 'love story']
Historical biographer will publish her 'portrait of a marriage' to the Nobel laureate in January 2010", ''The Guardian'', 9 June 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2009. Michael_Billington's_authorised_biography_of_Pinter_(''Harold_Pinter'',_pp._271–72)._It_was_the_Frasers'_marital_union_that_was_dissolved_in_1977..html" ;"title="Michael Billington (critic)">Michael Billington's authorised biography of Pinter (''Harold Pinter'', pp. 271–72). It was the Frasers' marital union that was dissolved in 1977.">Michael Billington (critic)">Michael Billington's authorised biography of Pinter (''Harold Pinter'', pp. 271–72). It was the Frasers' marital union that was dissolved in 1977./ref>
At the Cheltenham Literary Festival on 17 October 2010, Lady Antonia announced that her next work would be on the subject of the Great Reform Bill 1832. She is no longer planning a biography of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
, as this subject has already been extensively covered.[
]
Perspective and criticism
Fraser acknowledges she is "less interested in ideas than in 'the people who led nations' and so on. I don't think I could ever have written a history of political thought or anything like that. I'd have to come at it another way."
Marriages and later life
From 1956 until their divorce in 1977, she was married to Sir Hugh Fraser (1918–1984), a descendant of Scottish aristocracy 14 years her senior and a Roman Catholic Conservative Unionist MP in the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
(sitting for Stafford
Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in th ...
), who was a friend of the American Kennedy family
The Kennedy family is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy bec ...
.["Sir Hugh Fraser Dead; Long a Tory Legislator"]
Obituaries, ''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 ...
'', 7 March 1984, 13 June 2008. They had six children: three sons, Benjamin, Damian, and Orlando; and three daughters, Rebecca Fraser
Rebecca Rose Fraser (born May 1957) is a British writer and broadcaster.
She is a former president of the Brontë Society. She is the author of the introductions to the Everyman's Library
Everyman's Library is a series of reprints of c ...
, wife of barrister Edward Fitzgerald, QC, Flora Fraser and Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni. All three daughters are writers and biographers.[ Benjamin Fraser works for ]JPMorgan
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the wo ...
, Damian Fraser is the managing director of the investment banking firm UBS AG (formerly S.G. Warburg) in Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, and Orlando Fraser is a barrister specializing in commercial law
Commercial law, also known as mercantile law or trade law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and business engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a branc ...
(Wroe).[ Antonia Fraser has 18 grandchildren.][
On 22 October 1975, Hugh and Antonia Fraser, together with ]Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (born November 27, 1957) is an American author, attorney, and diplomat serving in the Biden administration as the United States Ambassador to Australia since 2022. She previously served in the Obama administration as the ...
, who was visiting them at their Holland Park
Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road to ...
home, in Kensington
Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensington Garden ...
, west London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
, were almost blown up by an IRA car bomb placed under the wheels of his Jaguar, which had been triggered to go off at 9 am when he left the house; the bomb exploded, killing the cancer researcher, Gordon Hamilton Fairley. Fairley, a neighbour of the Frasers, had been walking his dog, when he noticed something amiss and stopped to examine the bomb.["Timeline: 1974–75: The Year London Blew Up"]
History, Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...
, 27 August 2007; retrieved 8 April 2009.
In 1975, she began an affair with playwright Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spann ...
, who was then married to the actress Vivien Merchant
Ada Brand Thomson (22 July 1929 – 3 October 1982), known professionally as Vivien Merchant, was an English actress. She began her career in 1942, and became known for dramatic roles on stage and in films. In 1956 she married the playwright Ha ...
.[ In 1977, after she had been living with Pinter for two years, the Frasers' union was legally dissolved.][ Merchant spoke about her distress publicly to the press, which quoted her cutting remarks about her rival, but she resisted divorcing Pinter.][ In 1980, after Merchant signed divorce papers, Fraser and Pinter married.][ After the deaths of both their spouses, Fraser and Pinter were married by a Jesuit priest, Fr. Michael Campbell-Johnson, in the Roman Catholic Church. Harold Pinter died from cancer on 24 December 2008, aged 78.][
Lady Antonia Fraser lives in the London district of ]Holland Park
Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road to ...
, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an Inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the ...
, south of Notting Hill Gate
Notting Hill Gate is one of the main thoroughfares of Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically the street was a location for toll gates, from which it derives its modern name.
Location
At Ossington Street/ ...
, in the Fraser family home, where she still writes in her fourth-floor study.[Antonia Fraser]
"Sofia's Choice"
'' Vanity Fair'', November 2006, Condé Nast Publications
Condé is a French place name and personal name. It is ultimately derived from a Celtic word, "Condate", meaning "confluence" (of two rivers) - from which was derived the Romanised form "Condatum", in use during the Roman period, and thence to t ...
; retrieved 9 April 2009.
Lady Antonia Fraser is a Vice-President of the Royal Stuart Society
The Royal Stuart Society, founded in 1926, is the senior royalist-monarchist organisation and the foremost Jacobite body in the United Kingdom. Its full name is The Royal Stuart Society and Royalist League although it is best known simply as the ...
.
Honours
Fraser was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1999 Birthday Honours
The 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours to celebrate the Queen's Official Birthday were announced on 7 June 1999 in New Zealand and Niue, and on 12 June 1999 in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.Tuvalu list:
The recipients of honours ar ...
and promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2011 were announced on 31 December 2010 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: New Zealand,New Zealand"New Year Honours 2011"(14 January 2011) 2 ''New Zealand Gazette'' 55. The Cook IslandsThe Cook Islands: Grenada,Grenada: ...
for services to literature. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...
(CH) in the 2018 New Year Honours
The 2018 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...
for services to literature.
The Lady Antonia Fraser Archive in the British Library
Lady Antonia Fraser's uncatalogued papers (relating to her "Early Writing", "Fiction", and "Non-Fiction") are on loan at the British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
.[Loan No. 110B/1–19: Lady Antonia Fraser Archive]
, British Library Manuscripts Catalogue, British Library, 1993– , 8 April 2009. Papers by and relating to Lady Antonia Fraser are also catalogued as part of the Harold Pinter Archive, which is part of its permanent collection of Additional Manuscripts.
Awards
* James Tait Black Memorial Prize
The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Unit ...
(1969), for her book ''Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
''.[
* ]Wolfson History Prize
The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. Prizes are given annually for two or three exceptional works ...
(1984), for her book ''The Weaker Vessel''.[
* ]Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors’ organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its Dagger awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. T ...
Macallan Gold Dagger
The Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year.
From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. From ...
for Non-Fiction (1996), for her book ''The Gunpowder Plot''.["Gold Daggers"]
, Crime Writers' Association, n.d., 13 June 2008.
* St. Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississ ...
Library Associates.
* Historical Association
The Historical Association is a membership organisation of historians and scholars founded in 1906 and based in London. Its goals are to support "the study and enjoyment of history at all levels by creating an environment that promotes lifelong lea ...
Norton Medlicott Medal (2000).[
* Enid McLeod Literary Prize (2001), from the Franco-British Society, for '']Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and ...
''.["Enid McLeod Literary Prize"]
'' Book Trust'', 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
Works
[
]
Non-fiction works
* ''Mary Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
'' (1969). .
** Reissued, Phoenix paperback, 2001; .
** 40th-anniversary edition, reissued Orion paperback, 7 May 2009; .
* ''Dolls'' (1963)
* ''A History of Toys'' (1966)
* '' Cromwell, Our Chief of Men'' (1973);
** Also published as ''Cromwell: The Lord Protector''. .
* ''King James VI and I'' (1974)
* ''The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England'' (1975) ditor* ''King Charles II'' (1979)
** Also published as ''Royal Charles: Charles II and the Restoration'' and ''Charles II''; .
* ''Heroes and Heroines'' (1980)
* ''The Weaker Vessel: Woman's Lot in Seventeenth-century England'' (1984)
* ''The Warrior Queens: Boadicea's Chariot'' (1988), Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London.
** Also published as ''Warrior Queens: The Legends and Lives of Women Who have led Their Nations in War''.
* ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1996); Orion, 1999, .
** Rpt. & updated edition, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2007.
** Also published as the Orion audio-book ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' (November 2006); .
** The first paperback edition is ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' (London: Mandarin, 1993); .
** The 1st American edition is entitled ''The Wives of Henry VIII''. New York: Knopf, 1992; .
* '' The Gunpowder Plot: Terror and Faith in 1605'' (1996)
** Also published as ''Faith and Treason: The Gunpowder Plot''; .
* ''Marie Antoinette'' (2001);
** Also published with the subtitle '' Marie Antoinette: The Journey'', (2002); .
* ''Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King'' (2006); .
* ''Must You Go? My Life with Harold Pinter'' (2010), London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (Orion Books); .
** 1st U.S. edition, New York: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday; .
** 1st paperback edition London: Phoenix, 2010;
** Also published in audio & digital editions) - "Shortlisted for Galaxy National Book Awards: Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2010."[''Must You Go?'']
, Shortlist for Non-Fiction Book of The Year award category (Book 5), Galaxy National Book Awards, 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
* ''Perilous Question: The Drama of the Great Reform Bill 1832'' (2013);
* ''My History. A Memoir of Growing Up'' (2015), New York: Doubleday.
* ''Our Israeli Diary: Of That Time, Of That Place'' (2017);
* ''The King and the Catholics: The Fight for Rights, 1829'' (2018);
* ''The Case of the Married Woman: Caroline Norton: A 19th Century Heroine Who Wanted Justice for Women'' (2021);
* ''The Antonia Fraser Collection'' (2013)
Historical fiction
* ''King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table'' (1954)
* ''Robin Hood'' (1955)
Jemima Shore novels
* ''Quiet as a Nun'' (1977)
* ''The Wild Island'' (1978). Also published as ''Tartan Tragedy''.
* ''A Splash of Red'' (1981)
* ''Cool Repentance'' (1982)
* ''Oxford Blood'' (1985)
* ''Jemima Shore's First Case'' (1986)
* ''Your Royal Hostage'' (1987)
* ''The Cavalier Case'' (1990)
* ''Jemima Shore at the Sunny Grave'' (1991)
* ''Political Death'' (1995)
* ''Quiet as a Nun / Tartan Tragedy / Splash of Red'' (omnibus) (2005)
* ''Jemima Shore on the Case'' (omnibus) (2006)
Editor
* ''Scottish Love Poems'' (1975)
* ''The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England'' (1975)
* ''Love Letters'' (1976)
* ''The Pleasure of Reading'' (1992)
* ''A Red Rose or A Satin Heart'' (2010)
See also
* Earl of Longford
Earl of Longford is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland.
History
The title was first bestowed upon Francis Aungier, 3rd Baron Aungier of Longford, in 1677, with remainder to his younger brother Ambrose. He had previ ...
Notes
Further reading
Biographies and profiles
* Gussow, Mel
"The Lady Is a Writer"
''The New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...
'', 9 September 1984.
*
Our President in 1983/84 was: Lady Antonia Fraser
bio at Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club.
* Snowman, Daniel
"Lady Antonia Fraser"
''History Today
''History Today'' is an illustrated history magazine. Published monthly in London since January 1951, it presents serious and authoritative history to as wide a public as possible. The magazine covers all periods and geographical regions and pub ...
'' 50.10 (October 2000): 26–28.
* Wroe, Nicholas
"Profile: The History Woman"
''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 G ...
'', 24 August 2002.
Interviews and articles
* Dougary, Ginny.
"Lady Antonia Fraser's Life Less Ordinary:
In a Frank Interview, the Famed Writer Talks about Motherhood, Catholicism, Her Parents and Soulmate Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spann ...
". ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...
'', 5 July 2008.
"Interviews: Antonia Fraser Peers into the Heart of Louis XIV"
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, ''Weekend Edition
''Weekend Edition'' is a set of American radio news magazine programs produced and distributed by National Public Radio (NPR). It is the weekend counterpart to the NPR radio program ''Morning Edition''. It consists of ''Weekend Edition Saturday'' ...
Saturday'', 11 November 2006.
* Leith, Sam.
"Literary Lazing"
''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'', 10 July 2007.
* Talese, Nan A.br> Interview with Antonia Fraser
''Random House Books'', 2001.
* Weinberg, Kate
''The Daily Telegraph''. 15 Mar. 2008.
External links
*
AntoniaFraser.com
' – Official website of Antonia Fraser.
"Antonia Fraser"
– Author webpage at Orion Publishing Group
Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It was founded in 1991 and acquired Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, ...
(UK publisher)
"Antonia Fraser"
– Author webpage at Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
(US publisher)
Antonia Fraser
– Client page at Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency
"Antonia's Choice"
– In ''Desert Island Discs
''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.
Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...
'' on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...
(first broadcast 27 July 2008)
''Must You Go?'' extract
– "First Night" (Chapter One), Galaxy National Book Awards (Phoenix edn)
* Translated Penguin Book – at
Penguin First Editions
reference site of early first edition Penguin Books.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Antonia
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Fellows of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
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James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients
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People educated at St Mary's School, Ascot
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Fraser, Lady Antonia