Stella Frances Silas Duffy (born 1963) is a London-born writer and theatremaker. Born in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
, she spent her childhood in New Zealand before returning to the UK.
Early life and education
Born in London in 1962 to a New Zealand father and an English mother, Duffy is the youngest in a family of seven children. The family moved to New Zealand when Duffy was five,
[ and Duffy later returned to London. She studied English literature and drama at ]Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The university is well kno ...
.
Career
Duffy has written several literary novels, as well as crime novels in the ''Saz Martin'' series, published by Serpent's Tail
Serpent's Tail is London-based independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It specialises in publishing work in translation, particularly European crime fiction. In January 2007, it was bought by a British publisher Profile Book ...
.
In 2018 HarperCollins Publishers released ''Money in the Morgue'' by Ngaio Marsh
Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966.
As a crime writer during the "Golden Age of De ...
and Stella Duffy. The book was started by Marsh during World War II, but abandoned. Working with just the book's title, first three chapters and some notes—but no idea of the plot or motive of the villain—Duffy completed the novel, which has received widespread praise for its authenticity and seamless transition between the two authors' work.
She has also written over sixty short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
, many plays, as well as feature articles and reviews
A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indic ...
. With Lauren Henderson she co-edited the fiction anthology ''Tart Noir'' (2002). Her own short story in that collection, ''Martha Grace'', was awarded the 2002 Crime Writers' Association's Macallan Short Story Dagger. ''Singling out the Couples'' was shortlisted for the 1999 James Tiptree Jr Memorial Award. ''State of Happiness'' was longlisted for the 2004 Orange Prize
The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...
, as was ''The Room of Lost Things'' in 2008.
She adapted the film script of ''State of Happiness'' for Fiesta Productions. The first novel in her ''Saz Martin'' series
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used in ...
, ''Calendar Girl'', was voted fifth equal in the 2007 international poll "The Big Gay Read".
Duffy has written many plays, including ''The Book of Ruth (and Naomi)'' for the Bush Theatre's inaugural '' Sixty Six Books'' set of plays, an adaptation of ''Medea'', '' Prime Resident'', ''Immaculate Conceit'', ''The Hand'', and solo shows ''Breaststrokes'' and ''The Tedious Predictability of Falling in Love''.
As a stage performer
The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfor ...
, she is an associate artist with Improbable, has been a member of the comedy improvisation company Spontaneous Combustion since 1988 and has guested with The Comedy Store Players
The Comedy Store Players is a group of improvisational comedians who perform at The Comedy Store in London. The group first came into being in October 1985.
Members of the group have included:
*Dave Cohen
* Jeremy Hardy
* Kit Hollerbach
*Josie L ...
. She has performed her solo show ''Breaststrokes'' ('' Time Out'' and ''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 ...
'' Critic's Choice) in London, Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
, Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, Dublin, York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, and Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
.
She directed ''Murder, Marple and Me'' for the Gilded Balloon (Edinburgh 2012 and tour 2013), ''Cell Sell'' for the National Youth Theatre at the Soho Theatre; ''Kikia te Poa'' (Matthew J. Saville
__NOTOC__
Matthew J. Saville is an actor, writer and film director from New Zealand.
Early life and education
Saville was born in Durban, South Africa. His mother is a New Zealander and his father South African, and the family moved to New ...
), ''Precious Things'' (company devised) at the Pacific Playhouse, ''Skin Tight'' ( Gary Henderson (playwright)) at the Pleasance Islington and Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production.
Having closed for redevelopment i ...
, ''My Inner Orc'' at the Pleasance, ''TaniwhaThames'' at OvalHouse Theatre. ''Ordinary Darkness'' at Hen and Chickens – all for Shaky Isles; and ''The Seduction of Ms Sarah Hart'' (Caron Pascoe) at The Oval for Kindred Spirits.
On screen, she appeared in a 1997 episode of ITV police procedural series ''The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused o ...
'' the 2001 movie ''Absolution''.
She also wrote and presented a documentary in 2008 for the BBC's ''Time Shift'' strand called ''How to Write a Mills and Boon''.
Duffy was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to the arts.
Other activities
On 18 April 2015, Duffy spoke at one of the early meetings of a new political party, the Women's Equality Party
The Women's Equality Party (WEP) is a feminist political party set up in the United Kingdom in 2015. The idea was conceived by Catherine Mayer and Sandi Toksvig at the Women of the World Festival, when they concluded that there was a need ...
.Fun Palaces
Fun Palaces is an annual, free, nationwide celebration of culture at the heart of community, using arts, science, craft, tech, digital, heritage and sports activities as a catalyst for community engagement. This takes place over the first weeken ...
campaign.
Personal life
Duffy is a practising Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
and lived in Lambeth with her wife, playwright Shelley Silas.
Novels
* ''Calendar Girl'' (1994)
* ''Wavewalker'' (1996)
* ''Beneath the Blonde'' (1997)
* ''Singling Out the Couples'' (1998)
* ''Eating Cake'' (1999)
* ''Fresh Flesh'' (1999)
* ''Immaculate Conceit'' (2000)
* ''State of Happiness'' (2004)
* ''Parallel Lies'' (2005)
* ''Mouths of Babes'' (2005)
* ''The Room of Lost Things'' (2008)
* ''Theodora, Actress, Empress, Whore'' (2010)
* ''The Purple Shroud'' (2012)
* ''London Lies Beneath'' (2016)
* ''The Hidden Room'' (2017)
* ''Money in the Morgue'' (2018) with Ngaio Marsh
Stage plays
* ''The Tedious Predictability of Falling in Love'' (1990)
* ''The Hand, A Lesbian Horror Ballet'' (1995)
* ''Close To You'' (1996)
* ''Crocodiles and Bears'' (1999)
* ''Immaculate Conceit'' (2003)
* ''Breaststrokes'' (2004)
* ''Prime Resident'' (2006)
* ''Medea'' (new version for Steam Industry) 2009
Awards
* CWA Short Story Dagger Award 2002 for ''Martha Grace'' (Tart Noir)
* CWA Short Story Dagger Award 2013 for ''Come Away With Me'' (Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries)
References
External links
*
List of stage plays on Doollee
(archived 2017)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy, Stella
1963 births
Living people
20th-century British novelists
21st-century British novelists
British dramatists and playwrights
LGBT dramatists and playwrights
English LGBT novelists
National Youth Theatre members
Women mystery writers
21st-century British women writers
20th-century British women writers
Victoria University of Wellington alumni
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Women's Equality Party people