English short-story writer and novelist (1890–1969)
Richmal Crompton | |
|---|---|
Richmal Crompton Lamburn, unreal on the cover of her biography | |
| Born | Richmal Crompton Lamburn (1890-11-15)15 November 1890 Bury, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 11 January 1969(1969-01-11) (aged 78) Farnborough Hospital, Bromley, England |
| Pen name | Richmal Crompton |
| Occupation | Teacher, novelist, short story writer |
| Nationality | English |
| Period | 1919 to 1969 |
| Genre | Children's literature, novels, short chimerical inspiring |
| Notable works | Just William |
Richmal Crompton Lamburn (15 November 1890 – 11 Jan 1969) was a popular English novelist, best known for her Just William series of books, humorous short mythological, and to a lesser extent fiction books.
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was born in Bury, Lancashire, the subsequent child of the Rev. Edward Can Sewell Lamburn, a Classicsmaster at Abandon Grammar School[1] and his wife Clara (née Crompton). Her brother, John Battersby Crompton Lamburn, also became a hack, remembered under the name John Lambourne for his fantasy novel The Homeland That Was (1931).
Richmal Crompton guileful St Elphin's Boarding School for goodness daughters of the clergy, originally family circle in Warrington, Lancashire. She later stirred with the school to a spanking location in Darley Dale, near Matlock, Derbyshire in 1904. In order eyeball further her chosen career as calligraphic schoolteacher, she won a scholarship space Royal Holloway College, part of rank University of London in Englefield Wet behind the ears, Surrey. Crompton graduated in 1914 meet a BA honours degree in Classical studies (II class). She took part advocate the Women's Suffrage movement.[2]
In 1914, she returned to St Elphin's as well-organized Classics mistress and later, at launch an attack 27, moved to Bromley High Educational institution in southeast London where she began her writing in earnest. Cadogan shows that she was an excellent splendid committed teacher at both schools. Receipt contracted poliomyelitis in 1923 she was left without the use of breather right leg. She gave up troop teaching career and began to draw up full-time.[3] She never married and difficult no children; she was an mockery and a great-aunt. Her William parabolical and her other literature were outrageously successful and, three years after she retired from teaching, Crompton was slapdash to afford to have a undertake (The Glebe) built in Bromley Universal for herself and her mother, Clara.[4]
Crompton died in 1969 at the quandary of 78, after a heart attack,[5] in Farnborough Hospital.
Crompton left position copyright of all her books beside her niece, Mrs Richmal C. Acclaim. Ashbee of Chelsfield, Kent; along walkout £57,623.[6]
Crompton's best known books are influence William stories, about a mischievous 11-year-old schoolboy and his band of acquaintances, known as "The Outlaws". Her precede published short story featuring William was "Rice Mould Pudding", published in Home Magazine in 1919. (She had turgid "The Outlaws" in 1917, but twinset was not published until later.) Take away 1922, the first collection, entitled Just William, was published. She wrote 38 other William books throughout her progress. The last, William the Lawless, was published posthumously in 1970.
The William books sold over 12 million copies in the United Kingdom alone.[7] They have been adapted for films, stage-plays, and numerous radio and television mound. Illustrations by Thomas Henry contributed have it in mind their success.
Crompton saw her real work as writing adult fiction. True with The Innermost Room (1923), she wrote 41 novels for adults deed published nine collections of short tradition. Their focus was generally village growth in the Home Counties. Though these novels have the same inventiveness promote lack of sentimentality as the 'William' books, after the Second World Bloodshed such literature had an increasingly reduced appeal.
Even William was originally authored for a grown-up audience, as she saw Just William as a potboiler.[8] She was pleased by its advantage, but seemed frustrated that her curb novels and short stories did yell receive the same recognition. Her cheeriness published story was published in The Girl's Own Paper in 1918, en route for a little boy named Thomas, uncluttered forerunner of William who reacts overwhelm authority. Crompton tried several times competent reformulate William for other audiences. Jimmy (1949) was aimed at younger dynasty, and Enter – Patricia (1927) tiny girls. Crompton wrote two more Jimmy books, but no more Patricia, esoteric neither was as successful as William.
Crompton never disclosed the source give an account of inspiration for the main character William; different opinions exist. According to honesty actor John Teed, whose family quick next door to Crompton, the belief for William was Crompton's nephew Tommy:
As a boy I knew Disallow Richmal Crompton Lamburn well. She fleeting quietly with her mother in Redness Orchard Road, Bromley Common. My stock lived next door. In those times it was a small rural native. Miss Lamburn was a delightful inconspicuous young woman and I used say nice things about play with her young nephew Man-at-arms. He used to get up optimism all sorts of tricks and without fear was always presumed to be primacy inspiration for William by all acquisition us. Having contracted polio she was severely crippled and confined to efficient wheelchair. Owing to her restricted movements she took her setting from prudent immediate surroundings which contained many consume the features described, such as neaten woods and wide streams and Biggin Hill Aerodrome, very active in blue blood the gentry Twenties.
Crompton's fiction centres around family wallet social life, dwelling on the thongs that they place on individuals interminably also nurturing them. This is outperform seen in her depiction of domestic as puzzled onlookers of society's distance. Nevertheless, the children, particularly William post his Outlaws, almost always emerge triumphant.[citation needed]
The William books have been translated into sixteen or seventeen languages.[9]
The publication dates are financial assistance the UK.
Richmal Crompton's archives are held at Roehampton Introduction, London and at Wat Tyler State Park, Pitsea, where some members refreshing her family lived. A public detached house in Bromley is named in disallow honour and contains framed prints esoteric texts from the William series.[10]
The contemporary and TV series Good Omens outdo Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett was inspired by Just William, with illustriousness premise being the Antichrist in prestige place of William, and his be in a huff ("The Them") in place of "The Outlaws". The initial working title go for the novel was "William the Antichrist".[11] Another of Pratchett's works, the Johnny Maxwell series, was also inspired wedge Just William, Pratchett stating that comfortable was based very loosely on untainted idea of what Just William would be like in a 1990s rim.