Robert Westall
| Robert Westall | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Atkinson 7 October 1929 North Shields, Northumberland, England, UK |
| Died | 15 April 1993 (aged 63) Warrington, England, UK |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater |
Durham University Slade School of Art |
| Period | 1975–1993 |
| Genre | Children's literature, war, horror, drama |
| Subject | Second World War, adolescence |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards |
Carnegie Medal 1975, 1982 Guardian Prize 1991 |
| Spouse | Jean Underhill (m. 1958) |
| Children | 1 son |
| Website | |
| robertwestall |
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Robert Atkinson Westall (7 October 1929 – 15 April 1993) was a English author, teacher and journalist best known for his children's fiction, although he also wrote non-fiction and work specifically for adults. Many of his novels aimed at a teenage audience deal with complex, dark and adult themes. He has been described as "the dean of British war novelists".
His first book, The Machine Gunners, won the 1975 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's outstanding children's book by a British subject. It was named one of the top ten Medal-winning works for the 70th anniversary celebration in 2007, selected by a panel to compose the ballot for a public election of the all-time favourite. Westall also won a second Carnegie (no one has won three), a Smarties Prize, and the once-in-a-lifetime Guardian Prize.
Robert Westall was born 7 October 1929 in North Shields,Northumberland. He grew up there on Tyneside during the Second World War. Wartime Tyneside is the setting for many of his novels, for which his own life was a great source and inspiration. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Art at Durham University and a post-graduate degree studying Sculpture at the Slade School of Art in London in 1957. From 1953 until 1955, Westall served in the British Army as a Lance Corporal in the Royal Corps of Signals. He subsequently became a teacher, including holding the positions of Head of Art and Head of Careers at Sir John Deane's Grammar School in Northwich, Cheshire. Westall served as a branch director of Samaritans between 1966 and 1975 and also contributed as a journalist to publications such as Cheshire Life and The Cheshire Chronicle and to The Guardian as an art critic.
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