I don't know much about Noel Streatfeild, other than she wrote one of my favourite books of all time, which has subsequently been turned into a beautiful film, so I thought I'd shine the spotlight on her this week. And once more, as I often am by these spotlight profiles, I am amazed and impressed at how much this lady managed to achieve in her lifetime.
One fact which impressed me the most was that during World War II, when her flat was demolished and she did a huge amount of voluntary work, she still managed to write four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances and various articles and short stories.
Born on Christmas Eve in 1895, she was the daughter of a vicar. She also had another four siblings, until tragically her sister Joyce died when she was only two years old from TB. Noel was twenty when her parents gave birth to another girl. As a family they lived in Amberley in Sussex, then Eastbourne, moving around as part of her father's job.
When she left school she enrolled at The Eastbourne School of Domestic Economy. Then World War I started. She worked in the kitchens voluntarily at a hospital for wounded soldiers and also wrote two plays as part of the war effort. Then, when the war ended, she studied at the Academy of Dramatic Art. And so began her touring as part of various acting companies around the UK, South Africa and eventually Australia. At the same time she began a writing correspondence course.
By 1936 she had written five adult books and considered herself a writer of adult fiction. However a publisher asked her to write a story for children about the theatre and Ballet Shoes was the result. It was a best seller and is to this day her most popular book.
Noel died on 11 September 1986.
Her bibliography is huge.
To see a list of her children's books go here
To see a list of her adult books go here
To see a list of her romances go here
She has also written plays and autobiographies.