Rosemary Sutcliff
Rosemary Sutcliff: A Life of Storytelling
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Rosemary Sutcliff was a British author known for her historical fiction novels, particularly those set in ancient Britain. Her full name is Rosemary Kimberley Sutcliff.
Birth and Death Dates
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Sutcliff was born on July 23, 1920, in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, and passed away on September 23, 1992, at the age of 72.
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Nationality: British
Profession: Author, Novelist, Writer
Rosemary Sutcliff's writing career spanned over four decades, during which she wrote numerous novels, short stories, and scripts. Her work often explored themes of history, mythology, and the human condition.
Early Life and Background
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Growing up in a family with a love for literature and storytelling, Rosemary Sutcliff was encouraged from an early age to develop her writing skills. She suffered from polio at the age of five, which led to a lifelong mobility impairment. Despite these challenges, she continued to write and developed a deep appreciation for history, mythology, and the natural world.
During World War II, Sutcliff worked in various roles, including as an ambulance driver and a factory worker. These experiences greatly influenced her writing and shaped her perspective on human nature.
Major Accomplishments
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Sutcliff's writing career was marked by several notable achievements:
Her novel The Eagle of the Ninth (1954) is widely regarded as one of her most iconic works, exploring themes of identity, community, and belonging.
She wrote over 50 novels and numerous short stories, many of which were adapted into films, plays, or television series.
Sutcliff was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1982, recognizing her significant contributions to literature.Notable Works or Actions
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Some of Rosemary Sutcliff's most notable works include:
The Eagle of the Ninth (1954) - A historical novel set in Roman Britain.
Outcast (1987) - A retelling of the legend of King Arthur, exploring themes of identity and belonging.
Blood Feud (1990) - A novel based on a traditional Cornish folktale.
Sutcliff's work is characterized by its meticulous research, vivid descriptions of historical settings, and compelling character development. Her writing often explores the complexities of human nature, inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences and relationships with others.
Impact and Legacy
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Rosemary Sutcliff's impact on literature extends far beyond her individual works:
Influence on Children's Literature: Her novels have inspired generations of young readers to explore history, mythology, and the natural world.
Historical Fiction as a Genre: Sutcliff's contributions to historical fiction helped establish it as a popular genre in children's literature.
Authentic Portrayal of Disability: Through her writing, she provided authentic portrayals of people living with disabilities, helping to challenge societal attitudes and stereotypes.Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Rosemary Sutcliff is widely quoted and remembered for her:
Timeless Themes: Her novels often explore universal themes that continue to resonate with readers today, such as identity, community, and belonging.
Historical Significance: Her meticulous research and attention to historical detail have helped shape the way we understand ancient Britain and its cultures.
Authentic Portrayal of Human Nature: Sutcliff's writing is characterized by its nuanced portrayal of human nature, inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences and relationships with others.
Quotes by Rosemary Sutcliff
Rosemary Sutcliff's insights on:
A soft gust of wind swooped at them under the hornbeam branches, setting the shadows flurrying, and when it died into the grass, Randal laid Bevis’ body down, with a stunned emptiness inside him as though something of himself had gone too.
The Commander was a complete contrast to his men: Roman to his arrogant finger-tips, wiry and dark as they were raw-boned and fair. The olive-skinned face under the curve of his crested helmet had not a soft line in it anywhere – a harsh face it would have been, but that it was winged with laughter lines, and between his level black brows showed a small raised scar that marked him for one who had passed the Raven Degree of Mithras.
Always, in these times, I am wretched save when sleep comes to me. Therefore, I have come to look upon sleep as the best of all gifts.” – Helen, about the war.
Always, everywhere, the Wolves gather on the frontiers, waiting. It needs only that a man should lower his eye for a moment, and they will be in to strip the bones. Rome is failing, my children.
For one splinter of time their eyes met in something that was almost a salute, a parting salute between two who might have been friends.
Close above him the window was a square of palest aquamarine in the dusky gold of the lamplit wall, and on the dark roof-ridge of the officers’ mess opposite was a sleeping pigeon, so clearly and exquisitely outlined against the morning sky that it seemed to Marcus as though he could make out the tip of every fluffed-out feather.
It was a small bothy, one step brought us to meet in the midst of it; my arms were around him, and his around me, the strong right arm and the maimed left that felt sapless and brittle as a bit of dead stick, and we held fast together, and wept somewhat, each into the hollow of the other’s shoulder. Maybe it is easier to weep when one grows old, than it was in the flower of life.
He loved me and didn’t want me hurt. What was worse, he didn’t even understand that I had the right to be hurt.
And out of Tristan’s heart there grew a hazel tree, and out of Iseult’s a honeysuckle, and they arched together and clung and intertwined so that they could never be separated anymore.