Lavinia Derwent | |
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Born | Elizabeth Dodd 1909 Cheviot Hills, Scotland |
Died | 1989 |
Pen name | Lavinia Derwent |
Occupation | Writer and broadcaster |
Nationality | British |
Genre | Children's fiction, adult fiction |
Notable works | The Sula quartet |
Lavinia Derwent was the pen name of the Scottish author and broadcaster Elizabeth Dodd MBE (1909–1989). [1] She was born in an isolated farmhouse in the Cheviot Hills some seven miles from Jedburgh and began making up stories about animals at an early age. She also wrote a version of Greyfriars Bobby. Her autobiographical books include her Border and Manse series. Border Bairn is set around Jedburgh, while Lady of the Manse has a Berwickshire setting. Derwent's Manse books drew on her experiences keeping house for her Church of Scotland minister brother. [2] [3]
Derwent's first successes were her Tammy Troot stories, which were read out in the 1920s on Auntie Kathleen's Children's Hour on Scottish Radio. [4] The first of the books was published in 1947. They were still being reprinted in the 1970s, when Derwent, alternating with Molly Weir and Cliff Hanley, co-presented the series Teatime Tales on the STV (TV network), recalling stories taken from her own childhood. [1]
Derwent books about a fictional island called Sula later featured in BBC's Jackanory, read by John Cairney. [5] These were also made into a television series.
The original novels were: Sula, [6] Return to Sula, [7] The Boy From Sula [8] and Song of Sula. [9]