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]
Lavinia Derwent | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Broadcasting
editDerwent'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]
The Sula books
editDerwent 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]
Bibliography
edit- ”My Own Book of Birds” (1937)
- Tammy Troot (1947)
- Tammy Troot's Capers (1947)
- Huffy Puffy the little red engine (1951)
- Macpherson (1961)
- Further Adventures of Tammy Troot (1975)
- Sula (1969)
- Return to Sula (1971)
- The Boy from Sula (1973)
- Song of Sula (1976)
- Macpherson's Island (1970)
- Macpherson's Skyscraper (1978)
- A Breath of Border Air (1977)
- Another Breath of Border Air (1978)
- God Bless the Borders (1981)
- A Border Bairn (1980)
- Beyond the Borders (1989)
- The Tale of Greyfriars Bobby (1985)
- The Lady of the Manse (1985)
- A Mouse in the Manse (1987)
References
edit- ^ a b "Lavinia Derwent – 1909 – 1989". Jedburgh Historic Town. 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "Elizabeth Dodd (Lavinia Derwent)". Scottish Literary Locations. 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ Moira Burgess: "Dodd, Elizabeth (pseud. Lavinia Derwent)", ODNB (Oxford, UK, 2005). Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ "Lavinia Derwent". Books from Scotland – The Best of Scottish Books. 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "Radio Times 1923 – 2009". BBC. 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- ^ Derwent, Lavinia (1969). Sula. Victor Gollancz Ltd. ISBN 0862410681.
- ^ Derwent, Lavinia (1971). Return to Sula. Victor Gollancz Ltd. ISBN 0862410738.
- ^ Derwent, Lavinia (1973). The Boy from Sula. Victor Gollancz Ltd. ISBN 9780863154003.
- ^ Derwent, Lavinia (1976). Song of Sula. Victor Gollancz Ltd. ISBN 9780863154386.
