A. S. Byatt, The Children's Book

Emma Victoria Miller (University of Durham)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of Glasgow), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 2009

Places

United Kingdom (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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The Children’s Book

(2009) is an intricately woven, highly detailed epic tale of a number of interconnected families, starting in the latter years of Queen Victoria’s reign and concluding just after the First World War. The critical praise for the novel has been echoed by literary accolades and the book won Byatt the James Tait Memorial Prize as well as an entry on the shortlist for the 2009 Booker Prize. Newspaper reviews were generally positive and the novel was also on the shortlist for

The Times

and W. H. Smith 50 best paperbacks of 2010.

The Children’s Book is loosely based on the life of the Fabian author Edith Nesbit and her family. Edith’s character can be seen in the portrayal of the charming and beautiful Olive Wellwood (Shilling, 2009; cf. Byatt interview with McGrath,

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2434 words

Citation: Miller, Emma Victoria. "The Children's Book". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 April 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=26510, accessed 16 April 2024.]

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