Nicky Singer
Born22 July 1956
Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, England
Died17 June 2023
Brighton, East Sussex, England
Occupation
  • novelist
  • playwright
  • librettist
Alma materBristol University
Period1993-2020
Subject
  • bullying
  • terrorism
  • loss
  • climate change
Notable awardsBlue Peter Book Award
2002
Spouse
James King-Smith
(m. 1983)
Children
  • Roland
  • Edmund
  • Xavier
Website
nickysinger.com

Nicky Singer was a novelist, playwright and librettist known best for her young adult books that often tackled controversial or sensitive subjects.

Early life and education

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Singer grew up in the village of Chalfont St Peter, England.[1] She showed an interest in writing from a young age, winning a chocolate bar for a story she wrote aged 6.[2]

She attended Queen Anne's School and went on to study English at the University of Bristol, graduating in 1978.[3]

Her father died suddenly when she was 14, which she cites as a "trigger event" in her life, teaching her not to take life for granted.[2] At 16 her godfather encouraged her to write a cantata adaptation of Jonah and the fish which went on to be her first published work.[4] Her mother died when Singer was 17, leaving her in loco parentis for her younger sisters.[4]

Death

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Nicky died on 17 June 2023 in Brighton following a stroke; she was 66.[1]

Published writings

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  • To Still the Child (1992)[5]
  • To Have and to Hold (1993)[6]
  • What She Wanted (1997)[7]
  • My Mother's Daughter (1998)[8]
  • Little Book of the Millennium (1999)[9]
  • Feather Boy (2002)[10]
  • The Innocent’s Story (2003)[11]
  • Doll (2003)[12]
  • Gem X (2008)[13]
  • Knight Crew (2009)[14], transformed into an opera of the same name in 2010.
  • Under Shifting Glass (2011)[15]
  • The Flask (2012)[16]
  • Island (2015)[17], originally commissioned as a play for The National Theatre
  • The Survival Game (2018)[18]
  • The Wind in the Willows (2020), illustrated by Anna Shuttlewood.[19]

Awards and honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b Riddell, Chris (2 Aug 2023). "Nicky Singer obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 Aug 2023. Retrieved 21 Jan 2023.
  2. ^ a b "An Interview With Nicky Singer". The Letterpress Project. Archived from the original on 21 Jan 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  3. ^ Brown, Lauren (27 June 2023). "Award-winning author Nicky Singer dies aged 66". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 21 Jan 2024. Retrieved 21 Jan 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Interview: Nicky Singer". www.thejc.com. Archived from the original on 21 Jan 2024. Retrieved 21 Jan 2024.
  5. ^ Singer, Nicky. To Still the Child. Virago. ISBN 9780094710900.
  6. ^ Singer, Nicky (1995). To have and to hold. Virago. ISBN 9781853818493.
  7. ^ Singer, Nicky (1997). What She Wanted. Phoenix Books. ISBN 9780753800454.
  8. ^ My Mother's Daughter. Phoenix Books. 5 Oct 1998. ISBN 9780752804781.
  9. ^ Singer, Nicky (1999). The little book of the millennium. Headline Publishing. ISBN 9780747264590.
  10. ^ Singer, Nicky (2002). Feather Boy. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0007332007.
  11. ^ Singer, Nicky. The Innocent’s Story. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0007179367.
  12. ^ Singer, Nicky (2003). Doll. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0007179367.
  13. ^ Singer, Nicky (2006). GemX. OUP. ISBN 978-0192742018.
  14. ^ Singer, Nicky (2009). Knight Crew. CB editions. ISBN 978-0956107329.
  15. ^ Singer, Nicky (2011). Under shifting glass. Chronicle Books. ISBN 9781452109213.
  16. ^ Singer, Nicky (2012). The Flask. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780007438761.
  17. ^ Singer, Nicky (2015). Island. Caboodle Books. ISBN 978-0992938963.
  18. ^ Singer, Nicky (2018). The Survival Game. Hodder Children’s Books. ISBN 978-1444944532.
  19. ^ Singer, Nicky (2015). The Wind in the Willows. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780008147266.
  20. ^ "Estate of Nicky Singer - C&W Agency". cwagency.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ "BBC - Press Office - Blue Peter Book Awards 2002". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  22. ^ "Children's in 2004 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 2024-07-17.