Eva Ibbotson was an award-winning writer of books for children and adults; born in Vienna in 1925, she moved to England to escape the Nazis, eventually settling in Newcastle where she lived until her death in 2010. This year Eva would have been 100 years old. She is the author of more than twenty books, including the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize-winning Journey to the River Sea and The Star of Kazan.
Winifred Watson was born in 1906 and brought up in Newcastle, where she lived until her death in 2002. Her best-selling novel, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, was first published in 1938 and republished by Persephone Books in 2000 to much acclaim (‘Why has it taken more than half a century for this wonderful flight of humour to be rediscovered?’ The Guardian). It was subsequently adapted into a film featuring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams. In 2025, Persephone Books will publish her book Hop, Step and Jump.
We’re delighted to celebrate these Newcastle writers with Francesca Beauman from Persephone Books, who champion neglected female authors – including Eva’s mother, Anna Gmeyner – and Eva Ibbotson’s daughter, Lalage Bosanquet, who will discuss the literary legacies of Winifred and Eva.