A great number of talented people have been born in the city of Liverpool. These include athletes, politicians, scientists, show-business stars, cultural figures, and more. Today, we will talk about the famous poet and writer Berlie Doherty, who was born in Liverpool. Read more about this on the iliverpool.info website.
Childhood and Education
The future poet and writer was born in 1943 in Liverpool. She grew up in a large family and was the youngest of three children. Her father worked on the railway and also loved to write. In fact, his poems were published several times in the local newspaper, and it was he who insisted that Berlie should write. The young girl’s poems appeared on the children’s pages of the Liverpool Echo and the Hoylake News and Advertiser.
It should be noted that her father played a significant role in young Berlie’s upbringing. He would often tell his daughter bedtime stories and motivate her to write short stories and so on.
The Liverpool native attended Upton Hall Convent School, and also studied English at the University of Durham and social sciences at the University of Liverpool.
Career Development: Novels and Poetry Collections
For a time, Berlie worked as a social worker and a teacher. She was also involved in writing and creating school programmes for BBC Radio Sheffield.
Regarding her writing career, Berlie Doherty had been published in children’s newspapers from the age of five. However, after the age of fourteen, she was no longer able to do so. Her writing career only took off when Berlie’s own children started school.
In 1982, she published her first book, ‘How Green You Are!’. Just two years later, her third book, ‘White Peak Farm’, was released. This was her first book for an older audience. The book tells the story of life on a modern family farm.
In total, the writer has written over 60 novels and books for both children and young adults.
Doherty notes that she is inspired by the landscape. She also frequently communicates with children and teenagers while writing her books. This is likely why she is considered a children’s writer. However, the Liverpool native is also the author of novels for adults (‘Requiem’, ‘The Vinegar Jar’) and a poetry collection. In 1993, Berlie published a collection of poems, ‘Walking on Air’, and also edited the collection of ‘story-poems’, ‘The Forsaken Merman’.
Plays for Radio and Beyond
The writer is also the author of many plays for radio and theatre, and has also adapted two of her novels for television. In 1988, ‘White Peak Farm’ for BBC1, and in 1994, ‘Children of Winter’ for Channel 4. In 2001, she wrote the script for the series ‘Zzaap and the Word Master’, about two children trapped in cyberspace.
Furthermore, Doherty has written the libretti for three children’s operas.
The Liverpool native has been awarded the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association and was a runner-up for the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. In 1994, she received the Sankei Award for the Japanese edition and a Writers’ Guild Award. In 2001, The Guardian newspaper named her one of the five ‘Classics for younger teens’.
In 2002, the University of Derby awarded Doherty an honorary doctorate. Two years later, the writer received the Phoenix Award from the Children’s Literature Association.
As for her personal life, Berlie Doherty is in a relationship with fellow children’s writer Alan Brown. She has two daughters who assist the writer in her work.
Berlie Doherty is a writer and poet who delights readers with her works. Throughout her life, she has written more than 60 novels. For the most part, these are books for children and teenagers.
We hope you found our article informative and that you have learned more about this famous Liverpool native.