Robert Westall

Robert Atkinson Westall^[1] (7 October 1929 – 15 April 1993) was a British author, teacher and journalist best known for his award-winning children's fiction, although he also wrote non-fiction and specifically for adults. Many of his novels, while aimed at a teenage audience, deal with many complex, dark and in many ways adult themes.^[2][3] His children's fiction includes The Machine Gunners (1975), his first novel and winner of the Carnegie Medal; it was made into a BBC television serial in 1983. He won the Carnegie Medal again in 1982 for The Scarecrows, the Smarties prize in 1989 for Blitzcat and the Guardian Award in 1991 for The Kingdom by the Sea. Westall has been described at "the dean of British war novelists".^[4]

Early life and career

Robert Westall was born in North Shields on 7 October 1929,^[5] and grew up there on Tyneside during the Second World War. Wartime Tyneside is the setting for many of his novels, for which his own life was a great source and inspiration. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Art at Durham University and a post-graduate degree studying Sculpture at the Slade School of Art in London in 1957.^[6] From 1953 until 1955, Westall served in the British Army as a Lance Corporal in the Royal Corps of Signals.^[5] He subsequently became a teacher, including holding the positions of Head of Art and Head of Careers at Sir John Deane's Grammar School, (now Sir John Deane's College) in Northwich,^[6]. Westall served as a branch director of Samaritans between 1966 and 1975^[1] and also contributed as a journalist to publications such as Cheshire Life and The Cheshire Chronicle as well as The Guardian as an art critic.^[3]

Writing

Westall's inspiration to become a writer was from relating stories about his experiences during World War II to his son Christopher.^[1] His first novel, The Machine Gunners was set during the war, where a group of children living in Garmouth (a fictionalised Tynemouth), retrieve a machine gun from the turret of a fallen German aircraft. Christopher Westall was later killed in a motorbike accident at the age of 18 in 1978^[6] and was subsequently the inspiration for The Devil on the Road (1978) and a short story in The Haunting of Chas McGill (1983).^[1] In 1985, Westall retired from teaching and after briefly dealing in antiques^[5] concentrated on his writing.^[3] From 1988 until his death he attended a writers circle in Lymm where he enjoyed assisting and mentoring new writers, one of the writing titles that was set by one of the students, Jonathan Welford, this was 'Nightmare', this was to be his last book titled Night Mare, published after his death.

Death

Westall died on 15 April 1993 in Warrington Hospital of respiratory failure as a result of pneumonia.^[3] At the time of his death, he lived in lodgings with his landlady Lindy McKinnel at 1 Woodland Avenue in the village of Lymm and had his own cottage a few paces away where each day he left his home to write, Robert liked the feeling of going to work of a morning. Previously he had lived at 20 Winnington Lane, Northwich, and had run Magpie Antiques, Church Street, Davenham. As a journalist he wrote for Cheshire Life, the Northwich Chronicle and the Warrington Guardian. A memorial service was held on 29 September 1993, at nearby All Saints' Church, Thelwall, Warrington. Tributes were paid by former teaching colleagues and Miriam Hodgson, editorial director (fiction) Reed Children's Books.

A blue plaque was placed on Westall's birthplace, 7 Vicarage Street, North Shields, on Tyneside, the following year. There is also a Westall Walk, which takes fans around locations used by the world famous children's writer in his stories.

Westall's work has caught the imagination of the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. In October 2006 A Trip to Tynemouth by Miyazaki was published in Japan. Miyazaki based the story on, "Blackham's Wimpy", first published in Westall's short story collection Break of Dark. The rival RAF crews in the story fly Vickers Wellington bombers. The nickname comes from J. Wellington Wimpy in the Popeye cartoons.

Writing style, themes explored

Westall's work can be roughly divided between the World War II tale, "school stories" and tales of the supernatural. Indeed, many think that his ghost stories are the finest since M. R. James, but Westall was especially adept at combining genres and merged all three themes effortlessly. His characters of any age are often blessed with strength of will and purpose that is the ultimate hallmark of his stories. While Westall's novels, for the most part, touch upon the supernatural, they tend to avoid the realms of fantasy. The fantastic, when used by Westall, is a device used within a story rather than the sole purpose of a story. The Devil on the Road is a particularly good example of Westall's sophistication and subtlety when dealing with the supernatural and of his ability to tell a story which is both contemplative and entirely gripping. The science fiction novel Futuretrack Five is similarly compelling. Westall creates a dystopian future as cutting and insightful as Orwell's. The dystopia of Futuretrack Five however, while in places bleak, is more bitter-sweet than despairing.

Bibliography

Books by Robert Westall

Adult fiction

• Antique Dust (1989)

Anthologies

• Spinetinglers (1988)
• Ghost Stories (1993)
• Cat's Whispers and Tales (1996)
• The Best of Robert Westall Volume One: Demons and Shadows (1998)
• The Best of Robert Westall Volume Two: Shades of Darkness (1998)

Fiction

• The Machine Gunners (1975)
• The Wind Eye (1976)
• The Watch House (1977)
• The Devil on the Road (1978)
• Fathom Five (1979)
• The Scarecrows (1981)
• Break of Dark (1982)
• Futuretrack Five (1983)
• The Haunting of Chas McGill (1983)
• The Cats of Seroster (1984)
• Rachel and the Angel (1986)
• The Creature in the Dark (1988)
• Ghost Abbey (1988)
• Ghosts and Journeys (1988)
• Blitzcat (1989)
• The Call and Other Stories (1989)
• Old Man on a Horse (1989)
• A Walk on the Wild Side (1989)
• Echoes of War (1989)
• Urn Burial (1989)
• If Cats Could Fly (1990)
• The Kingdom by the Sea (1990)
• The Promise (1990)
• Stormsearch (1990)
• The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral (1991)
• Yaxley's Cat (1991)
• Fearful Lovers (1992)
• Gulf (1992)
• Falling Into Glory (1993)
• A Place For Me (1993)
• Size Twelve (1993)
• The Wheatstone Pond (1993)
• A Time of Fire (1994)
• The Witness (1994)
• Blitz (1995)
• Christmas Spirit (1995)
• The Night Mare (1995)
• Blizzard (1996)
• Harvest (1996)
• Love Match (1997)
• Voices in the Wind (1997)
• David and the Kittens (2003)

Non-fiction

• Children of the Blitz (1985)

Autobiographical

• The Making of Me (2006)

Adaptations

Radio

• The Machine Gunners, BBC Radio 4 (2002)
• The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral, BBC Radio 4
• The Wheatstone Pond, BBC Radio 4 (2002)
• Yaxley's Cat, BBC Radio 4

Television

• The Machine Gunners, BBC (1983)^[7]
• The Watch House, BBC (1988)^[8]

Awards

• American Library Association 100 Best Books for Young Adults of the Last 25 years
  • 1994: Blitzcat^[9]
• American Library Association Best Fiction for Young Adults
  • 1997: Gulf^[10]
• Boston Globe – Horn Book Award Honor Book
  • 1977: The Machine Gunners^[11]
  • 1982: The Scarecrows^[11]
• Carnegie Medal in Literature
  • 1975: The Machine Gunners^[12]
  • 1981: The Scarecrows^[12]
• Dracula Society Children of the Night Award
  • 1991: The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral^[13]
• Guardian Award
  • 1991: The Kingdom by the Sea^[14]
• Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
  • 1989: Blitzcat^[2]
• Sheffield Children's Book Award
  • 1991: The Promise ^[15]

References

External links

• Official website
• Robert Westall Collection - archive held at Seven Stories, the Centre for Children's Books