| Edith Pargeter | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edith Mary Pargeter 28 September 1913 Horsehay, Shropshire, England |
| Died | 14 October 1995 Shropshire, England |
| Pen name | Ellis Peters; John Redfern; Jolyon Carr; Peter Benedict |
| Occupation | Author |
| Ethnicity | English and Welsh |
| Citizenship | British |
| Education | Dawley Church of England School; Coalbrookdale High School for Girls |
| Genres | historical fiction; mysteries; nonfiction works about Shrewsbury; translations from the Czech |
| Notable work(s) | "The Brother Cadfael Chronicles"; the George Felse mysteries; the "Heaven Tree" trilogy |
| Notable award(s) | OBE; British Crime Writers Association; Mystery Writers of America |
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM (28 September 1913 – 14 October 1995), also known by her nom de plume Ellis Peters, was a British author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern.
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She was born in the village of Horsehay (Shropshire, England). Her father was a clerk at a local ironworks. She was educated at Dawley Church of England School and the old Coalbrookdale High School for Girls.[1] She had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books (both fictional and non-fictional) are set in Wales and its borderlands, and/or have Welsh protagonists.
During World War II, she worked in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service (the "Wrens")—and reached the rank of petty officer by 1 January 1944 when she was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Year Honours.[2]
In 1947 she visited Czechoslovakia and became fascinated by the Czech language and culture. She became fluent in Czech and published award-winning translations of Czech poetry and prose into English.[3]
She devoted the rest of her life to writing, both nonfiction and well-researched fiction. She never attended college but became a self-taught scholar in areas that interested her, especially Shropshire and Wales. Birmingham University gave her an honorary master's degree.
She wrote under a number of pseudonyms; it was under the name Ellis Peters that she wrote the highly popular series of Brother Cadfael medieval mysteries, many of which were made into films for television. The Brother Cadfael Chronicles drew international attention to Shrewsbury and its history, and greatly increased tourism to the town.
She died in 1995 at the age of 82 following a stroke in Shrewsbury, her lifelong home. In 1997 a new stained glass window depicting St Benedict was installed in Shrewsbury Abbey and was dedicated to the memory of Edith Pargeter.[4]
She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to Literature" in the 1994 New Year Honours.[5]
In 1993 she won the Cartier Diamond Dagger, an annual award given by the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain to authors who have made an outstanding lifetime's contribution to the field of crime and mystery writing.
The Mystery Writers of America gave her their Edgar Allan Poe award in 1963 for Death and the Joyful Woman.
Four novels about Llewelyn the Last:
See The Cadfael Chronicles for the full list of books and stories, plus radio and TV adaptations.