PIZZEY, Erin 1939-

PERSONAL: Born February 19, 1939, in Tsingtao, China; married (separated); children: Leo, Amos. Ethnicity: "Irish." Education: Educated in convent schools. Religion: "I believe in God in all his aspects."

ADDRESSES: Home—Flat 5, 29 Lebanon Park, Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 3DH, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Chiswick Women's Aid, London, England, founder and chair; established several other shelters for abused women and children.

AWARDS, HONORS: Italian Peace Prize, 1978; Nancy Astor Award for journalism, 1983, 1985; made honorary citizen of St. Giovanni D'Asso, Italy, 1992; St. Valentino Palm d'Oro, 1994.

WRITINGS:

novels

The Watershed, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1983.

In the Shadow of the Castle, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1984.

First Lady, Collins (New York, NY), 1986.

The Consul General's Daughter, Collins (New York, NY), 1987.

The Snow Leopard of Shanghai, Collins (London, England), 1989.

Other Lovers, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1989.

Swimming with Dolphins, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1990.

Morningstar, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1992.

For the Love of a Stranger, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1993.

Kisses, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

The Wicked World of Women, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1996.

other

Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear, Penguin (New York, NY), 1974, adapted by the author as a television play of the sme title, 1974.

Infernal Child: A Memoir, Gollancz (London, England), 1978.

The Slut's Cook Book, illustrated by Anny White, Macdonald (London, England), 1981.

(With Jeff Shapiro) Prone to Violence, Hamlyn (London, England), 1982.

Erin Pizzey Collects, Hamlyn (London, England), 1983.

That Awful Woman (television play), 1989.

Sanctuary (television play), 1989.

Requiem (screenplay), 1990.

Shadows (screenplay), 1993.

The Emotional Terrorist and the Violence-Prone, Commoners' Publishing (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), 1998.

Contributor to magazines.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Two novels, The Fame Game and The City of Secrets; a television drama series for British Broadcasting Corp.

SIDELIGHTS: Erin Pizzey is an activist who writes both nonfiction works about women's social problems, especially domestic violence, and romance novels that defy the conventions of their genre. "You might find it strange that a leading feminist … should also be known as a successful writer of romantic/blockbuster novels," noted P. Campbell in Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers. "However, Erin Pizzey's books are not formula romances." Her characters are average, believable people who deal with tragedies and often emerge stronger than before.

"I write to tell the truth, however unpalatable, of women's lives," Pizzey commented in Romance and Historical Writers. Pizzey has recounted the real-life stories of abused women and children, and her work on their behalf, in Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear, Infernal Child: A Memoir, and Prone to Violence. Pizzey was a founder of Chiswick Women's Aid in London in 1971; it was the world's first shelter for battered women. Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear covers the beginnings of this organization. A Publishers Weekly reviewer pronounced the book "direct and lucid," as well as a "badly needed expose" on domestic violence. America commentator G. M. Anderson found the work "a pioneering book, and in terms of its impact one of the most important." Anderson described Pizzey's writing style as "informed with a determined individuality that [is] balanced by clarity and conciseness, and even by humor." Infernal Child provides both an update on Chiswick Women's Aid and insight into the experiences that shaped Pizzey's world view. Her father abused her mother, not physically, but emotionally; Pizzey believes that her commitment to helping victimized women had its roots in her observation of her father's behavior and in her eventual forgiveness of him. Books and Bookmen contributor Frank Longford deemed Infernal Child "a remarkable piece of autobiography," although he thought Pizzey's compassion for her father a bit excessive. Longford lauded Pizzey's generous spirit, but drew the line at "thanking God (which is what it comes to) for her father's maltreatment of his family as described." The account of Pizzey's cause-related work continues in Prone to Violence, written with fellow activist Jeff Shapiro. "The book should be read for its journalistic reporting of actual incidents; the psychologising of the authors is not of very much interest," remarked H. J. Eysenck in Books and Bookmen. Eysenck praised Pizzey's hands-on approach to treating social ills, though, finding it preferable to government solutions—which the reviewer characterized as bureaucratic and wasteful.

An abusive relationship is the subject of one of Pizzey's novels, In the Shadow of the Castle. The book's heroine, Bonnie, marries an older, wealthy man, Angus McPherson, who brutalizes her both emotionally and physically. Like many of the men in Pizzey's novels, he masks his true nature, concealing his cruelty with a charming demeanor. Bonnie endures his abuse for several years, but finally decides to leave him; unfortunately, he pursues her. "Bonnie's life as a battered wife is realistically and frighteningly portrayed," observed Campbell. Pizzey's other novels display a feminist bent as well. These include First Lady, a multigenerational family saga featuring several strong women characters, and The Snow Leopard of Shanghai, which chronicles a remarkable woman's life in mid-twentieth-century China.

Campbell described Pizzey as "an important voice in contemporary fiction" and praised her for exploring difficult topics with honesty and wit. "Everything from child abuse to homosexuality is treated seriously in Pizzey's novels, and her ability to create interesting characters in fascinating settings makes her a popular author," Campbell concluded. Pizzey once commented to CA: "I am concerned about the need to understand human relationships. I work mostly with violent relationships and the needs of the women, children, and men which have to be met. All my writing reflects this search and helps me think ahead to how we can see the family in the future."

Recently Pizzey added: "I am in the early stages of pioneering a new drama series with the British Broadcasting Corporation. For a non-artist, the transition from the verbal to the visible is fascinating and difficult. My work with victims of domestic violence continues, and much of my writing is influenced by the cases that come to me. I am also researching my new novel, The City of Secrets. It is set in Siena, Italy, which is indeed the most secretive city in the world. I travel all over the world, speaking about domestic violence and my writing. This gives me an opportunity to talk to people and to recognize how universal is the need to tell stories and for all of us to know and to experience love."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

books

Pizzey, Erin, Infernal Child: A Memoir, Gollancz (London, England), 1978.

Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1994.

periodicals

America, February 18, 1978, G. M. Anderson, review of Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear, p. 126.

Books and Bookmen, January, 1979, Frank Longford, review of Infernal Child: A Memoir, pp. 31-32; December, 1982, H. J. Eysenck, review of Prone to Violence, p. 38.

Publishers Weekly, October 3, 1977, review of Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear, p. 87.

Times Literary Supplement, November 15, 1974, p. 1290.