Bennett, Veronica 1953–

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Bennett, Veronica 1953–

Personal

Born February 28, 1953, in Wales; daughter of Wilfred (a civil engineer) and Margaret (a nurse) May; married John Bennett (a university professor), 1984; children: Louise, Robert. Education: University College, Cardiff, B.A. (English; with honors), 1975, M.Phil., 1990; Garnett College, London, Cert. Ed., 1979. Hobbies and other interests: Theatre, ballet, music, opera.

Addresses

Home—Middlesex, England. Agent—Rosemary Canter, PDF, Drury House, 34-43 Russell St., London WC2B 5HA, England. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Educator and author. South Bristol College, Bristol, England, lecturer in English, 1979-86; Cardiff Insitute of Higher Education, part-time lecturer in English, 1986-90; University College, Cardiff, part-time lecturer in continuing education, 1995-98; Richmond upon Thames College, part-time lecturer in English, 2000-06.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN

Dandelion and Bobcat, Walker Books (London, England), 2000.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Monkey, Walker Books (London, England), 1998.

The Boy-Free Zone, Walker Books (London, England), 1999.

Fish Feet, Walker Books (London, England), 2002.

Angelmonster, Walker Books (London, England), 2005, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2006.

Cassandra's Sister, Walker Books (London, England), 2006, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2007.

Shakespeare's Apprentice, Walker Books (London, England), 2007.

Contributor of articles and short fiction to newspapers and magazines.

Sidelights

"I have always been a writer of stories, even as a child," young-adult novelist Veronica Bennett told SATA. For many years Bennett wove her career as a writer between her work as a lecturer in English at colleges in her native England, and her novel Angelmonster reflects her love of literature. The novel follows the life of Mary Shelley, whose tumultuous history included marriage to one of the most noted English poets of his age, as well as adultery, drug abuse, a scandalous personal life, and authorship—at age twenty-one—of one of the most well-known horror novels of all time: Frankenstein. Mary Shelley's reputation for being unconventional was well earned: she was seduced by her future husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, while he was still married and she was only sixteen years old. Raised by free-thinking parents, Mary possessed an intellect and outspokenness that also found her at odds with many of the social conventions regulating the lives of most women of her day. In reading Bennett's fictionalization of Shelley's life, modern teen readers "will recognize the novel's themes of passion and disillusionment," according to Booklist contributor Jennifer Mattson, the critic adding that the author's "insightful telling" will be of special value when paired with a reading of Shelley's famous novel. Calling the novel "enthralling," Cheri Dobbs explained that Angelmonster "grabs readers and takes them on a believable journey into a psyche beset with demons." "Bennett is a skilled writer," asserted Kliatt reviewer Claire Rosser, describing Angelmonster as a "sordid tale of quite intelligent young people behaving badly."

"I received a portable typewriter as a Christmas present when I was thirteen years old and began to write, or rather embark on, novels," Bennett recalled to SATA, adding that "none got finished and I never showed my writing to anyone. It was not until I was in my thirties that I started to publish—articles at first, then stories, then in 1998 my first young-adult novel Monkey. This has since been followed by five other young-adult novels and one for eight-to-ten-year-old readers.

"My interest in writing for young adults came out of my experience as an English lecturer, teaching mainly sixteen to eighteen year olds. Students of this age study

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serious adult literature, but I believe younger students need practice in reading challenging books in preparation for these later studies. My priority is always an interesting, fast-paced story, but I also strive to produce the very best prose I can, without making concessions either on subject matter or vocabulary. My books stretch youngsters intellectually and imaginatively, as, indeed, good adult books should. If I can contribute to laying the foundations of appreciation of the power of fiction in a young person, I am happy.

"My three latest novels, beginning with Angelmonster in 2005, have been historical stories based around writers. I chose to do this because in my work as a teacher I was often disturbed by how little sixteen year olds coming to study literature at an advanced level knew about the cultural and historical worlds in which writers lived, and how their experiences affected their work. I hope that by writing this material into a novel, young adults will be encouraged to find out about literature in an enjoyable way.

"My advice for aspiring writers is: Write what you want to write, not something you think will sell lots of copies. Persevere through the rejection period—it is your apprenticeship, and would you let a man fix your plumbing if he hadn't trained to do it for around two years? Two years is about the time it takes most people to get published. During that time the rejections get a lot easier to bear, and you learn a lot."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July 1, 2006, Jennifer Mattson, review of Angelmonster, p. 47.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 2006, Karen Coats, review of Angelmonster, p. 5.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2006, review of Angelmonster, p. 454.

Kliatt, May, 2006, Claire Rosser, review of Angelmonster, p. 6.

School Librarian, summer, 1999, review of Monkey, p. 98; summer, 2000, review of The Boy-Free Zone, p. 96; summer, 2001, review of Dandelion and Bobcat, p. 79.

School Library Journal, August, 2006, Cheri Dobbs, review of Angelmonster, p. 114.

Times Educational Supplement, November 13, 1998, review of Monkey, p. 79; August 11, 2000, review of The Boy-Free Zone, p. 22.