Fraser, Antonia (1932–)
Fraser, Antonia (1932–)
British biographer, mystery writer and novelist. Name variations: Antonia Pakenham; Lady Antonia Pinter or Antonia Fraser Pinter. Born Antonia Pakenham, Aug 27, 1932, in London, England; dau. of Francis Aungier Pakenham (writer and politician), 7th earl of Longford, and Elizabeth Harmon Pakenham, known as Elizabeth Longford (historian); sister of Rachel Billington; graduate of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, 1953; m. Sir Hugh Charles Fraser, 1956 (div 1977); m. Harold Pinter (playwright), 1980; children: 6.
Popular writer of biographies and fiction, published Mary, Queen of Scots (1969) which became a bestseller and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; other works include King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1954), Robin Hood (1957), Cromwell: Our Chief of Men (1973), King James: VI of Scotland, I of England (1974), King Charles II (1979), The Weaker Vessel (1984), Boadicea's Chariot (1988), Faith and Treason (1996), and Marie Antoinette (2001); also wrote the "Jemima Shore" series of mysteries, including Quiet as a Nun (1977), A Splash of Red (1981), Cool Repentance (1982), Jemima Shore at the Sunny Grave and Other Stories (1991), The Cavalier Case (1990) and Political Death (1994); served as member of Arts Council of Great Britain, English PEN, and Crimewriters' Association; television series based on her crime novels produced by BBC. Named CBE (1999); awarded Norton Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association (2000).