Monday, November 05, 2007

Anne Weale

I am sorry to hear that Anne Weale has died. The news came from Jenny Haddon, recently retired Chairman of the UK Romantic Novelists' Association.

Anne Weale was one of the founding members of the RNA. She began her career as a newspaper reporter, but by 1955 was already writing fiction. She went on writing a book a year, sometimes two, until quite recently. The total, I think, was 79. Fantasticfiction has, as usual, a complete list.

Anne was one of the first writers to recognise the power of the internet, and from 1998 to 2004 she wrote a web-site review column, Bookworm on the Net, for the Bookseller. She then transferred to blogging, under the same title.

The last post on Bookworm on the Net appeared on 13 September, when Anne was having computer problems. In it she says: 'It's an interesting experience to be forced offline for a while.' What a shame that the change has proved to be permanent.

Anne Weale did me a great kindness in providing a positive quote for the cover of my most recent novel. As the RNA says, she will be missed.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Clearly she will be missed.

Anonymous said...

She had no truck with weasel words or faux emotionalism and she called it as she saw it.

Earlier this year she wrote:

'Have just read this -

"It is hard to imagine that only twenty years ago women were not
expected to have careers and instead encouraged to marry and have
children at an early age. As trends changed and society was disrupted
by the voice of 80's feminists like Germaine Greer and the entire
baby boom generation, life choices became very different for young
women."

Enterprising women were starting their careers decades earlier.

If Germaine Greer started anything, it was the attitude that caused
this article to be given the vulgar heading, "Mums on the pull".

Read it at
http://tinyurl.com/3cbfxr '

Who but AW would dare to use the word vulgar perjoratively these days? She had earned a living as a writer for sixty years so I reckon she'd earned it.

Lesley Cookman said...

She was one of the great instigators. She could start a raging debate among RNA members with a few witty, incisive words, then sit back and watch the fall out. A clever and seemingly indestructable lady, whose departure was a huge shock and sadness to us all.

Anonymous said...

I so admired Anne Weale's uncompromising and frank attitude to life, I enjoyed her email posts, and I always wished I lived near enough to meet her properly. I'm sad that I never shall now, but my on-line life was much enriched by her input and I'll miss her.

Anna Jacobs
http://www.annajacobs.com

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Anonymous said...

yeah.. she will be missed!

Anonymous said...

of course!

UFC 101 Live Stream said...

that was a very sad bad news. May she rest in peace.

gih said...

Absolutely she will.

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escalante blogger said...

I miss this lady.