Margaret Drabble Biography
Margaret Drabble was born in 1939 in Sheffield, England. Her father was a
barrister, county court judge and a novelist. Her sister is the author A.S.
Byatt. Margaret
attended the Mount School in York from where she won a scholarship to Newnham
College, Cambridge to read English. She received a Starred First (First Class
Honours with Distinction - which is rarely awarded). After graduating from
Cambridge she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford where she
understudied for Vanessa Redgrave.
She is the author of over 25 works of fiction, nonfiction, and biography. You
may view a detailed bibliography
here.
She married the actor Clive Swift (perhaps best known for his role as husband to
Hyacinth Bucket in the British comedy Keeping Up Appearances) in 1960 and
had three children. Following a divorce in 1975 she married the writer Michael
Holroyd in the early 1980s. They live in London and Somerset (South-East
England).
Drabble was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in
1980, and was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(DBE) in 2008. In addition to honorary doctorates from seven other universities,
Cambridge awarded her an honorary Doctorate in Letters in 2006.
This biography was last updated on 08/28/2005.
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