A Special Edition of The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser to celebrate Orion's 20th anniversary.
The six wives of Henry VIII - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane
Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr - have
become defined in a popular sense not so much by their lives as by the
way these lives ended. But, as Antonia Fraser conclusively proves, they
were rich and feisty characters. They may have been victims of Henry's
obsession with a male heir, but they were not willing victims. On the
contrary, they displayed considerable strength and intelligence at a
time when their sex supposedly possessed little of either.
Below is a video of Ben Twiston-Davies discussing the sculptures he made for the 20th
anniversay edtions of the Orion classics, specifically The Readerby Bernhard Schlink.
Celebrating Orion's 20th Anniversary in chronological order by original publication date are:
1992 The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy The first novel published by Orion. A million copy seller from the world’s favourite storyteller. 1992 The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser Narrative
non-fiction from one of our leading historians. This ground-breaking
title is still the definitive book on the subject. 1993 The Black Ice by Michael Connelly The first Michael Connelly title published by Orion, showcasing our ability to build quality commercial crime brands. 1994 Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon The
original Horrid Henry book was the start of a massive multi-platform
entertainment brand demonstrating the breadth of our Children’s list. 1995 Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder A
publishing sensation which brought translated literary fiction to the
mass market and formed the kernel of the W&N literary fiction list. 1997 Black and Blue by Ian Rankin
Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger, this novel cemented Ian Rankin’s status as the gold standard of British crime. 1997 The Reader by Bernhard Schlink Translated
fiction which sold a million copies and became an award-winning film
release, bringing recent history into sharp and unforgettable focus. 2000 A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer The original Misery memoir, Dave Pelzer’s story was shocking and controversial and founded a genre. 2000 Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds Science fiction on the grandest and most commercial scale from Gollancz, redefining space opera for the new century. 2001 Tell No One by Harlan Coben
The event publication which made SUNDAY TIMES No.1 bestseller Harlan
Coben a household name and cemented Orion’s ability to create commercial
brands. 2003 Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore Winner of the Best History Book at the British Book Awards 2004, this narrative character-based history broke new ground. 2004 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon A
massive million plus bestseller in the UK and one of the bestselling
books of all time in Spain – making translated fiction truly accessible. 2004 Himalaya by Michael Palin Selling
over half a million copies in hardback and staying at No.1 for 11
consecutive weeks, this is the book that proved Michael Palin was not
only a beloved television and film personality, he was a formidable
travel writer as well. 2004 Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver Selling
over half a million copies at the height of the Harry Potter years and
with massive rights sales internationally, this title is one of the
stars of our impressive Children’s list. 2005 Labyrinth by Kate Mosse A
huge SUNDAY TIMES No.1 bestseller, this engrossing ‘time-slip’ novel
combines brilliant storytelling and strong characters with a puzzle that
has obsessed men for centuries: the secret of the Grail. 2007 Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday Winner
of the PG Wodehouse Award, Torday is a unique and indefinable author
whose debut won him a substantial, dedicated fan base. 2008 No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay A
true must-read and a Richard and Judy favourite, this title announced
the arrival of an exciting new thriller bestseller from Orion. 2009 Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris The first True Blood TV tie-in novel showing the diversity and commercial potential of the Gollancz list. 2010 Life by Keith Richards This once-in-a-generation memoir of a true rock legend was a formidable No. 1 SUNDAY TIMES bestseller. 2011 The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht Winner
of the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction, this debut novel has been almost
universally praised as a triumph of modern literature and introduced a
star of the future.
Antonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works including the biographies, CROMWELL: OUR CHIEF OF MEN, KING CHARLES II and THE GUNPOWDER PLOT (CWA Non-Fiction Gold Dagger; St Louis Literary Award). She has written five highly praised books which focus on women in history, THE WEAKER VESSEL: WOMEN'S LOT IN SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ENGLAND (Wolfson Award for History, 1984), THE WARRIOR QUEENS: BOADICEA¿S CHARIOT, THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII, MARIE ANTOINETTE: THE JOURNEY (Franco-British Literary Prize 2001), which was made into a film by Sofia Coppola in 2006 and now most recently LOVE AND LOUIS XIV: THE WOMEN IN THE LIFE OF THE SUN KING. Antonia Fraser was made CBE in 1999, and awarded the Norton Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association in 2000. She lives in London and is currently working on a biography of Queen Elizabeth I. She was married to Harold Pinter who died on Christmas Eve 2008 and has eighteen grandchildren.
Below is a Q&A with this author.
What's the first book you remember reading? Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall, when I was aged four and a half. I still have the copy, rebound after much use.
Where do you live? And why? I have lived in the same house in Campden Hill Square since 1959; my six children were brought up here (two of them actually born in the house). I can't imagine living anywhere else.
Where do you write? In the children's old nursery at the top of the house, rechristened the Eyrie. I couldn't wait to move in when they moved out as it has magnificent views.
Typewriter, word processor or pen? Ancient electric typewriter (circa 1970) to which I am devoted.
Where were you born and raised? Although I was born in Sussex Gate, Bayswater (now Ryadh House, I see), I was brought up in Oxford where my father taught at the University.
Did you enjoy school? What is your most vivid memory of your school years? I loved two out of my three schools, the Dragon School, Oxford, and St Mary's Convent, Ascot, which was the setting for the first Jemima Shore mystery, Quiet as a Nun.
Did you always want to be an author? If not, what did you originally want to be and when and why did you change your mind? I didn't want to be an author. I just was an author since before memory.
What were the first pieces of writing that you produced? e.g. short stories, school magazine etc. I wrote mock Shakespearean tragedies in verse: I like to think I've got better.
What jobs did you have before you started writing? I only had one job: working for Weidenfeld & Nicolson and they've published all my non-fiction ever since.
If your house were burning down, what would you save? My black and white cat Placido – except he'd probably get out first.
Have any of your books been televised or made into films? Who by and when were they screened? The Jemima Shore crime stories were made into two TV series, Quiet as a Nun, starring Maria Aitken, and Jemima Shore Investigates, starring Patricia Hodge. Marie Antoinette has recently been filmed by Sofia Coppola.
What is a typical writing day? I like to work the whole morning without interruption (in an ideal world!), then time off, for a swim perhaps, and back about 5.00 pm. I never work at night.
What do you do when you are not writing? How do you relax? What are your hobbies? I love reading other people's crime novels to relax.
Have you started your next book? Can you tell us a little bit about it? I'm going to write about Queen Elizabeth I. I always wanted to look at the other side of the picture since I wrote Mary Queen of Scots nearly 40 years ago and now it's time.
What single thing might people be surprised to learn about you? I used to play rugger at the Dragon School! My children never believed me and I don't think my grandchildren do. On the wing, not in the scrum.
