Elizabeth Fremantle | |
---|---|
Born | 1962 (age 61–62) London, England, United Kingdom |
Pen name | EC Fremantle |
Occupation | Writer |
Language | English |
Alma mater | Birkbeck, University of London (BA) |
Elizabeth Fremantle (born 1962) is an English novelist and teacher of Creative Writing. Her published works include Queen's Gambit (2013), The Girl in the Glass Tower (2016) and the critically acclaimed thriller The Poison Bed (2018). In 2024, a revised edition of Queen's Gambit was published as Firebrand to mark the release of the novel's adaption into a major motion picture, starring Alicia Vikander as Katherine Parr and Jude Law as Henry VIII. [1]
Fremantle's themes of women and power and are linked by her interest in exploring the invisibility of early modern women's lives. [2] She was described by The Bookseller in 2013 as ‘a major new voice in historical fiction,’ and People Magazine called her ‘a brilliant new player in the court of royal fiction.’ Fremantle is the 5x great-granddaughter of diarist Elizabeth Wynne Fremantle and Thomas Fremantle, the latter of whom was a close associate of Horatio Nelson. [3]
Elizabeth Fremantle was born in London and spent her early years in Hampstead, North London.
After leaving school aged sixteen Fremantle worked in a variety of jobs before embarking on a career in journalism. She worked as a fashion editor for ELLE UK followed by British Vogue and then in France for Vogue Paris .
In the 1990s, she attended Birkbeck, University of London as a mature student gaining a 1st class BA in English Literature and the Prize for English, followed by a masters in Creative Writing.
Fremantle has published six Tudor and Jacobean set novels with Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK. Her first three novels are published by Simon & Schuster in the United States. Her seventh novel, Disobedient was published in July 2023, and is a feminist retelling of the story of Artemisia Gentileschi. Disobedient (2023) was described by publisher Jillian Taylor as "a tour-de-force of historical fiction, with a complex, deeply inspiring heroine at its heart". [4]
Fremantle's first novel, Queen’s Gambit, focuses on the life of Henry VIII of England's last wife, Catherine Parr. Writing for The Guardian, Stevie Davis finds that, "Katherine [Parr] emerges from Queen's Gambit as sympathetic, humorous and resourceful." [5]
Fremantle's second novel, Sisters of Treason, explores the story of the younger sisters of Lady Jane Grey (Mary and Elizabeth) and her third Watch the Lady tells of Penelope Devereux (Penelope Blount, Countess of Devonshire) – sister of the doomed Earl of Essex (Robert Devereux) who was labelled by James I of England ‘a fair woman with a black soul.’ These three books are marketed as "The Tudor trilogy". [6]
Her fourth novel, The Girl in the Glass Tower is about Lady Arbella Stuart, who was for a time the presumed heir to Elizabeth I of England. Her fifth novel, a Jacobean psychological thriller, The Poison Bed, was published in 2018. Her sixth novel, The Honey and the Sting is a domestic thriller about three sisters trying to outrun the danger from a family secret. Her work has been translated into ten languages.
She is a committee member of the Historical Writers' Association and was co-founder of their online magazine Historia. She has had work published in various other publications including Vanity Fair , The Sunday Times , The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times and occasionally reviews fiction for the Sunday Express. Elizabeth Fremantle chaired the judging panel for the HWA Gold Crown 2018, an award for historical novel of the year. [7]
The film rights to Queen's Gambit was acquired by Baby Cow Productions. The feature film was directed by Karim Aïnouz and produced by Gabrielle Tana at Magnolia Mae productions and Brouhaha Entertainment. [8] Firebrand premiered at Cannes Film Festival to a standing ovation. [9] In the United Kingdom, the film is distributed by MetFilm Distribution.
The House of Tudor was an English and Welsh dynasty that held the throne of England from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd, a Welsh noble family, and Catherine of Valois. The Tudor monarchs ruled the Kingdom of England and the Lordship of Ireland for 118 years with five monarchs: Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. The Tudors succeeded the House of Plantagenet as rulers of the Kingdom of England, and were succeeded by the Scottish House of Stuart. The first Tudor monarch, Henry VII, descended through his mother from the House of Beaufort, a legitimised branch of the English royal House of Lancaster, a cadet house of the Plantagenets. The Tudor family rose to power and started the Tudor period in the wake of the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), which left the main House of Lancaster extinct in the male line.
Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, KG, PC was a brother of Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII. With his brother, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector of England, he vied for control of their nephew, the young King Edward VI. In 1547, Seymour married Catherine Parr, the widow of Henry VIII. During his marriage to Catherine, Seymour involved the future Queen Elizabeth I, who resided in his household, in flirtatious and possibly sexual behaviour.
Philippa Gregory is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is The Other Boleyn Girl (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association and has been adapted into two films.
Anne Askew, married name Anne Kyme, was an English writer, poet, and Protestant preacher who was condemned as a heretic during the reign of Henry VIII of England. She and Margaret Cheyne are the only women on record known to have been both tortured in the Tower of London and burnt at the stake.
Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset was the second wife of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, who held the office of Lord Protector during the first part of the reign of their nephew King Edward VI. The Duchess was briefly the most powerful woman in England. During her husband's regency she unsuccessfully claimed precedence over the queen dowager, Catherine Parr.
Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, was an English noblewoman. She was the second child and eldest daughter of King Henry VIII's younger sister, Princess Mary, and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. She was the mother of Lady Jane Grey, de facto Queen of England and Ireland for nine days, as well as Lady Katherine Grey and Lady Mary Grey.
Katherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, suo jure12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, was an English noblewoman living at the courts of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I. She was the fourth wife of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, who acted as her legal guardian during his third marriage to Henry VIII's sister Mary. Her second husband was Richard Bertie, a member of her household. Following Charles Brandon's death in 1545, it was rumoured that King Henry had considered marrying Katherine as his seventh wife, while he was still married to his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, who was Katherine's close friend.
The Sixth Wife is a 1953 historical novel by noted novelist Jean Plaidy. It recounts the tale of Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, King of England. The novel covers the life of Catherine as Queen, and her fearful feeling of being replaced in the King's eyes.
Mary FitzRoy, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset, born Mary Howard, was a daughter-in-law of King Henry VIII of England, being the wife of his illegitimate son Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset.
Alison Weir is a British author and public historian. She primarily writes about the history of English royal women and families, in the form of biographies that explore their historical setting. She has also written numerous works of historical fiction.
The artists of the Tudor court are the painters and limners engaged by the monarchs of England's Tudor dynasty and their courtiers between 1485 and 1603, from the reign of Henry VII to the death of Elizabeth I.
Elizabeth I of England has inspired artistic and cultural works for over four centuries. The following lists cover various media, enduring works of high art, and recent representations in popular culture, film and fiction. The entries represent portrayals that a reader has a reasonable chance of encountering rather than a complete catalogue.
Anne Basset was an English lady-in-waiting of the Tudor period, reputed to have been the mistress of King Henry VIII.
Mary I of England has been depicted in popular culture a number of times.
Elizabeth FitzGerald, Countess of Lincoln, also known as "The Fair Geraldine", was an Irish noblewoman and a member of the celebrated FitzGerald dynasty. She became the second wife of Sir Anthony Browne and later the third wife of English admiral Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln. She was the inspiration for The Geraldine, a sonnet written by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey.
Mary Boleyn, also known as Lady Mary, was the sister of English queen consort Anne Boleyn, whose family enjoyed considerable influence during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Elizabeth Anna Norton is a British historian specialising in the queens of England and the Tudor period. She obtained a Master of Arts in archaeology and anthropology from the University of Cambridge, being awarded a Double First Class degree, and a master's degree in European archaeology from the University of Oxford. She is the author of thirteen non-fiction books.
Alicia Amanda Vikander is a Swedish actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and three British Academy Film Awards.
Maureen Peters was a historical novelist, under her own name and pseudonyms such as Veronica Black, Catherine Darby, Belinda Gray, Levanah Lloyd, Judith Rothman, Elizabeth Law and Sharon Whitby.
Firebrand is a 2023 British historical drama film directed by Karim Aïnouz and written by Henrietta Ashworth and Jessica Ashworth, based on the 2013 novel Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle. The film focuses on Katherine Parr, Queen of England and the wife and widow of Henry VIII. It stars Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, and Eddie Marsan. The film marks Aïnouz's first directorial effort in the English language.
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