Vera Chapman
 | |
| Vera Chapman | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Born | 8 May, 1898 |
| Died | 14 May, 1996 |
| Occupation | Author |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Website | www.tokiensociety.org |
Vera Ivy May Chapman (née Fogerty) (8 May, 1898 - 14 May, 1996, aged 98) was the founder of the Tolkien Society, known by her pseudonym "Belladonna Took". She was also the author of several Arthurian, pseudo-historical and fantasy books.
Vera was born in Bournemouth and lived in South Africa, until she went to Oxford. She studied at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford. In 1969, she founded The Tolkien Society of which she was secretary, and persuaded J.R.R. Tolkien to become the Society's honorary president.
Vera wrote throughout her life, attempting to get published without success for many years, but this did not discourage her. Although she liked to say that she "had collected enough rejection slips to paper a whole room!" before she got her first book published, she never gave up. Her first novel, "The Green Knight", an Arthurian tale, was published in 1975, and she continued writing until her death in 1996. Many of her stories remain unpublished, including a monumental "Fate of Jerusalem", a fantasy set during the time of the Crusades. Her best known character is the Abbess of Shaston, heroine of her published collection "The Notorious Abbess", who also appears in The Fate of Jerusalem.
Bibliography[edit]
Articles[edit]
- 1973: Mallorn 6
- "Belladonna Goes to a Party"
- 1982: Amon Hen 54
- " Shelob in North London"
- "Beowulf"
- 1982: Amon Hen 58
- "Yuletide Presents"
- 1983: Amon Hen 63
- "Valhalla Revamped"
- 1989: Amon Hen 100
- "Amon Hen, A History" (with Brin Dunsire)
- "Leaves from the Party Tree"
- "Books of My Childhood"
- 1992: Proceedings of the J.R.R. Tolkien Centenary Conference
- "Reminiscences: Oxford in 1920, Meeting Tolkien and Becoming an Author at 77"
- 2002: The Best of Amon Hen Part 2
- "Leaves from the Party Tree"
[edit]
- Autumn 1985: Weathertop 3
- "Belladonna by Belladonna", part 1
- Autumn 1986: Weathertop 4
- "Belladonna by Belladonna", part 2
- Autumn 1987: Weathertop 5
- "Belladonna by Belladonna", part 3 and 4
See also[edit]
- Letter to Vera Chapman and the Tolkien Society (letter from Tolkien)
External links[edit]
- Vera Chapman at Tolkien Society Web Archive
- Vera Chapman at Wikipedia
- List of works at Fantastic Fiction
- Vera Chapman at Druidry
| Vera Chapman
| ||
| None Position created | Acting Chairman of the Tolkien Society 29 January 1970 - 20 November 1970 | Followed by: Keith Bridges |
