Sue Townsend British writer Date of Birth: 02.04.1946 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Sue Townsend

Sue Townsend was a British writer famous for creating the character Adrian Mole. She was born in 1946 in England. Coming from a working-class family, her mother was a conductor and her father was a postman. Sue was the eldest of five daughters. At the age of seven, she started attending Glen Hills Infants and Juniors School, which she left at fifteen after failing her final exam.

Townsend tried various professions, including being a street sweeper and a newspaper delivery person. At the age of eighteen, she got married and had three children. Her dreams of a literary career had to be put on hold. After her marriage ended and she found herself alone, Townsend met rowing instructor and guide Colin Broadway and soon became a canoeing instructor herself. Colin became the father of her fourth child, a daughter named Lizzie. It was to Colin that Sue confided her dreams of literature. In 1978, she managed to combine her love for canoeing with her passion for writing. Even during her first marriage, Townsend developed a love for reading and studied the history of literature, exploring different writing styles. She wrote plays for the Phoenix Arts Centre. Her first play, "Brehorang," won her an award from Thames Television in 1981. Ten years later, she was hailed as a classic writer in English literature.

In addition to "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole," Townsend wrote several plays and novels, including "The Queen and I," "Rebuilding Coventry," and "Ghost Children." In 1999, she was diagnosed with diabetes, which led to a deterioration of her vision. By 2001, Townsend had completely lost her sight, but she continued to write. According to the writer herself, her greatest achievement is that "her own children enjoy her company and read her books."