- Alan Davidson (author)
Alan Davidson is a British
author . He began his writing career sub-editingRoy of the Rovers for the British comics magazine "Tiger" and was soon contributing his own stories to other British comics and associated annuals. He later worked forOxfam . His first children's novel was published in 1978.The publication of "A Friend Like Annabel" (1983), a collection of humorous and distinctly British stories, inspired by his own children, brought him recognition as a humorous writer and comparisons with
Richmal Crompton [ "Mary Sullivan"The Guardian 5 June 1984 ] . Four more collections of stories followed: "Just Like Annabel", "Even More Like Annabel", "The New, Thinking Annabel" and "Little Yearnings of Annabel", Davidson's "laconic style" accounting for their popularity [ "Gerald Haigh"The Times Educational Supplement 7 June 1985 ] . When the original publisher's children's list closed, the rights were acquired by a second publisher and the five books reissued in new editions, together with backlist novels. One of these, "The Bewitching of Alison Allbright", remained in print for nearly twenty years. [ "Stephanie Nettell",The Guardian , 8 October 1988: "A welcome re-issue of this junior psychological thriller about the awesome power of wish fulfilment. Also re-issued, the Davidson-we-know's sparkling Annabel comedies." ]The "Annabel" collections were complemented in the 1990s by more British humour including the "very funny" [ Junior Bookshelf UK October 1995 ] but much younger "Catfoot" books and a one-off comic novel (for all ages), "Escape from Cold Ditch", a satire about battery hens featuring John Richardson's cartoon-style drawings. An audio version was released, narrated by the actress
Joanna Lumley . The book became the subject of a long running controversy following the release of the hit filmChicken Run in June 2000, the author alleging plagiarism [ Author cries fowl over Chicken Run, "Pravina Patel"The Mail on Sunday 25 June 2000. Feathers fly in Chicken Run row, "Vanessa Thorpe"The Observer 18 March 200l ] . Court papers were issued in 2003 [ [http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,986334,00.html Chicken Run makers sued for 'plagiarism']The Observer , June 27, 2003, accessed 1 June 2007] but the case did not come to trial.His most recent book "Light" is considered thought provoking and returns to the straightforward narrative form of the earlier, longer novels. [ "Riveting Reads (Books for ages 12 - 16)" London 2006
School Library Association ISBN 190-344-6325 accessed 3 June 2007] Davidson worked for Oxfam as a writer, parliamentary lobbyist and editor of its newspaper, "Oxfam News". In 1990, as an author, he was appointed a Fellow of English Poets, Essayists and Novelists (English PEN), serving on its Executive Committee for several years and subsequently on its Writers in Prison Committee.References
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