Petronella breinburg biography of william hill

Petronella Breinburg

Surinamese British author (1927–2019)

Petronella Breinburg

BornPetronella Alexandrina Breinburg[1]
1927 (1927)
Died (aged 92)
OccupationChildren's book author, playwright, educator
NationalitySurinamese British
EducationUniversity of Keele
Notable worksMy Brother Sean (1973)

Petronella Breinburg (1927 – 5 November 2019) was a Surinamese British author, playwright and professor and one of the first black British authors to write picture books about black children.[1][2]My Brother Sean, illustrated by Errol Lloyd and published by The Bodley Head in 1973, was followed by a series, including Sean Goes to School, Sean's Red Bike and Doctor Sean.[3][4][5] She also wrote books focused on older children, including her first book Legend of Suriname, Us Boys of Westcroft and Stories from the Caribbean.[3][6] Her early books, published at a time where black authored books were rare, provided one of the first opportunities for black children in Britain to read stories they could identify with.[7]

Biography

Breinburg, of mixed European and African heritage, was born in Suriname in 1927.[8][9] Her father, a policeman, died when she was 12 and the family – there were six children – went to live with her grandmother, near an old Dutch plantation. This grandmother used to terrify the children with tales about the old Dutchman who had owned the plantation.[10]

Influenced by a lineage of storytellers, Breinburg enjoyed writing from a young age, winning local competitions from the age of eight and writing her first play at 13.[11] She was educated at St. Rosa and St. Margaret's Convent in Suriname, before training as a teacher.[12]

After emigrating to Guyana with her husband, she gave birth to two children.[12] In Guyana, she was a member of the Red Cross Society for 10 years, serving for some time as Lieutenant of the Girls Life Brigade.[12] She came to the UK with her two children to join her husband in 1961.[13] Breinburg was a supply teacher in London, where her experience of racism and representation shaped her writing.[6][12]

Breinburg obtained her doctorate in education with linguistics at University of Keele, with one year at Amsterdam University and a stint as a research fellow at the linguistic department of the University of Sheffield.[14][15] She was then appointed to Goldsmiths' University of London, where she was a senior lecturer and head of the Caribbean Centre.[16] Breinburg published books for children, teenagers, and for adults.[17] She also wrote a number of plays and poetry.[12][18]

Breinburg died on 5 November 2019.[19][20]

Publications

References

  1. ^ ab"Petronella Breinburg". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  2. ^Hoffman, Mary (13 October 2015). "25 years of Amazing Grace". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  3. ^ ab"Results for 'au:Breinburg, Petronella,' [WorldCat.org]". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  4. ^ abLloyd, Errol (2019). "My Time With Children's Literature in Breaking New Ground: Celebrating British Writers and Illustrators of Colour"(PDF). The Book Trust.
  5. ^"Go deeper: Reflecting on Black presence in children's books". The British Library. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  6. ^ ab"Petronella Breinburg | George Padmore Institute". www.georgepadmoreinstitute.org. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  7. ^John, Gus (15 October 2013). "We Remember... Jessica Huntley". ligali.org. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  8. ^"Breinburg, Petronella", in Jack Zipes (ed.), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature, Oxford University Press, 2006, ISBN 9780195146561.
  9. ^"Petronella Breinburg". Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  10. ^Pavord, Anna (9 September 1973). "Anybody seen Petronella's Fiery Horseman?". The Observer Magazine. Last accessed at The George Padmore Institute. File 145.: CS1 maint: location (link)
  11. ^Breinburg, Petronella (7 September 2019). "Lennox Salmon is In conversation with Dr Petronella Breinburg (8:37)". Vimeo. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  12. ^ abcdeBreinburg, Petronella. 1968. Personal correspondence between Petronella Breinburg and John La Rose, owner of New Beacon Publishers. Last accessed at The George Padmore Institute. File 145.
  13. ^Breinburg, Petronella (7 September 2019). "Lennox Salmon is In conversation with Dr Petronella Breinburg (6:40)". Vimeo. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  14. ^"Petronella Breinburg". www.amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  15. ^Breinburg, Petronella (Autumn 1984). "Cultural Racism and Books". Dragons Teeth: Bulletin of the National Committee on Racism in Children's Books. 19: 7. ISSN 0142-6494.
  16. ^"CACOEU". Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  17. ^"Petronella Breinburg". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  18. ^ ab"Thoughts Of A Creole Woman: A Reminiscence". Thoughts of a Creole Woman – Celebrating the life and works of petronella Breinburg. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  19. ^"Telegraph announcements". The Telegraph. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  20. ^"Sad News..."Thoughts Of A Creole Woman. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  21. ^Breinburg, Petronella (1971). Legends of Suriname;. London: New Beacon Books. ISBN . OCLC 696709.
  22. ^Breinburg, Petronella; Lloyd, Errol (1978). My brother Sean. G.B.: Puffin. OCLC 614569609.
  23. ^"My Brother Sean". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  24. ^Breinburg, Petronella; Lloyd, Errol (1974). Shawn goes to school. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN . OCLC 23726962.
  25. ^Breinburg, Petronella (1978). Us boys of Westcroft. Basingstoke: Macmillan. ISBN . OCLC 633845042.
  26. ^Breinburg, Petronella (1974). Doctor Sean. G.B.: Bodley Head. OCLC 614569572.
  27. ^Breinburg, Petronella; Lloyd, Errol (1994). Sean's red bike. London: Red Fox. ISBN . OCLC 31241515.
  28. ^Breinburg, Petronella (1977). A girl, a frog and a petticoat. London: Macmillan. ISBN . OCLC 16429705.
  29. ^Breinburg, P (1996). One Day, Another Day. London: Macmillan Education. ISBN . OCLC 966024807.
  30. ^Breinburg, Petronella (1975). Sally-Ann's umbrella. London: Bodley Head. ISBN . OCLC 8188667.
  31. ^Breinburg, Petronella (1984). Sally-Ann in the snow. London: Bodley Head. ISBN . OCLC 24642685.
  32. ^Breinburg, Petronella (1979). Sally-Ann's skateboard. London: Bodley Head. ISBN . OCLC 6128382.
  33. ^Breinburg, Petronella. Tiger, Paleface and Me. ASIN 0333173082.
  34. ^Petronella, Breinburg. Brinsly's Dream. ASIN 0140311122.
  35. ^Formats and Editions of Stories from the Caribbean [WorldCat.org]. OCLC 812908864. Retrieved 11 September 2020 – via www.worldcat.org.
  36. ^Breinburg, Petronella; Kronheimer, Anne (2004). Jeremia and the trumpet man. Oxford: Macmillan. ISBN . OCLC 635171782.
  37. ^Breinburg, Petronella. Instead of Roses and Rings. ASIN 0954999207.
  38. ^Breinburg, Petronella (2006). Creole women: a generation of thought. London: Petrojass. ISBN . OCLC 506195880.
  39. ^Breinburg, Petronella A. A Long Road to Salamanca.
  40. ^Breinburg, Petronella. Goodasyu: Crescendo. ASIN 095499924X.
  41. ^Breinburg, P. A. Out of a Coloured Box: The Broken Shoes Tale. ASIN 1536923559.

External links