Catherine Cookson was a British author, who wrote almost 100 books, which sold more than 123 million copies, her novels being translated into at least 20 languages. She also wrote books under the pseudonyms Catherine Marchant and Katie McMullen. She remained the most borrowed author from public libraries in the UK for 17 years. Many of Cookson's novels have been adapted for film, radio, and the stage.
Background
Cookson (registered as Catherine Ann Davies) was born June 27, 1906 in Tyne Dock, South Shields, County Durham, England, United Kingdom, and known as "Kate" as a child. The illegitimate child of an alcoholic named Kate Fawcett, she grew up thinking her unmarried mother was her sister, as she was brought up by her grandparents, Rose and John McMullen.
She believed her father was a gentleman and thought she should act accordingly as a lady. This led to her reading voraciously and taking elocution lessons to improve herself, all the while fetching beer for her mother from the local pub or taking items to hock at a pawnshop.
Biographer Kathleen Jones tracked down her father, whose name was Alexander Davies, a bigamist and gambler from Lanarkshire.
Education
Catherine left school at 14.
Career
When Catherine was old enough to leave home she headed for the seaside town of Hastings, where she bought a home with her meager salary as a laundress and opened a rooming house for men.
Her first book, Kate Hannigan, was published in 1950 and after that she averaged two books a year. Most of her stories took place in the area where she had grown up and featured salty characters one might find near the docks and beach where she spent her youth. Two of Cookson’s best-known books are Our Kate: An Autobiography and Katie Mulholland, both published in the late 1960s. Other popular books include The Glass Virgin, The Dwelling Place, and the Mallen novels trilogy. She also wrote several books under the pseudonym Catherine Marchant. Two of her works were made into movies for television.
In later life, Cookson and her husband Tom returned to the North East and settled first in Haldane Terrace, Jesmond. They then moved to Corbridge, a market town near Newcastle, and later to Langley, Northumberland, a small village nearby. As her health declined, they moved for a final time to the Jesmond area of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1989.
Catherine Cookson died at the age of 91, sixteen days before her 92nd birthday.
Catherine Cookson was one of England’s most-read authors with some 100 million copies of her books sold. With more than 103 titles written in her own name or two other pen-names, she is one of the most prolific British novelists. Her most famous works: The Kate Hannigan series, The Mary Ann stories, The Mallen Novels and others.
Besides, she pledged more than £800,000 to the University of Newcastle. She also gave £20,000 towards the university's Hatton Gallery and £32,000 to its library. Her foundation continues to make donations to worthy causes in the UK, particularly those offering services to young people and cultural ventures, such as the Tyneside Cinema.
Catherine suffered depressions for much of her life.
Connections
In June 1940, at the age of 34, Catherine married Tom Cookson, a teacher at Hastings Grammar School. Three miscarriages and a stillborn resulted in a nearly crippling depression for Cookson and her husband suggested she start writing to work through her grief.
