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Joan Givner

b. 1936

Writer

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About Joan Givner

Born 1936. Joan Givner is an American writer, autobiographer, essayist, biographer and children's writer.

Joan Givner (born in Manchester, England) is an essayist, biographer, and novelist, known for her biographies of women, short stories, and the Ellen Fremendon series of novels for younger readers that was finalist for the Silver Birch Awards, the 2006 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award for Ellen Fremedon, and the Diamond Willow Awards.

Biography

Givner obtained a BA (Hons.) from the University of London (1958), and an MA from Washington University in St. Louis (1963), and where she was appointed Professor of English in 1981. In 1989 and 1990 she was a Member of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council adjudication committee, and in 1991, Chair of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council adjudication committee.

In 1963 she married David Givner and has two children.

Television Katherine Anne Porter: The Eye of Memory (USA 1986) directed by Ken Harrison, produced by KERA Dallas, and starring Dina Chandel, Eleanor Clark, and Joan Givner as herself.

Publications (selection) Katherine Anne Porter: A Life (1982), Simon and Schuster, ISBN 0-671-43207-9 (1982), commissioned by Katherine Anne Porter,; (revised 1991), University of Georgia Press, Tentacles of Unreason (1985), collection of short fiction Katherine Anne Porter: Conversations (1987), collection of interviews with writer Katherine Anne Porter, University Press of Mississippi, Mazo De La Roche: The Hidden Life (1989), study of the life and work of writer Mazo De La Roche Unfortunate Incidents (1988, 2000), biography of Rachel de la Warr, Oberon Press, Scenes from Provincial Life (1991), Oberon Press, The Self-Portrait of a Literary Biographer (1993), autobiography, University of Georgia Press, In the Garden of Henry James (1996), short fiction, Oberon Press, Thirty-Four Ways of Looking at Jane Eyre (1998), short stories and essays, New Star Books, Half Known Lives (2001), novel, New Star Books, Playing Sarah Bernhardt (2004), novel, Dundurn Press, Ellen Fremedon (2004), children's novel, Groundwood Books, Ellen Fremedon: Journalist (2005), children's novel, Groundwood Books, Ellen Fremedon, Volunteer (2007), children's novel, Groundwood Books, Ellen's Book of Life (2010), children's novel, Groundwood Books, A Girl Called Tennyson (2011), young adult fantasy novel, Thistledown Press, The Hills Are Shadows (2014), sequel to A Girl Called Tennyson, Thistledown Press,

Plays Mazo and Caroline (1992)

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Important facts

People in Joan Givner's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Joan Givner's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Joan Givner?

writer

When was Joan Givner born?

Joan Givner was born on 5 September 1936.

What is Joan Givner's occupation?

Joan Givner is a writer, autobiographer, essayist, biographer and children's writer.

What nationality is Joan Givner?

Joan Givner is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Joan Givner

· Wikidata: Q6205067

· DBpedia: Joan Givner

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Joan Givner. https://biography.guide/joan-givner/

MLA: "Joan Givner." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/joan-givner/.

Chicago: "Joan Givner." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/joan-givner/.

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