Sharon Dogar - Author
Sharon Dogar was our Guest Editor in May 2011. Her book selection can be found here.
Sharon Dogar’s first novel, Waves, is a poignant coming-of-age story about a family dealing with the accident of their daughter. It took a while for Sharon to get started, "but then I had ‘the moment,' " she explains. "That moment when a character just arrives in your mind and begs to be written - whether you want to do it or not. I remember it was lunchtime. I walked into the sitting room and had a thought: I was by the sea. And in that moment, I saw a boy with his back to me; he was in the kitchen of a beach house, looking at something on the wall. Looking at it with utter intensity and absorption. I knew straight away his name was Hal. I walked back into my own kitchen and wrote the prologue, immediately and completely, exactly as it remained in the final manuscript. And then I had to write a story to go with it!"
Sharon's second novel, Falling, was published by Chicken House and her third novel, published by Andersen Press is the Costa Children's Book Award nominee Annexed. A brave re-imagining of Anne Frank’s diary, written from the perspective of Peter van Pels, has received an enormous amount of praise and recognition. Annexed created a media frenzy last summer, prompting impassioned discussions. The Guardian described it as ‘a delicate, poised and scrupulous re-enactment’.
Sharon Dogar lives in Oxford with her husband and three children. She loves writing, reading and daydreaming. For the last ten years she’s also worked with adolescents as a psycho-therapist.
A Q&A WITH SHARON DOGAR
Where did you grow up?
On an estate just outside Oxford.And later in a suburb.
PS Haven't really grown up, but trying ...
What were you like at school?
Depends which one you're talking about.
Primary school - happy.
prep school - confused
Convent school - very confused, and a bit angry
Middle school - hard-working, happy
Secondary school - miserable and lonely
CFE/sixth form - suddenly gregarious and not actually in lessons very often
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer. A forensic scientist. A Spacewoman. A gamekeeper in Africa. An actor. Someone else, anyone else.
What did you do after you left school?
Went to college in London. Travelled around South America with boyfriend. Went to Pakistan on own. Worked, played, danced a lot, wrote stories and tried to make sense of why the hell we're all here.
Why did you begin writing/illustrating?
I never stopped, so I didn't have to start, I've just always written things down, sometimes to remember and sometimes to forget.
How would you describe your books?
As wondering what if? And if so, how and when and why?
Where do your ideas come from?
Some come from real life, like Hal's eyes, and his insults (courtesy of my two sons) or Sarz catching a flatfish (courtesy of my daughter).
Others just appear, and it feels like they arrive out of thin air, but of course, they don't, they come from all the experiences a person's ever had or heard about. They come from the unconscious.
Philip Pullman once said his daemon would be a magpie, because they steal bright shiny things, and he's right, of course, writers pick up ideas anywhere and everywhere - and they don't really believe in ownership.
What is your ideal place and time for writing/illustrating?
It's not so much the where, although I love my kitchen table, a certain place in Greece and another in France, as well as the Bodleian Library (especially for editing), but mostly, for me, it's the feeling the urge to write, and once I'm in that mode I can write upside down on the bog balancing a sprig of holly on my ... but to save my family the embarrasment we're building a shed at the bottom of the garden to put me in.
Which book would you most like to have written?
So many. Here are a few ....
To Kill a Mockingbird, Beloved, Skellig, The Passion, Northern Lights, The Blood Stone, Lucas, The Grapes of Wrath, A Hundred Years of Solitude, Stand By Me, The Constant Nymph, Rapture (poems by Carol Ann Duffy) The Da Vinci Code (for the money) Anne Frank's Diary, I am David, Across the Nightingale Floor, Fingersmith, Alias Grace, Where the Wild Things Are, Ferdinand the Bull ... the list goes on and on and on ...
What is your favourite film?
Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Psycho, Casablanca ... I think you get the picture ...
What is your favourite music?
Anything I can dance to - and that's almost anything, but never heavy metal.
What is the funniest joke you know?
A millionaire was asked how he got so rich. He replied: I found five pence on the beach and spent it on an apple, polished it really hard and sold it for ten pence. I kept on doing this and by the end of the month I had one pound twenty-five pence.
And then my father-in law died and left me two million pounds.
What is your most precious memory?
Private, and staying that way.
What are you most proud of?
Long term, my family. Short term, actually standing up in front of total strangers and reading a bit of my book out loud!
What is your advice for aspiring authors?
Do it. Do it everyday if you can. Read a lot, look a lot. Don't bother trying to imagine what 'the market wants' or what your mum might think, just sit down wherever you're most at ease, and listen to whatever (or whoever) is inside you - and then make it into words.
If that's too difficult then start by keeping a diary.
An absolutely compelling, pyschological insight into the woman who created the much studied Gothic novel Frankenstein which will illuminate that study enormously and ensure a much deeper understanding. Mary Godwin’s own story is, of course, as dramatic and heartrending as her novel and Sharon Dogar brings her vividly to life. The reader is swept up by the romance of the young lovers, Mary and Shelley, but probably astonished at her youth; she was only 16 when they eloped, and genuinely shocked at their courage in defying society and conventional morality. Then outraged by the way she is treated by her father; a radical philosopher in writing only and certainly not in his actions and then very nearly overwhelmed by the tragedy that dogs her. But the strength of this beautifully written and cleverly constructed novel is the insight into the other players in this drama as well as into Mary’s emotional and mental turmoil. The clue is in the clever title – not Monster but Monsters and Mary’s frank understanding of her own monstrous behaviour, especially to stepsister Claire or Shelley’s wife Harriet, perfectly counterpoints the lack of self-awareness in Mr Godwin, Byron, Claire and Shelley himself. This left me desperate to re-read Frankenstein which surely shows this thoughtful novel can be a real gift to English teachers everywhere. - Joy Court
A Lovereading4kids 'Great Read' you may have missed 2011 selection. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most treasured children’s books of the last fifty years. Anne’s account of the years she spent in hiding from the Nazi’s in Amsterdam during the Second World War vividly tells much about how she feels about the experience and something about how she views those in hiding with her including Peter, a young man only a few years older than her. In Annexed, for which there was a considerable amount of media controversy in the lead up to publication, Sharon Dogar sensitively explores Peter’s story; what he feels about the experience of being in hiding, about being a Jew and, in particular, about what he feels about Anne. Initially irritated by what he sees as a rather silly young girl, Peter soon finds himself falling in love with Anne’s vivacity, intelligence and strength of purpose. Looking back from his deathbed in a Nazi concentration camp, Peter’s diary is touching and sensitive. In speculating and embellishing from some known facts and asking many ‘what if’ questions, Sharon Dogar has taken on a difficult task through which she has created a fascinating and inspiring story. It's a story rooted firmly in history and it asks a question of us all: Are we listening? 'Is anybody there?' Peter cries from the depths of his despair in the camps. Read it, and you will be. From the author, Sharon Dogar: 'Annexed is an imaginary tale, based on history, in which I try to imagine what it might have beel like to actuallly have lived with Anne Frank; to have become the target of her love; and to be so cruelly torn apart from her'. Shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award 2010. Shortlisted for the prestigious Sheffield Children's Book Award 2011.
Shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award 2010. Shortlisted for the prestigious Sheffield Children's Book Award 2011. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most treasured children’s books of the last fifty years. Anne’s account of the years she spent in hiding from the Nazi’s in Amsterdam during the Second World War vividly tells much about how she feels about the experience and something about how she views those in hiding with her including Peter, a young man only a few years older than her. In Annexed, for which there was a considerable amount of media controversy in the lead up to publication, Sharon Dogar sensitively explores Peter’s story; what he feels about the experience of being in hiding, about being a Jew and, in particular, about what he feels about Anne. Initially irritated by what he sees as a rather silly young girl, Peter soon finds himself falling in love with Anne’s vivacity, intelligence and strength of purpose. Looking back from his deathbed in a Nazi concentration camp, Peter’s diary is touching and sensitive. In speculating and embellishing from some known facts and asking many ‘what if’ questions, Sharon Dogar has taken on a difficult task through which she has created a fascinating and inspiring story. It's a story rooted firmly in history and it asks a question of us all: Are we listening? 'Is anybody there?' Peter cries from the depths of his despair in the camps. Read it, and you will be. From the author, Sharon Dogar: 'Annexed is an imaginary tale, based on history, in which I try to imagine what it might have beel like to actuallly have lived with Anne Frank; to have become the target of her love; and to be so cruelly torn apart from her'. A message from the author on hearing Annexed had been shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award 2010: ‘Just over a year ago it looked as though annexed might never find a publisher. Seeing it on the Costa shortlist feels wonderful; an unexpected validation.’ From Charlie Sheppard, Editor at Andersen Press, which has two titles - Annexed and Out of Shadows - shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award 2010: ‘There’s so much serendipity and luck in publishing and I think this story just proves that. These books were the first two I bought for Andersen Press. I couldn’t quite believe they’d landed on my desk in my first few weeks in the new job. Both of them changed the way I think, and for me that’s one of the most important things a children’s book can do. But both of them had been rejected by other publishers before they reached me. Wrong desk, wrong time. To have been able to work on these two incredible books has been an honour and a highlight of my career, and to have both of them recognised like this feels like a fairytale ending. I just hope Klaus [Publisher Klaus Flugge is Charlie's boss at Andersen Press] realises that these wonderful novels are one-offs and I won’t have 2 books on the shortlist every year!!’ The Costa Children's Book of the Year Award 2010 Shortlist: Annexed - Sharon Dogar Out of Shadows - Jason Wallace Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon - Jonathan Stroud Flyaway - Lucy Christopher
Falling is a dark and dangerous multi-layered love story between an Asian girl and a white boy, in which the past and present collide. It's the gripping second teenage novel from Sharon Dogar, the critically acclaimed author of Waves. Intensely moving and atmospheric, it's also heart-breaking, thought-provoking, romantic, even violent but finally life-affirming. Waves was long-listed for the 2009 Carnegie Medal and was short-listed for the 2008 Branford Boase award. Review by Claudia (aged 16)This is a really fun book - funny, tense and tragic at times and would recommend it to all teenage girls. The characters are likeable and you felt you could really sympathise when things don’t go well. It was really easy to read and I was glued to it for a couple of days until I finished. Definitely worth a read!
Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2008. This is an incredibly thought-provoking, lyrically written debut, which astounded me time after time with each new page. Sharon has cleverly intertwined two strands to the novel, past and present, into what I can best describe as unputdownable and original. The characters are superbly drawn and although it might not have the happiest ending it was despite that, richly satisfying. From Barry Cunningham, the Publisher: Sharon Dogar's terrific first novel is taut, neurotic, edge -of-consciousness stuff. And it is not only me who thinks so - you can trake Philip Pullman's word for it too. Somewhere between Wuthering Heights and Lovely Bones, it's almost a crime mystery, and certainly a love story. It's about life and death - literally. Comments from the judges of this year's Branford Boase, Best Debut Novel ofthe Year Award: Nikki Gamble: “This year a large number of books were submitted for the awards and the judges noted an increase in established adult writers producing first novels for children. These trends reflect the increased profile of children's books in the press and media as well as the commercial success. The books selected for the shortlist are marked by their distinctive voices and authentic feeling for child or teenage readers. They are accessible but explore profound themes in the context of a story well told”. Linda Buckley-Archer: “With its aim of recognising the author of the best debut novel for children and its editor(s), The Branford Boase Award continues to highlight and promote the next generation of children’s fiction writers. The 2008 shortlist represents some fascinating new voices across a variety of genres which are sure to excite and challenge readers. The judges noted a tendency on this year’s longlist away from fantasy and towards history and social realism.” Trish Beswick: “We were delighted to find a spread of intelligent fiction submitted, eliciting spirited discussion amid the good humour and agreements. One-size-fits-all cannot and does not belong in the world of writing for children, and the complacent and bland were quickly cast aside. My thanks to the other judges for a booky, sparky afternoon!” Ian Dodds: "The nominations for the 2008 Branford Boase Award yet again demonstrate the full range of new writing talent for children and young people. All the writers on this year's shortlist have distinct voices and all are adept at creating stories that will grip, excite and challenge young readers. Good writing for young people is vitally important and this shortlist proves that."
This is an incredibly thought-provoking, lyrically written debut, which astounded me time after time with each new page. Sharon has cleverly intertwined two strands to the novel, past and present, into what I can best describe as unputdownable and original. The characters are superbly drawn and although it might not have the happiest ending it was despite that, richly satisfying. From Barry Cunnigham, the Publisher: Sharon Dogar's terrific first novel is taut, neurotic, edge -of-consciousness stuff. And it is not only me who thinks so - you can trake Philip Pullman's word for it too. Somewhere between Wuthering Heights and Lovely Bones, it's almost a crime mystery, and certainly a love story. It's about life and death - literally. Shortlisted for The Branford Boase Award 2008. Comments from the judges of this year's Branford Boase, Best Debut Novel ofthe Year Award: Nikki Gamble: “This year a large number of books were submitted for the awards and the judges noted an increase in established adult writers producing first novels for children. These trends reflect the increased profile of children's books in the press and media as well as the commercial success. The books selected for the shortlist are marked by their distinctive voices and authentic feeling for child or teenage readers. They are accessible but explore profound themes in the context of a story well told”. Linda Buckley-Archer: “With its aim of recognising the author of the best debut novel for children and its editor(s), The Branford Boase Award continues to highlight and promote the next generation of children’s fiction writers. The 2008 shortlist represents some fascinating new voices across a variety of genres which are sure to excite and challenge readers. The judges noted a tendency on this year’s longlist away from fantasy and towards history and social realism.” Trish Beswick: “We were delighted to find a spread of intelligent fiction submitted, eliciting spirited discussion amid the good humour and agreements. One-size-fits-all cannot and does not belong in the world of writing for children, and the complacent and bland were quickly cast aside. My thanks to the other judges for a booky, sparky afternoon!” Ian Dodds: "The nominations for the 2008 Branford Boase Award yet again demonstrate the full range of new writing talent for children and young people. All the writers on this year's shortlist have distinct voices and all are adept at creating stories that will grip, excite and challenge young readers. Good writing for young people is vitally important and this shortlist proves that."
An absolutely compelling, pyschological insight into the woman who created the much studied Gothic novel Frankenstein which will illuminate that study enormously and ensure a much deeper understanding. Mary Godwin’s own story is, of course, as dramatic and heartrending as her novel and Sharon Dogar brings her vividly to life. The reader is swept up by the romance of the young lovers, Mary and Shelley, but probably astonished at her youth; she was only 16 when they eloped, and genuinely shocked at their courage in defying society and conventional morality. Then outraged by the way she is treated by her father; a radical philosopher in writing only and certainly not in his actions and then very nearly overwhelmed by the tragedy that dogs her. But the strength of this beautifully written and cleverly constructed novel is the insight into the other players in this drama as well as into Mary’s emotional and mental turmoil. The clue is in the clever title – not Monster but Monsters and Mary’s frank understanding of her own monstrous behaviour, especially to stepsister Claire or Shelley’s wife Harriet, perfectly counterpoints the lack of self-awareness in Mr Godwin, Byron, Claire and Shelley himself. This left me desperate to re-read Frankenstein which surely shows this thoughtful novel can be a real gift to English teachers everywhere. - Joy Court
1814: Mary Godwin, the sixteen-year-old daughter of radical socialist and feminist writers, runs away with a dangerously charming young poet - Percy Bysshe Shelley. From there, the two young lovers travel a Europe in the throes of revolutionary change, through high and low society, tragedy and passion, where they will be drawn into the orbit of the mad and bad Lord Byron. But Mary and Percy are not alone: they bring Jane, Mary's young step-sister. And she knows the biggest secrets of them all . . . Told from Mary and Jane's perspectives, Monsters is a novel about radical ideas, rule-breaking love, dangerous Romantics, and the creation of the greatest Gothic novel of them all: Frankenstein
A Lovereading4kids 'Great Read' you may have missed 2011 selection. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most treasured children’s books of the last fifty years. Anne’s account of the years she spent in hiding from the Nazi’s in Amsterdam during the Second World War vividly tells much about how she feels about the experience and something about how she views those in hiding with her including Peter, a young man only a few years older than her. In Annexed, for which there was a considerable amount of media controversy in the lead up to publication, Sharon Dogar sensitively explores Peter’s story; what he feels about the experience of being in hiding, about being a Jew and, in particular, about what he feels about Anne. Initially irritated by what he sees as a rather silly young girl, Peter soon finds himself falling in love with Anne’s vivacity, intelligence and strength of purpose. Looking back from his deathbed in a Nazi concentration camp, Peter’s diary is touching and sensitive. In speculating and embellishing from some known facts and asking many ‘what if’ questions, Sharon Dogar has taken on a difficult task through which she has created a fascinating and inspiring story. It's a story rooted firmly in history and it asks a question of us all: Are we listening? 'Is anybody there?' Peter cries from the depths of his despair in the camps. Read it, and you will be. From the author, Sharon Dogar: 'Annexed is an imaginary tale, based on history, in which I try to imagine what it might have beel like to actuallly have lived with Anne Frank; to have become the target of her love; and to be so cruelly torn apart from her'. Shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award 2010. Shortlisted for the prestigious Sheffield Children's Book Award 2011.
Shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award 2010. Shortlisted for the prestigious Sheffield Children's Book Award 2011. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most treasured children’s books of the last fifty years. Anne’s account of the years she spent in hiding from the Nazi’s in Amsterdam during the Second World War vividly tells much about how she feels about the experience and something about how she views those in hiding with her including Peter, a young man only a few years older than her. In Annexed, for which there was a considerable amount of media controversy in the lead up to publication, Sharon Dogar sensitively explores Peter’s story; what he feels about the experience of being in hiding, about being a Jew and, in particular, about what he feels about Anne. Initially irritated by what he sees as a rather silly young girl, Peter soon finds himself falling in love with Anne’s vivacity, intelligence and strength of purpose. Looking back from his deathbed in a Nazi concentration camp, Peter’s diary is touching and sensitive. In speculating and embellishing from some known facts and asking many ‘what if’ questions, Sharon Dogar has taken on a difficult task through which she has created a fascinating and inspiring story. It's a story rooted firmly in history and it asks a question of us all: Are we listening? 'Is anybody there?' Peter cries from the depths of his despair in the camps. Read it, and you will be. From the author, Sharon Dogar: 'Annexed is an imaginary tale, based on history, in which I try to imagine what it might have beel like to actuallly have lived with Anne Frank; to have become the target of her love; and to be so cruelly torn apart from her'. A message from the author on hearing Annexed had been shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award 2010: ‘Just over a year ago it looked as though annexed might never find a publisher. Seeing it on the Costa shortlist feels wonderful; an unexpected validation.’ From Charlie Sheppard, Editor at Andersen Press, which has two titles - Annexed and Out of Shadows - shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award 2010: ‘There’s so much serendipity and luck in publishing and I think this story just proves that. These books were the first two I bought for Andersen Press. I couldn’t quite believe they’d landed on my desk in my first few weeks in the new job. Both of them changed the way I think, and for me that’s one of the most important things a children’s book can do. But both of them had been rejected by other publishers before they reached me. Wrong desk, wrong time. To have been able to work on these two incredible books has been an honour and a highlight of my career, and to have both of them recognised like this feels like a fairytale ending. I just hope Klaus [Publisher Klaus Flugge is Charlie's boss at Andersen Press] realises that these wonderful novels are one-offs and I won’t have 2 books on the shortlist every year!!’ The Costa Children's Book of the Year Award 2010 Shortlist: Annexed - Sharon Dogar Out of Shadows - Jason Wallace Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon - Jonathan Stroud Flyaway - Lucy Christopher
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