Diana Wynne Jones

Diana Wynne Jones (born Aug. 16, 1934, London, Eng.—died March 26, 2011, Bristol) was a British fantasy writer of more than 40 books for children, many of which centre on magic or magicians.

Jones was the oldest of three sisters and often looked after her siblings—partly because of a complicated relationship with their parents, who were both teachers. Despite struggling with dyslexia, she did well in school as a child and developed a keen interest in books, reading works such as The Thousand and One Nights and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur at a young age. Jones decided early that she wanted to become a writer, and when she was 13 years old she began writing stories for her sisters.

In 1953 Jones entered St. Anne’s College, Oxford, where she studied English (B.A., 1956) and attended lectures by renowned authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. In 1956 Jones married John Burrow, with whom she had three sons. She read books with her children as they were growing up, which served as an introduction to the world of children’s literature—of which Jones had read little in her own childhood. During this time she submitted a few of her works to publishers and agents, but they were rejected. Though the majority of her books were written for children, Jones’s first published novel, Changeover (1970), was intended for adults. Despite having penned the novel in 1966, Jones did not embark on her writing career in earnest until all her children were in school.

Britannica Quiz

Classic Children’s Books Quiz

After being introduced to a literary agent, Jones went on to write Wilkins’ Tooth (1973; also published as Witch’s Business), Eight Days of Luke (1975), The Ogre Downstairs (1974), and dozens more over the next several decades. Many of her books feature magic or magicians. Among the most famous are The Chronicles of Chrestomanci series and Howl’s Moving Castle (1986)—the latter of which was made into a successful animated film by Japanese director Miyazaki Hayao in 2004. Another of her works, The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (1996; revised 2006), serves as a humorous exploration of the clichés of her favoured genre. Jones was the recipient of many honours and awards, including a World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement in 2007.