Jan Mark 1943-2006

Jan Mark, the well-known children's writer, has died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 62. I'm unable to find any notices of her death. Jan was a prolific novelist and short story writer; there's a list of titles here. She won many awards for her writing, including the Carnegie Medal (twice), and the Angel Award for Fiction for her one adult novel, Zeno Was Here.

As it happens, in a review last year of Riding Tycho, WotN wrote:

If anyone made a list of this country's best writers for children, Jan Mark's name would be very near the top. She's been producing consistently good books for nearly 30 years; she can turn her hand to anything from picture books to long and complicated novels which are above the heads of most adult readers. She's written family novels, chapter books, terrific short stories, a gardening book... you name it.

There's an interview with Jan Mark here. I will update with links to obituaries.

Update on January 18: There's an obituary in today's Independent by Nicholas Tucker.

Update on January 24: See, now, here.