Fay Sampson (born 10 June 1935)
Biography
Sampson earned a degree in mathematics in 1956 from the University College of the South West of England, now the University of Exeter.
She taught at two English high schools, one in
Mytholmroyd (1957–1958), and the other in
Nottingham (1959–1960).
She and her husband lived for a time in
Rhodesia, where she ran a college library in
Serenje from 1962 to 1964.
After Rhodesia's independence and transition to
Zambia, she moved back to Devon, and began writing children's novels.
Writings
Sampson has written the
Pangur Bán stories, a series beginning with
Pangur Ban, the White Cat (1983). The
Pangur Bán books are a series of Celtic fantasy novels set in medieval Ireland, and aimed at children. The
Pangur Bán novels are based on the Old Irish poem,
Pangur Bán. The
Pangur Bán novels also feature talking animals,
and magicians.
[Barrett, David V. "Sampson, Fay (Elizabeth)", in St. James Guide To Fantasy Writers, ed. David Pringle, London, St. James Press, 1996, , (pp. 512-3)]
Sampson then produced the Daughter of Tintagel series of Arthurian historical fantasy novels based on Morgan le Fay. This series began with Wise Woman's Telling (1989) and describes the life of Morgan through the eyes of people who encounter her.
Sampson's Star Dancer (1993) is a singleton fantasy novel based on the Sumerian myth of Inanna and Ereshkigal.
Select bibliography
Daughter of Tintagel
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Wise Woman's Telling (1989)
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White Nun's Telling (1989)
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Black Smith's Telling (1990)
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Taliesin's Telling (1991)
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Herself (1992)
Pangur Ban
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Pangur Ban, the White Cat (1983)
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Finnglas of the Horses (1985)
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Finnglas and the Stones of Choosing (1986)
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Shape Shifter - The Naming of Pangur Ban (1988)
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The Serpent of Senargad (1989)
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The White Horse Is Running (1990)
Sorcerer
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The Sorcerer's Trap (2005)
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The Sorcerer's Daughter (2007)
Standalone novels
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F.67 (1975)
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The Watch on Patterick Fell (1978)
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The Chains of Sleep (1981)
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Star Dancer (1993)
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Them (2003)
External links
