Sue Townsend

Susann Lillian Townsend, commonly known as Sue Townsend, was a British published novelist. She was born in Leicester, England and lived there for most of her life. Townsend left school at the age of fifteen with no qualifications and had various jobs including working in a factory and a boutique, as a civil servant, and a hospital cleaner. She also spent time in a homeless shelter with her children. It was during this time that she began to write.

Townsend is best known as the author of the Adrian Mole series of books. The first book in the series, "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4," was published in 1982 and became an instant bestseller. The series follows the life of Adrian Mole, a teenager growing up in a working-class family in Leicester, as he navigates the trials and tribulations of adolescence. The series is known for its humor and social commentary, and has been translated into 34 languages and sold over 8 million copies worldwide.

Townsend's writing tended to combine comedy with social commentary, and she has written purely dramatic works as well. She has written for theater, television, and radio. Some of her notable works include "Groping for Words," "Rebuilding Coventry," "Number Ten," and "The Queen and I." She also wrote a memoir, "The Secret Diary of a Failed Novelist," which was published in 2001.

Townsend suffered from diabetes for many years, as a result of which she was registered blind in 2001. Despite this, she continued to write, using a combination of speech recognition software and a human scribe. She has woven the theme of blindness and disability into her work, such as in her novel "Queen Camilla" (2006). Townsend passed away in 2014, leaving behind a legacy of beloved and influential work.