Vivien Alcock
Vivien Alcock was an English author born in Worthing, England, known for her contributions to children's literature, particularly in the supernatural genre. She attended the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Arts and served as an ambulance driver during World War II before embarking on a diverse career that included roles as an artist, an employment agency manager, and a hospital secretary. Alcock began writing at a young age, but her return to writing was prompted by her experiences as a mother. Her debut novel, *The Haunting of Cassie Palmer*, published in 1980, centers around a girl with special powers who encounters a ghost. Throughout her career, Alcock's works, such as *The Face at the Window* and *Travellers by Night*, received critical acclaim and were recognized as notable books by the American Library Association. Several of her stories were adapted into television series, reflecting her impact on children's media. Alcock passed away on October 11, 2003, leaving behind a legacy of engaging supernatural tales for young readers.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Vivien Alcock
- Born: 1921
- Birthplace: Worthing, England
- Died: October 11, 2003
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Vivien Dolores Alcock was born in Worthing, England, to John Forster and Molly Alcock. She attended the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Arts and then served in the British army as an ambulance driver during World War II, until 1946. Later, she worked as an artist, a manager of an employment agency, and secretary for a hospital. She married Leon Garfield, a writer, in 1947.
Alcock started writing at an early age. After high school, she knew she wanted to be a writer or an artist. She ended up going to art school, but she later returned to writing because of her young daughter. Chance, she said, sent her to art school rather than to the university, and it was chance (in the form of a small daughter) that turned her back to writing.
The Haunting of Cassie Palmer, her first book, was written and published in 1980. The book tells the story of Cassie Palmer, who is the seventh child of a seventh child. Having inherited special powers from her mother, she summons up a ghost one day.
All of Alcock’s novels involve the supernatural. In The Face at the Window (1994), which was published in the United States in 1999 as Stranger at the Window, a young girl is living with her aunt in London when she sees a face of a child at her window and is told she is hallucinating. One review of the novel praised Alcock for her ability to build tension from chapter to chapter.
Travellers by Night, published in 1983, was nominated for the Horn Book Honor List. It was also named a Notable Book of the Year by the American Library Association. The Cuckoo Sister (1985) and The Monster Garden (1988) were both named Notable Books of the Year by the American Library Association in 1986 and 1988 respectively.
Some of Alcock’s books have been adapted for television. A television series produced by Television South in 1984 was based on The Haunting of Cassie Palmer. Travellers by Night was adapted and broadcast by BBC-TV in 1984. Travellers by Night was also the basis for another television series by Television South. The Monster Garden was turned into Frankie’s Monster in 1992. Alcock died on October 11, 2003.