A Swift Pure Cry
Best starting point for Dowd's core fiction: her acclaimed debut novel and the beginning of her published children's-fiction career.
Author guide
Siobhan Dowd Books in Order
Siobhan Dowd was born in London to Irish parents and studied Classics at Oxford University and Gender and Ethnic Studies at the University of Greenwich. She worked extensively in international human-rights advocacy through PEN, including as Program Director of the Freedom-to-Write Committee of the PEN American Center, and later co-founded English PEN's readers and writers programme. She edited major PEN anthologies before turning to children's fiction. Between 2004 and 2007 she wrote four novels: A Swift Pure Cry, The London Eye Mystery, Bog Child, and Solace of the Road. The latter two were published posthumously; Bog Child became the first posthumous recipient of the Carnegie Medal. Two further illustrated books based on her short stories, The Ransom of Dond and The Pavee and the Buffer Girl, were published posthumously. Dowd died in 2007 at the age of 47.
children's literatureyoung adult fictionmystery fictionhistorical fictiongraphic fictionhuman rights writing
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The London Eye Mystery
Best starting point for readers seeking her accessible mystery fiction and one of her most widely read works.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (5)
- A Swift Pure Cry
novel · 2006
Ireland 1984.After Shell's mother dies, her obsessively religious father descends into alcoholic mourning and Shell is left to care for her younger brother and sister. Her only release from the harshness of everyday life comes from her…
- The London Eye Mystery
novel · 2007
- Bog Child
novel · 2008
In 1981, the height of Ireland's "Troubles," eighteen-year-old Fergus is distracted from his upcoming A-level exams by his imprisoned brother's hunger strike, the stress of being a courier for Sinn Fein, and dreams of a murdered girl…
- Solace of the Road
novel · 2009
While running away from a London foster home just before her fifteenth birthday, Holly has ample time to consider her years of residential care and her early life with her Irish mother, whom she is now trying to reach.
- The Ransom of Dond
novella · 2013
Siobhan Dowd gave us four extraordinary novels before she died in 2007. This is her last story, a final gift to those who know and love her work, and a glittering invitation to those who have yet to discover it. Siobhan draws us…
Edited works (2)
- This Prison Where I Live: The PEN Anthology of Imprisoned Writers
edited_anthology · 1996
- The Roads of the Roma: A PEN Anthology of Gypsy Writers
edited_anthology · 1998
Other (1)
- The Pavee and the Buffer Girl
graphic_work · 2017
A stunning new edition of Dowd's moving story of lives lived on the edge of society, and love in its many forms with powerful black and white illustrations from Emma Shoard. Bullying, name-calling, and a new school face Jim when his…
Frequently asked questions about Siobhan Dowd
Who was Siobhan Dowd?
Siobhan Dowd (1960–2007) was a London-born children’s and young-adult author of Irish heritage. She was raised in an Irish-Catholic family and spent much of her youth visiting relatives in County Waterford and Wicklow.
What did Siobhan Dowd do before becoming an author?
She worked in international human-rights advocacy with PEN, including directing the PEN American Center’s Freedom-to-Write Committee. After returning to the UK, she co-founded English PEN’s readers-and-writers programme and served as Oxfordshire’s Deputy Commissioner for Children’s Rights in 2004.
What inspired Siobhan Dowd to write children’s literature?
An invitation from writer Tony Bradman to contribute a story about an Irish Traveller child to the anti-racism collection Skin Deep led Dowd into children’s fiction. The project also connected her with the agent who represented her literary work.
What awards did Siobhan Dowd receive?
Her debut, A Swift Pure Cry, won the 2007 Branford Boase Award and the Eilís Dillon Award. Bog Child later won the 2009 Carnegie Medal posthumously, making Dowd the award’s first posthumous winner.
Sources: branfordboaseaward.org.uk (opens in a new tab)childrensbooksireland.ie (opens in a new tab)cilip.org.uk (opens in a new tab)
What is Siobhan Dowd’s legacy?
The Siobhan Dowd Trust uses royalties and foreign-sales income from her books to help disadvantaged young people access books and reading. Her unfinished idea for A Monster Calls was later developed by Patrick Ness and published by Walker Books.
Sources: siobhandowdtrust.com (opens in a new tab)walker.co.uk (opens in a new tab)