Writing was in her blood. Juggling her work as a local government officer in Middlesex Education Department with writing, at first short stories for magazines and pieces for The Times Educational Supplement, she then had her first book, The Winter City, published in 1961.
The book was a success and enabled Mary to relinquish her full time occupation to devote her time to writing. Long before family sagas had become cult viewing, she had embarked upon the `Fairley Family’ trilogy – Good Daughters, Indifferent Heroes, and Welcome Strangers – books which give her readers a faithful, realistic and uncompromising portrayal of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times, between the years of 1933 and 1946.
For many years she was an active member of the `Monday Lit’, a Lewes-based group which brought in current writers and poets to speak about their work, an enthusiastic supporter of Lewes Little Theatre, and worshipped at the town’s St Pancras RC Church.
Bello
hidden talent rediscovered
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Copyright
First published in Great Britain by Chatto & Windus Ltd 1976
This edition published 2016 by Bello
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
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Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.co.uk/bello
ISBN 978-1509-8196-21 EPUB
ISBN 978-1509-8196-07 HB
ISBN 978-1509-8196-14 PB
Copyright © Mary Hocking 1976
The right of Mary Hocking to be identified as the
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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