Geoffrey Trease | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 August 1909 Nottingham, England |
| Died | 27 January 1998 (aged 88) Bath, England |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Genre | Children's historical fiction |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | New York Herald Tribune Book Award, 1966 |
Robert Geoffrey Trease FRSL (11 August 1909 – 27 January 1998) was a prolific British writer who published 113 books, mainly for children, between 1934 and 1997, starting with Bows Against the Barons and ending with Cloak for a Spy in 1997. His work has been translated into 20 languages. He is best known for the children's novel Cue for Treason (1940).
His grandfather was a historian, and was one of the main influences on his work.[citation needed] Trease's children's historical novels reflect his insistence on historically correct backgrounds, which he meticulously researched. His ground-breaking study Tales Out of School (1949) pioneered the idea that children's literature should be a serious subject for study and debate.[1] When he began his career, his radical viewpoint was a change from the conventional and often jingoistic tone of most children's literature of the time, and he was one of the first authors who deliberately set out to appeal to both boys and girls and to feature strong leading characters of both sexes.