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Angry Young Women: six writers of the sixties

A Taste of Honey, The L-Shaped Room, The Pumpkin Eater, Up the Junction, Poor Cow, The Millstone, and Georgy Girl - works that are seen as defining radical female literature in 1960s Britain. All of the authors were young. Their writing spread beyond their native shores to be just as eagerly consumed in America, Canada, Australasia and indeed around the world. Every one of these iconic works was made into a film, some of them equally iconic.

Shelagh Delaney. Lynne Reid Banks. Penelope Mortimer. Nell Dunn. Margaret Drabble. Margaret Forster. Each of these writers, at one time or another, was labelled an 'Angry Young Woman'. Their writing was about the realities of being female during the second half of the twentieth century, when a new excitement was in the air: the economy was thriving, the class system was beginning to splinter and there was a growing realisation that women had a right to the same things as men, including in matters of sex. But real life was a different affair, and the consequences of sex the same as they ever had been. Women knew very little about their own bodies and contraception was a word too explicit and rude even to be mentioned. The pill was available on the NHS from 1961, but for many years doctors and clinics would prescribe it only to married women. Abortion remained illegal until 1967 but nevertheless took place, frequently and dangerously. The actuality was therefore that despite the new era, young women were far from free, still in thrall to biology and liable to become pregnant. Pregnancy, abortion, childbirth, and motherhood: still the realities of life, and the subjects these 'Angry Young Women' chose to write about – plus the added new possibility of raising a child alone.

This is the story of these pivotal works: how they came to be written by those women at that time, what was meant, how they were received and translated into sometimes even more celebrated films – and how some of these writers ultimately viewed their work across the span of years.

But were they really 'Angry Young Women'?

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Reviews of Angry Young Women

Wonderful little gem (Amazon review)

Covering the works of six young women writers....described as ‘angry young woman’ in line with that movement of male writers of the mid-50s...the author traces the background of these writers, their motivations and the reception of their works as adapted for theatre and screen. In the process the reader gets a good sense of the climate and times these writers worked in, as well as a selection of pivotal literary quotes from the works themselves.

I found reading about these times, and their stories, informative and fascinating and enjoyed the journey Wellman took me on.

Now that I’ve read this book, my first inclination is to read the actual works of these writers themselves to get an even greater feel of their accomplishments.

Before reading Angry Young Women I’d never heard of Anne Wellman, but I will now be seeking out further works by this author, for I have enjoyed this one so much. (5 out of 5 Stars)

Exceptional… a must read (Jayne Thomas, Soul & Mod website)

One particular read that I have found exceptional and is thoroughly well researched is ‘Angry Young Women: six writers of the sixties’… It’s not only refreshing to read, but equally fascinating to learn about the lives of these women who challenged the “norm” thinking of women…

For anyone who has an interest in the literary genre of Kitchen Sink Realism or Kitchen Sink Realism films… this is a must read… a meritorious testament to those women authors, Shelagh, Margaret, Lynne, Penelope, Nell and Margaret… Their work will always be inspirational and should wholeheartedly be commended and celebrated, which Anne Wellman has published in this wonderful read.