Twentieth Century Women in Politics and History at Waterstones Piccadilly

We’re thrilled to welcome a fantastic panel of authors, including Sonia Purnell, Anne Sebba and Clare Mulley as they discuss forgotten women in history and politics. We will be celebrating Sonia’s latest publication Kingmaker; restoring Pamela Churchill Harriman to her rightful place in history, this fascinating character study from the author of A Woman of No Importance sheds light on her political legacy and achievements, as well as the realities of navigating the world of power and money as a woman in the second half of the twentieth-century.

Sonia Purnell is a biographer and journalist who has written for The Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, and The Sunday Times. Her biography of Virginia Hall, A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of Virginia Hall, WWII’s Most Dangerous Spy, won the Plutarch Award for Best Biography and was a New York Times bestseller. Her book First Lady: The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill was a book of the year in the Daily Telegraph, the Independent and Lenny Letter, and was shortlisted for the Plutarch Award for Best Biography. Her first book, Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition, was longlisted for the Orwell prize.

Anne Sebba is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) a biographer, lecturer, journalist, former Reuters foreign correspondent and award winning author of eleven books for adults, mostly about iconic women who enjoyed using power and influence in different ways. These include That Woman, about Wallis Simpson, A life of Jennie Churchill, Winston’s American mother, Les Parisiennes, about women in Wartime France, winner of the Franco British book award, and most recently Ethel Rosenberg, the short life and Great Betrayal of an American Wife and Mother. Anne makes regular TV and radio appearances, is a former Chair of Britain’s 10,000 strong Society of Authors, a Trustee of the National Archives Trust and a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research.

Clare Mulley is an award-winning author focused on female experience during the Second World War. Her books include AGENT ZO, about the only woman to parachute from Britain to enemy-occupied Poland, to play a key role in the largest organised act of defiance against Nazi German occupation, as well as THE WOMEN WHO FLEW FOR HITLER, THE SPY WHO LOVED and THE WOMAN WHO SAVED THE CHILDREN. Popular on TV, radio and pods, Clare also reviews widely and has served as a judge for the Historical Writers Association and Biographers Club book prizes. She is a recipient of the Polish honour, the Bene Merito, and the Daily Mail Biographers Club Prize. www.claremulley.com

Please note: Book and ticket option includes a copy of Kingmaker (RRP. £25) available for collection on the night.

If you are unable to attend on the night, please be aware that we will only be able to reserve your book for up to 2 weeks. Copies must be collected in store.

Host or Publisher Waterstones