17 Facts About Leland Bardwell

Constance Olive Leland Bardwell was an Irish poet, novelist, and playwright.

Leland Bardwell was part of the literary scene in London and later Dublin, where she was an editor of literary magazines Hibernia and Cyphers.

Leland Bardwell published five volumes of poetry, novels, plays and short stories, for which she received the Marten Toonder Award and the Dede Korkut Short Story Award from Turkish PEN.

Bardwell was born Constance Olive Leland Hone in India to Irish parents William Hone and Mary Collis, and moved to Ireland at the age of two.

Leland Bardwell was educated at Alexandra College and briefly studied in Switzerland.

Leland Bardwell worked in a variety of jobs in Ireland and later Scotland, where, in 1948, she met poet Michael Bardwell.

Leland Bardwell became a part of the literary scene of Soho in London, where she socialised with fellow writers, including Anthony Cronin, Francis Bacon, Patrick Kavanagh and Anthony Burgess.

The family moved back to Dublin, where Leland Bardwell worked as a reviewer for Hibernia magazine and as a poetry editor.

From 1970 onward, Leland Bardwell's work was published regularly, starting with her first volume of poetry, The Mad Cyclist, which was later followed by her first novel, Girl on a Bicycle.

Leland Bardwell wrote a number of plays and short stories, such as Outpatients, and her works were produced for RTE and the BBC.

In 1984, Leland Bardwell wrote a musical play, No Regrets, based on the life of Edith Piaf.

Leland Bardwell's work was heavily influenced by her difficult upbringing and her experiences in London and Dublin.

Leland Bardwell is considered an important poet by her contemporaries, who included Patrick Kavanagh, John Jordan, Paul Durcan, Macdara Woods, Michael Hartnett and the poet Hugh McFadden.

In 1975, Leland Bardwell co-founded the long-running literary magazine Cyphers with Pearse Hutchinson Eilean Ni Chuilleanain and Macdara Woods, and acted as a co-editor until 2012.

Leland Bardwell was the recipient of the Marten Toonder Award in 1993, and the Dede Korkut Short Story Award from Turkish PEN in 2010.

In later life, Leland Bardwell moved to Annaghmakerrig in County Monaghan and later to Cloonagh in Sligo, where in 1993 she co-founded the Scriobh Literary Festival.

Leland Bardwell was a member of the Irish artists' association Aosdana and acted as one of Patrick Kavanagh's literary executors.