18 Facts About Olive Dehn

Olive Marie Dehn was an English children's writer, anarchist, farmer and poet who was active from the 1930s to the 2000s.

Olive Dehn began her writing career with a satirical poem in German, and wrote stories for the BBC Radio programme Children's Hour.

Olive Dehn was born at Belfield Road, Didsbury, near Manchester, England, on 29 September 1914.

Olive Dehn was the only daughter and middle child of the cotton merchant Frederick Edward Dehn, a first-generation businessman, and his wife, Helen Dehn, nee Susman, a German-Jew.

Olive Dehn was taught at a girls' school in Seaford, East Sussex, from which she had an unhappy experience.

Back in England, Olive Dehn wrote stories for the BBC Radio programme Children's Hour, where she used her high-pitched voice to portray boy characters.

Olive Dehn followed with the writing of Higgly-Piggly Farm in 1957 and The Pike Dream in 1958.

Olive Dehn's Maran cockerel was awarded first prize at the 1958 National Poultry Show, and was a columnist for Pig Producer magazine.

Olive Dehn wrote for The Observer and Country Life Punch.

Olive Dehn was a member of the Committee of 100 not long after it was founded in 1960.

Olive Dehn was involved in non-violent direct action against nuclear power, and was arrested and deported from Moscow by the KGB in 1974, for protesting against the abuse of psychiatry in the Soviet Union.

Olive Dehn continued to write poetry, and took the Central Electricity Generating Board to court for "conspiring with the government to make plutonium for the making of nuclear weapons" in 1988.

That same year, Olive Dehn talked about her life and career on an episode of the BBC Radio 4 programme Woman's Hour.

Olive Dehn described herself as a "granarchist" and did not have rules at home.

Olive Dehn was married to the actor and libertian anarchist David Markham from 5 June 1937 until his death in 1983.

Olive Dehn died on 21 March 2007, in Wych Cross, East Sussex.

The Olive Dehn Papers are stored at the Seven Stories in Newcastle.

Olive Dehn's papers were deposited at the museum by her daughters.