Angela Carter (1940 – 1992) is considered one of English literature’s true originals. This display, which commemorates the 30th anniversary of her death, explores Carter’s career as a writer and journalist, making full use of her wonderful archive held at the Library.

Taking inspiration from fairy tales, Surrealism, Gothic fiction, music hall and the plays of William Shakespeare, Carter wove their imagery and ideas into something uniquely her own. Her novels, poems and short stories challenge conventional attitudes, place women firmly at the heart of their own narratives and rewrite the rules about what fiction can do.

Ranging from private journals, letters and journalism to early drafts of books such as The Bloody Chamber (1979) and Nights at the Circus (1984) the story it reveals is one of dazzling invention and a unique, fearless originality.