Biography
A journalist, novelist and screenwriter, Helen Fielding is best known for her character Bridget Jones, whose dating exploits led to a series of books and 4 hit films. Born in 1958, Fielding attended St Anne’s College, Oxford, before embarking on a career with the BBC. In 1985, she produced and directed a live broadcast from a refugee camp in Eastern Sudan, as well as writing and producing documentaries in Africa for Comic Relief. Her experiences in Africa were used as inspiration for her first novel, Cause Celeb; published in 1994, it enjoyed good reviews but sold few copies.
In 1995, writing her second novel and working for The Independent, Fielding was asked to write a column about her life as a single woman in London. She declined, and instead offered to create a character and write anonymously. Bridget Jones was born, and the column was a massive hit with readers; her publishers asked her to ditch her new novel and write about Bridget Jones instead. In 1996, Bridget Jones’ Diary was published and went on to become a worldwide bestseller.
Three sequels followed, all of which became international bestsellers, and all 4 Bridget Jones novels were adapted into films starring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.
Named the 24th most influential women in British culture in 2004, Helen Fielding’s novels have greatly influenced a generation of women. Relatable and humorous, heartfelt and engaging, the complexities of love, life, grief, dating and singledom to be found in her novels resonate with readers of all ages.
