Anne Fine
A sharp and witty author who tackles family chaos and dark humor in children's books that refuse to talk down to their readers.
Born 1947 (age 79)·British children's and adult writer·Birthday: December 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Anne Fine possesses a singular talent for writing about family life with unflinching honesty and piercing wit. While best known for her children's novels, her work gracefully spans age groups, always characterized by clever dialogue and psychologically astute characters. Books like *Goggle-Eyes* and *Flour Babies* explore divorce, rebellion, and classroom dynamics with a light touch that never diminishes their emotional truth. Her most famous creation, *Madame Doubtfire* (adapted into the film 'Mrs. Doubtfire'), is a masterpiece of comedic dysfunction that reveals the deep yearnings beneath its farcical premise. A former Children's Laureate, Fine approaches young readers as intelligent equals, giving them stories that are funny, complicated, and deeply resonant, securing her place as one of Britain's most distinctive and respected voices in literature.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Anne was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anne Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Anne's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the second Children's Laureate of the United Kingdom from 2001 to 2003.
- Won the Carnegie Medal twice, for *Goggle-Eyes* and *Flour Babies*.
- Authored *Madame Doubtfire*, which was adapted into the major film *Mrs. Doubtfire*.
- Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to literature.
Did You Know?
She has written over 50 books for children and several novels for adults.
Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a teacher and a information officer.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Many of her books are inspired by observations of her own two daughters.
“A good children's book should be a good book for anyone.”
