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Born Gladys Cleet in Jesmond, South Shields, of Scots-Irish descent, she grew up in Newcastle. She loved to write as a child, penning short plays for classmates to perform, sending her poems to BBC Children’s Hour, and writing her first novel as a teenager. Her pen name (and preferred name) Alanna was derived from her mother’s maiden name, Allan.
After studying at a local commercial college, she got a job as a secretary at Newcastle University where she met her future husband Alistair Knight, a scientist, on a blind date to the theatre. They married in 1951 and were together for 57 years, until Alistair’s death in 2008.
Last modified on Thu 14 Jan 2021 13.04 EST
The popular novelist and crime writer Alanna Knight, who has died aged 97, had a career that extended over 50 years and encompassed more than 60 books in numerous genres. Yet her writing life only began with recovery from a severe illness, and the gift of an electric typewriter.
In 1964, while living in Aberdeen with her husband, Alistair Knight, and their two young sons, she was struck down with polyneuritis, a rare nervous disorder that paralysed her from the neck down. As therapy to aid her recovery, Alistair bought her an electric typewriter, and she began writing.