The Muse

In 1959 Dunn moved to Battersea, made friends there and worked, for a time, in a sweet factory. She came to notice with the publication of Up the Junction (1963), a series of short stories set in South London. The book, awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, was a controversial success at the time for its vibrant, realistic and non-judgmental portrait of young working-class women. It was adapted for television by Dunn and directed by Ken Loach, and broadcast in November 1965. A cinema film version was released in 1968.

Talking to Women (1965) was a collection of interviews with nine friends, including Edna O’Brien and Pauline Boty. Dunn’s novel, Poor Cow (1967) was a bestseller made into a film by Ken Loach starring Carol White and Terence Stamp. Her play Steaming was produced in 1981, winning awards both in the West End and on Broadway. A film was released in 1985, directed by Joseph Losey and starring Vanessa Redgrave and Diana Dors.