Fine, Anne (1947-…), is an English author of popular books for children and young adults. In 2001, Fine was named Children’s Laureate in the United Kingdom, a title awarded every two years to an outstanding children’s author or illustrator. Fine was the second author to receive the honor. In 1999, Quentin Blake became the first Children’s Laureate (see Blake, Quentin; Children’s laureate).
Fine’s fiction often emphasizes family relationships. Her books are filled with humor, but some also deal with serious social issues, such as divorce, homelessness, and the care of the elderly.
Fine gained recognition with her first novel, The Summer-House Loon (1978). The central character is the teenage daughter of a blind college professor. The girl is the heroine of a sequel, The Other, Darker Ned (1979). Fine dealt with old age and infirmity in The Stone Menagerie (1980) and The Granny Project (1983).
In Madame Doubtfire (1987; published as Alias Madame Doubtfire in the United States in 1988), Fine tells the story of an unemployed actor who gets a job by impersonating a female housekeeper in the home of his ex-wife and their children. The book was made into the hit American movie Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), starring Robin Williams.
Fine continued to write comedies about family relationships in Crummy Mummy and Me (1988), and Goggle-Eyes (1989; published in the United States under the title My War with Goggle-Eyes), and The Book of the Banshee (1991). Other books by Fine include Bill’s New Frock (1989), Flour Babies (1994), and The Tulip Touch (1996). Poor Monty (1991), Countdown (1996), and Care of Henry (1997) are among Fine’s books for beginning readers.
Fine has also written fiction for adults. Her books for adults include an award-winning psychological suspense novel, The Killjoy (1986). She wrote Taking the Devil’s Advice (1990), In Cold Domain (1994), Telling Liddy (1998), and All Bones and Lies (2001).
Fine was born on Dec. 7, 1947, in Leicester, England. Her maiden name was Anne Laker. She graduated with a B.A. in political science and history from the University of Warwick in Coventry in 1968. She married Kit Fine, a university professor of philosophy, in 1968. They divorced in 1991.
