Florence Knapp is a British writer of fiction and nonfiction. She is best known for her debut novel, The Names (2025), which has been translated into over twenty languages. Before turning to fiction, she was known for writing on hand-sewing and traditional crafts.
Her previous publications include a book on English paper piecing and a contribution to Patchwork & Quilting: A Maker's Guide, published by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Her love of crafting began in childhood and developed in the early 2000s when she started a sewing blog while raising young children.
"I started writing a sewing blog, just for fun, and then I started writing patterns," she recalls. This interest led to freelance work for magazines and, in 2017, her contribution to the V&A's quilt-making book.
Her inspiration was the 1797 Sundial Coverlet, drawn to its domestic and outward-facing motifs. "It's a structure that made me imagine a maker who appreciated what was close to home but was also outward-looking."
Knapp's nonfiction book on English paper piecing was published in 2018. The first half contains essays and interviews, exploring symmetry, language and the therapeutic aspects of sewing.
The second half is a technical guide, including step-by-step methods and quilt patterns. Her research spanned physics and psychology. "I pored over books and papers written by quilt historians, neuroscientists, physicists… as well as consulting with fellow quilters".
Alongside this career, Florence wrote fiction in her spare time. In 2022, she began the first draft of The Names, a novel structured around three possible lives shaped by a single maternal decision.
"It's about how people survive terrible things and heal," she says.
Set in 1987, the novel follows Cora as she chooses a name for her newborn son amid a storm and a controlling husband. The child becomes Bear, Julian or Gordon — each name setting him on a different path. The story revisits the characters every seven years. "I had these stepping stones and always knew where I was going."
Florence Knapp lives outside London with her husband and their dog. Her two adult children return home occasionally.
Photo credit: www.florenceknapp.com
Her previous publications include a book on English paper piecing and a contribution to Patchwork & Quilting: A Maker's Guide, published by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Her love of crafting began in childhood and developed in the early 2000s when she started a sewing blog while raising young children.
"I started writing a sewing blog, just for fun, and then I started writing patterns," she recalls. This interest led to freelance work for magazines and, in 2017, her contribution to the V&A's quilt-making book.
Her inspiration was the 1797 Sundial Coverlet, drawn to its domestic and outward-facing motifs. "It's a structure that made me imagine a maker who appreciated what was close to home but was also outward-looking."
Knapp's nonfiction book on English paper piecing was published in 2018. The first half contains essays and interviews, exploring symmetry, language and the therapeutic aspects of sewing.
The second half is a technical guide, including step-by-step methods and quilt patterns. Her research spanned physics and psychology. "I pored over books and papers written by quilt historians, neuroscientists, physicists… as well as consulting with fellow quilters".
Alongside this career, Florence wrote fiction in her spare time. In 2022, she began the first draft of The Names, a novel structured around three possible lives shaped by a single maternal decision.
"It's about how people survive terrible things and heal," she says.
Set in 1987, the novel follows Cora as she chooses a name for her newborn son amid a storm and a controlling husband. The child becomes Bear, Julian or Gordon — each name setting him on a different path. The story revisits the characters every seven years. "I had these stepping stones and always knew where I was going."
Florence Knapp lives outside London with her husband and their dog. Her two adult children return home occasionally.
Photo credit: www.florenceknapp.com
fb2epub
Arraste e solte seus arquivos
(não mais do que 5 por vez)