Angela Findlay Biography

Angela Findlay is an artist, writer and accredited lecturer. Her long career of teaching art in prisons and Young Offender Institutions in Germany and England gave her many insights into the nature of guilt and the huge impact the arts can have in terms of rehabilitation. As Arts Coordinator to the leading prison arts charity, Koestler Arts, she founded the Learning to Learn through the Arts Scheme to encourage prisoners into education through dynamic arts projects. In 2016 she was invited by the Ministry of Justice to advise on their new rehabilitation and education policies.

 

Angela’s Anglo-German roots and family history with their strong ties to WW2events, led her into ten years of research and writing. Her first book, In my Grandfather’s Shadow , is a personal story that describes the unusual and destructive family dynamics that emerged in Germany in the lingering aftermath of the Second World War. Drawing on family diaries, photos, memoirs and the almost daily letters written by her Wehrmacht General grandfather from the Eastern Front, Italian theatre and later as a POW awaiting trial for Nazi war crimes, In my Grandfather’s Shadow describes the lesser-known 'history of the losers’ as well as Germany’s unique post-war culture of apology and atonement. Embodying both sides of the conflict enables Angela to ask difficult and sensitive questions of each side and challenge deeply held preconceptions on one of the most discussed periods of history.

 

Angela lives in Gloucestershire but her public speaking takes her all around the country. Her paintings have been exhibited in galleries both nationally and internationally.

How I Found the Agency

Trawling through endless literary agency websites, Andrew Lownie’s stood out for its warm and personal approach and generous advice to first-time authors. I also felt my book would fit well with his evident interest in both memoirs and military history.

I was amazed and delighted by his almost instant positive response and, after meeting with him, had no doubt that he totally understood what I was trying to do with my book and would be able to represent it well. I am extremely happy to have him as my agent.