Jessie King (writer)

Jessie King was a pseudonym used by Jessie Kesson, a Scottish novelist and playwright. Born in Inverness, Scotland, in 1916 and dying in London in 1994, Kesson is known for her semi-autobiographical novels exploring themes of poverty, illegitimacy, and female experience in the Scottish Highlands and urban working-class environments. Her works often reflect her own experiences in care homes and her struggles with poverty and societal prejudice. Her most notable works include The White Bird Passes (1958), Glitter of Mica (1963), and Another Time, Another Place (1983), which was adapted into a film of the same name. Kesson's writing is characterized by its lyrical prose and unflinching portrayal of social realities. Though she used the pen name Jessie King for some early works, she is more widely recognized and published under her birth name, Jessie Kesson.