Maria Isabel Stilwell (born 8 May 1960) is a Portuguese journalist and writer. Already known in Portugal for her journalism, broadcasting, historical novels, children's books and short stories, she expanded outside of Portugal as the author of Philippa of Lancaster – English Princess, Queen of Portugal, which was first published in translation in 2015. Since then, two more of her historical novels have been translated into English.[1]
Isabel Stilwell
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| Born | Maria Isabel Stilwell (1960-05-08)8 May 1960 |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Occupation(s) | Author, journalist |
| Known for | Historical novels |
Isabel Stilwell is a member of a large Anglo-Portuguese family. Her English grandfather, William Francis Martin Stilwell, emigrated to Portugal in the early 20th-century and married Maria de Saldanha Ferreira Pinto Basto in 1913. They had ten children.[2] Isabel Stilwell started working at the daily newspaper Diário de Notícias at the age of 21. She was the editor of the paper's Notícias Magazine for 13 years and director of the daily free newspaper Destak from 1997 to 2012. She founded and directed the Portuguese magazine Pais & Filhos and writes articles for Máxima, a women's magazine. She writes a weekly opinion column in the Jornal de Negócios, a financial and business newspaper, and contributes articles to other magazines. She has also hosted a daily radio show. Together with Carla Marina Mendes, she received an award for an article about adoption in Portugal, entitled They neither love nor let love.[1][3][4]
Isabel Stilwell published her first historical novel on Philippa of Lancaster in 2007.[5] This was followed by historical novels on Catherine of Braganza; Amélie of Orléans, the last Queen Consort of Portugal; Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy; Maria II of Portugal; Theresa, Countess of Portugal; Isabel of Aragon and Maria I of Portugal. By 2020, these novels had sold over 300,000 copies, with the first, on Philippa of Lancaster, selling more than 55,000 copies.[3][4][6]
The three historical novels by Stilwell that have been translated into English are: