{{Short description|English writer (born 1948)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}} {{Use British English|date=February 2015}} '''Marian Partington''' (born 21 February 1948) is an English writer, and the sister of Lucy Partington, who was abducted by Fred and Rosemary West on 27 December 1973 and murdered by them in the final days of 1973 or the first days of 1974.
In May 2012, she wrote about the impact of Lucy’s life, disappearance and death in her memoir, ''If You Sit Very Still''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-18057433|title=Marian Partington's bid to forgive Fred and Rose West|work=BBC News|date=14 May 2012|access-date=14 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Benn|first=Melissa|authorlink=Melissa Benn|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/04/if-you-sit-very-still-marian-partington-review|title=If You Sit Very Still by Marian Partington - review|work=The Guardian|date=4 May 2012|access-date=14 September 2019}}</ref> The book builds on ''Salvaging the Sacred'', an essay written by Marian and published in ''The Guardian'' Weekend in May 1996.<ref>Marian Partington, ''Salvaging the Sacred: Lucy, My Sister'', originally published in The Guardian Weekend, 18 May 1996 and reissued by Quaker Books, 2004</ref> The essay inspired a play, by Bryony Lavery and a feature film, directed by Juliet McKoen, both entitled ''Frozen''.
In April 2012, prior to the publication of her memoir, Marian was interviewed in the ''Financial Times'' magazine.<ref name="Galvin">{{cite news|last=Galvin|first=Cathy|url=https://www.ft.com/content/003d4a00-8f38-11e1-ab32-00144feab49a|title=Life after Lucy |work=Financial Times|date=28 April 2012|access-date=14 September 2019}}</ref>
In November 2012 the former archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, cited ''If You Sit Very Still'' by Marian Partington as one of his books of the year in the ''Times Literary Supplement''.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/public/article1169045.ece| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121206042429/http://www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/public/article1169045.ece| archive-date = 2012-12-06| title = TLS Books of the Year 2012 {{!}} TLS}}</ref>
In 2004, Partington’s story was featured in ''The F Word'' exhibition; The Forgiveness Project's exhibition which explores forgiveness in the face of atrocity.
She works as a storyteller, in schools and prisons, for The Forgiveness Project,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theforgivenessproject.com/stories/marian-partington-england/ |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120718233120/http://theforgivenessproject.com/stories/marian-partington-england/ |archivedate=18 July 2012 |title=Marian Partington (England) |website=theforgivenessproject.com}}</ref> a charitable organisation which explores forgiveness, reconciliation and conflict resolution through real-life human experience. Partington has forgiven one of her sister's killers, Rosemary West, but she did not reply and got the prison where she is serving a life sentence to tell Partington she doesn't want her to write again.
In contrast though, Partington exchanges Christmas cards with one of Fred West's daughters, and West's younger brother, Douglas, got in touch with Partington when she wrote to him, saying he hoped something good could come out of all this evil.<ref name="Galvin" />
Marian is a Quaker and a Buddhist.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{cite book|author=Partington, Marian|title=If You Sit Very Still|publisher=Vala Publishing Co-operative|year=2012|isbn=978-1-908363-02-2}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120502202044/http://www.valapublishers.coop/ifyousitverystill ''If You Sit Very Still'', by Marian Partington] * [http://www.theforgivenessproject.com The Forgiveness Project] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120503091750/http://www.valapublishers.coop/home Vala Publishing Cooperative] * [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/04/if-you-sit-very-still-marian-partington-review Review of ''If You Sit Very Still'' in The Guardian, 04/05/2012] * [https://soundcloud.com/valapublishers/marian-partington-on-world-service Marian Partington speaking on the BBC World Service 21/05/2012] * [http://www.city-journal.org/2012/22_4_otbie-serial-murder.html Sentimentalizing Serial Murder], Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal, 2012/22/4 * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-18057433 Article on BBC Gloucester News, 14/05/2012] * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01hjt98 Marian Partington speaking on BBC Radio 4's Midweek, 16/04/2013] * [http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/324107/Review-If-You-Sit-Very-Still-by-Marian-Partington Review of ''If You Sit Very Still'' in the Sunday Express, 03/06/2012] * [http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/features/9821280.Reclaiming_her_late_sister/?ref=fap Review of ''If You Sit Very Still'' in the Oxford Times, 19/06/2012] * [https://soundcloud.com/valapublishers/marian-partington-on-bbc-scotland Interview on BBC Radio Scotland, 01/07/2012] * [https://soundcloud.com/valapublishers/marian-partington-on-radio-ulster Marian Partington speaking on BBC Radio Ulster] * [http://www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/public/article1169045.ece Rowan Williams cites ''If You Sit Very Still'' by Marian Partington as one of his books of the year in the Times Literary Supplement]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Partington, Marian}} Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century English memoirists Category:English women memoirists Category:British storytellers Category:Women storytellers Category:21st-century English women writers