Lisa Jewell at WMC Camden

LISA Jewell has sold over 10 million books worldwide and seen her work translated into 25 different languages – and on Friday she returned to where it all began: the Working Men’s College in Crowndale Road.

Ms Jewell returned to the further education institute to help celebrate International Women’s Day.

She joined a panel made up of WMC principal Dipa Gungali, Camden Council’s head of culture Zerritha Brown, and Knowledge Quarter chief executive Jodie Eastwood.

Ms Jewell told the meeting that she had watched women in fiction evolve from when she first started out as a novelist.

When her first novel, Ralph’s Party, was published in 1999, there was a “ladette” culture that saw women only accepted if they mimicked male behaviour.

She said: “There has been a significant shift toward more complex and empowered representations. It wasn’t until the success of Gone Girl that authors were forced to rethink their approach, taking a step back to consider carefully how they represent women on the page.”

She said that while the landscape had shifted, there was still a long way to go in terms of female representation in fiction, adding: “Many authors continue to write about beautiful women in scenarios that echo inappropriate fetishes – such as depictions of women being captured, abused, and buried in woods. This reflection underscores the ongoing need for more thoughtful and authentic portrayals of women in literature.”