Etel Lilian Voynich English writer, author of the novel "The Gadfly". Date of Birth: 11.05.1864 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Ethel Lilian Voynich

Ethel Lilian Voynich was an English writer and author of the novel "The Gadfly". She was born on May 11, 1864, in Cork, Ireland, to a well-known English mathematician, George Boole. Her father passed away when she was just six months old. Voynich's mother, Mary Everest, was the daughter of a Greek language professor who had assisted Boole in his work. The Everest family name is also notable, as Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, is named after Ethel Lilian's uncle, George Everest.

Voynich had a difficult childhood, as her mother struggled to support her and her four sisters with limited resources. To make ends meet, Mary Boole gave math lessons and wrote articles for newspapers and magazines. When Voynich was eight years old, her mother sent her to live with her father's brother, who worked as a supervisor at a mine. This uncle was a stern and religious man who followed strict British traditions in raising children.

In 1882, Voynich received a small inheritance and completed her studies at the conservatory in Berlin, where she had been training as a musician. However, a hand injury prevented her from pursuing a career in music. During her time in Berlin, she also attended lectures on Slavic studies at the University of Berlin.

In her youth, Voynich became close to political emigrants seeking refuge in London, including Russian and Polish revolutionaries. The romanticism of revolutionary struggle was a fashionable trend among intellectuals at that time. As a sign of mourning for the unjust world, Voynich dressed exclusively in black. Her association with these political emigrants and her fascination with the revolutionary spirit shaped her writing.

In late 1886, Voynich met S. M. Stepniak-Kravchinsky, a writer and revolutionary living in London who authored the book "Underground Russia." Inspired by Stepniak-Kravchinsky's book, she decided to travel to Russia to witness the struggle against autocracy firsthand. In 1887, she arrived in St. Petersburg and immediately found herself among the revolutionary youth. She witnessed terrorist actions by the "People's Will" and their subsequent suppression. To better understand Russian reality, she accepted a position as a governess in the household of E.I. Venevitinova in Novozhivotinnoye estate. She taught music and English to the family's children from May to August 1887. According to her own account, Voynich and her pupils did not get along well.

Voynich returned to England in the summer of 1889 and became involved in the "Society of Friends of Russian Freedom" established by Stepniak-Kravchinsky. She worked in the editorial office of the emigrant journal "Free Russia" and in the Free Russian Press Fund. After her trip to Russia, Voynich began working on her novel "The Gadfly." It was published in England in 1897 and gained popularity in Russia when it was translated into Russian the following year.

In 1890, Voynich married Wilfred Voynich, a Polish revolutionary who had escaped from Siberian exile. Although their marriage lasted only a few years, she decided to keep her husband's surname. This decision was influenced by the Voynich Manuscript, a mysterious manuscript that Wilfred Voynich acquired in 1912. The manuscript, written in an unknown language and featuring enigmatic illustrations of unidentified plants, has yet to be deciphered. Ethel Lilian Voynich was the sole witness who could authenticate the manuscript's origin and authenticity.

Voynich continued her translation work, introducing English readers to the works of Russian and Ukrainian authors such as Gogol, Lermontov, Dostoevsky, and Shevchenko. She also wrote several more novels, including "Put Off Thy Shoes" in 1945.

Ethel Lilian Voynich passed away on July 28, 1960, at the age of 96. According to her wishes, she was cremated, and her ashes were scattered over Central Park in New York City.