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Rebecca WestHe was a British writer, journalist, literary critic and travel writer.
Date of Birth: 21.12.1892
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
- Early Life
- Journalism and Suffragism
- Literary Career
- Marriage and Wealth
- Notable Works
- Later Life and Recognition
Early Life
Cecily Isabel Fairfield was born to a Scottish pianist mother and an Anglo-Irish journalist father in 1892. When she was eight, her father abandoned the family, prompting the family to relocate to Edinburgh. Cecily attended George Watson's Girls' College, but her education was cut short in 1907 due to tuberculosis.
Journalism and Suffragism
Upon recovering at age 16, she was unable to return to school due to financial constraints. She adopted the pseudonym "Rebecca West" from her role in Henrik Ibsen's play "Rosmersholm." Initially aspiring to become an actress, she turned to journalism in 1911 and joined the suffragette movement. Her articles advocating for women's suffrage gained her recognition in the left-wing press.
Literary Career
In 1914, West became the mistress of H.G. Wells and gave birth to their son Anthony West, who later became an actor and writer. In 1916, she published a biography of Henry James. Her first novel, "The Return of the Soldier," was published in 1918, launching her successful writing career.
Marriage and Wealth
In 1930, West married banker Henry Maxwell Andrews in a largely formal union. By 1940, she had become one of Britain's wealthiest female writers. During World War II, she established a farm on her country estate for Yugoslav refugees.
Notable Works
West's renowned works include novels such as "The Judge" (1922), "Harriet Hume" (1929), "The Thinking Reed" (1936), "The Fountain Overflows" (1957), and "The Birds Fall Down" (1966). Her two-volume travelogue "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon" (1942) chronicled her experiences in Yugoslavia in 1937.
Later Life and Recognition
Her journalistic reports on the Nuremberg Trials were published in 1955 as "A Train of Powder." In 1959, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. While her novels were highly successful, critics often regarded her journalism as more accomplished. Nonetheless, scholars later recognized her fiction as significant contributions to feminist literature.
