See all books authored by daphne du maurier, including rebecca, and my cousin rachel, and more on. Daphne du maurier s 1938 novel rebecca made her one of the most successful writers of her time. Rebecca, jamaica inn, frenchmans creek, my cousin rachel. I have thoroughly enjoyed most of her books, with only a few exceptions and sadly this one, mary anne, was one of the exceptions. Daphne du maurier an ambitious, stunning, and seductive young woman, mary anne finds the single most rewarding way to rise above her miserable cockney world. I fell in love with daphne du mauriers writing as a teenager when i read rebecca for the first time, quickly followed by jamaica inn, and since then, i have been very slowly working through the rest of her novels, short stories and nonfiction. Daphne du maurier had quite a fascinating family history. Mary anne daphne du maurier foreword by lisa hilton begin reading table of contents.
Writings by mary anne clarke include the following. A novel, quite openly based on actual historical records relating to miss du mauriers great, great grandmother, mary anne clarke. In 1931 her first novel, the loving spirit, was published. Daphne du maurier 190789 was born in london, the daughter of the famous actormanager sir gerald du maurier and granddaughter of george du maurier, the author and artist. Daphne du maurier was born in london on may, 1907 and educated in paris. First fly leaf torn, otherwise no damage to inside. Mary anne is fully realised, but in a way its a pity that she was not only a real person, but a greatgreatgrandmother of du maurier. It is made to order material for a colorful period novel, a sort of feminine rakes progress, in which the readers sympathies are patently enlisted on the side of. Although she is classed as a romantic novelist, her stories have been described as moody and resonant with overtones of the paranormal. Daphne du maurier is one of the most overlooked writers of the twentieth century, says oxford universitys laura varnam. Mary ann clarks life story is one that will keep you entertained. A wonderful example of mary anne and a collectible first edition from a popular author. Mary anne daphne du maurier read online free books.
Daphne du maurier also known as lady browning was a british writer and playwright born on th may 1907 in london. Her lofty connections allow her to establish a thriving trade in military commissions, provoking a scandal that rocks the government and brings personal disgrace. Daphne du maurier came from a line of distinguished eccentrics. George du maurier also known as kiki or kicky was an artist, musician and writer and it seems to me that he is the linchpin who brings together the earlier and later generations of the du maurier family. Mary anne by daphne du maurier, 9781844080885, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The breakthrough paperback by daphne du maurier and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Her personal charms are such, however, that before long she comes to the notice of the duke of york. Her grandfather, george du maurier, was a punch caricaturist and novelist who wrote trilby and peter ibbetson, largely unread today but wildly popular in their time. This article rereads daphne du mauriers regency novel mary anne 1954 as feminist history, using recent theoretical work on womens. A celebrated author and playwright who mastered the romantic and gothic genres, daphnes masterpieces continue to entertain and intrigue us today and mary anne is no exception.
So when mary anne clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in bowling inn alley, she ventures. An ambitious, stunning, and seductive young woman, mary anne finds the single most rewarding way to rise above her miserable cockney world. Du maurier weaved a story of a womans power struggle and web of intrique played in society dominated by men. Daphne du mauriers novel mary anne 1954 is a fictionalised account of the reallife story of her greatgrandmother, mary anne clarke nee thompson 17761852 mary anne clarke from 1803 to 1808 was mistress of frederick augustus, the duke of york and albany 17631827.
Mary anne clarke university of toronto press blog u. She was born in london, the daughter of the actormanager sir gerald du maurier, and granddaughter of the author and. Daphne du maurier books biography and list of works. Mary anne by daphne du maurier 1954 reading 19001950. It is said to be loosely based on the authors greatgreat grandmother. Daphne du maurier was born on may 1907 in london, england, united kingdom, the second of three daughters of muriel beaumont, an actress and maternal niece of william comyns beaumont, and sir gerald du maurier, the prominent actormanager, son of the author and punch cartoonist george du maurier, who created the character of svengali in the novel trilby. Mary anne clarke, the notorious mistress of the duke of york, had much in common with her descendant, daphne du maurier. This article rereads daphne du mauriers regency novel mary anne 1954 as feminist history, using recent theoretical work on womens historical fiction as well as archival research into the du maurier papers at exeter university. With her taste for luxury and power, mary anne, now a royal mistress, must aim higher. In a sometimes cumbersome combination of fact and fiction, du maurier chronicles the ragstoriches tale of her bright, ambitious, amoral ancestor, who, overwhelmed by.
Mary anne by daphne du maurier first edition rare and. Mary anne by daphne du maurier little, brown and company. Daphne du mauriers story of sex, society and scandal, based on the life of her greatgreatgrandmother. She began writing short stories of mystery and suspense for magazines in 1928, a collection of which appeared as the apple tree in 1952. Aug 17, 2012 the marriage produced two children, george and ellen. She set mens hearts on fire and scandalized a countrymaster storyteller daphne du maurier evokes the rise and fall of one of her most unforgettable characters. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels rebecca, my cousin rachel, and jamaica inn, and the short stories the birds an.
In 1932, she married lieutenantgeneral sir frederick browning. Chivers audio books firm mary anne knew the grinding heel of poverty, and determined it would never grind her again. Mary anne clarke was daphne du mauriers greatgreat grandmother. Opened in a flashback style, beautiful and tempting, the biography of mary anne clarke, the notorious heroine, unfolded. In tandem with my historical research into the scandal, i soon discovered that clarke was the greatgreatgrandmother of daphne du maurier, and that in 1954 du maurier published a fictionalized biography of clarke, entitled mary anne. Daphne du maurier, author of the famous novels, jamaica inn, frenchmans creek and rebecca, was inspired by her love of cornwall where she lived and wrote please see disclaimer mary anne clarke nee thompson 1776 1852. He was born in paris, the oldest child of louis mathurin busson du maurier and ellen clarke, daughter of the notorious mary anne clarke. Cockney girl mary anne has known the grinding heel of poverty. Mary anne clarke, the notorious mistress of the duke of york, had much in. From an insecure slum childhood, when she had to trick her elders in. Her father, sir george du maurier, was a famous actormanager who ran wyndhams theatre. Alfred hitchcocks adaptation of the book won the best picture oscar in 1940.
Both women wrote bestsellers, both combined lucrative careers with motherhood, both saw themselves, accurately, as the principal breadwinners in their families. Daphne du maurier steeps the book in atmosphere from the very first pages. Through her daughter who married louismathurin busson du maurier, clarke was an ancestress of author daphne du maurier, who wrote the novel mary anne about her life. Jun 08, 2016 mary anne by daphne du maurier june 8, 2016 june 8, 2016 i fell in love with daphne du mauriers writing as a teenager when i read rebecca for the first time, quickly followed by jamaica inn, and since then, i have been very slowly working through the rest of her novels, short stories and nonfiction. Daphne du maurier 1907 1989 daphne du maurier dbe may, 1907 april 19, 1989 was one of the most successful cornish novelists of all time her bestknown work, rebecca 1938, is a literary classic and was the inspiration for alfred hitchcocks oscarwinning film. Daphne du maurier books list of books by author daphne. Her greatgreatgrandmother, mary anne clarke, dallied with the duke of york. Much like her ancestor, daphne du maurier was an intelligent, creative and resilient woman. Mary anne is a novelisation of the life of daphne du mauriers greatgreat grandmother, mary anne clarke 1776. Mary anne by daphne du maurier books hachette australia. Mary anne knew the grinding heel of poverty, and determined it would never grind her again.
Du maurier s greatgreatgrandmother, mary anne clarke, was mistress to the duke of york during the napoleonic wars. Mary anne by daphne du maurier is an historical novel set in the regency period. Du mauriers grandfather was artistwriter george du maurier, while her father was actor george du maurier. Like its heroine the book is possessed of such unforgettably vivid charm that one is seduced l.
Like in her other novels, feminism plays a major role in the story. She belonged to a creative family where her father and mother both were actors, her uncle was a magazine editor and her grandfather was a writer. And she has penned a fascinating fictional take on her greatgreatgrandmother. So when mary anne clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in bowling. Daphne du maurier mary anne 1st edition 1954 gollancz hardback with dj. Author daphne du maurier reconstructs from museum and personal notes, the life of her great great grand mother mary anne clarke who lived for a year or two under the protection of h. Mary anne, daphne du maurier daphne du mauriers novel mary anne first published 1954 is a fictionalised account of the reallife story of her greatgrandmother, mary anne clarke nee thompson. The daughter of an actor and granddaughter of a respected writer, she is also a descendant of mary anne clarke. An influential british author, daphne du maurier was an institution within her own right, who came to be respected as a masterful storyteller with a keen eye for both structure and form, something which many have tried to replicate over the intervening years since her death to varying degrees of success. The story fizzles out a bit after the great court case, which would probably not have happened had mary anne been a fictional character. Best daphne du maurier books five books expert recommendations. With beauty, brains, ambition, and the glittering decadence of regency london to sustain her, she chose the only route that could take a cockney girl to the top as mistress to the royal duke of york.
It is made to order material for a colorful period novel, a sort of feminine rakes progress, in which the readers sympathies are patently enlisted on the side of mary anne despite her record. So when mary anne clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in bowling inn alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Books for the reading groups at fowey festival 2020. Daphne du mauriers first novel was the loving spirit, published in 1931. In mary anne daphne du maurier reconstructs as nearly as possible the life of her greatgreatgrandmother, mary anne clarke, who lived, for a year or two of splendour, under the protection of h.
As rebecca celebrates its eightieth anniversary and du maurier enjoys a critical renaissance, varnam explores the books which highlight this novelists sheer range and brilliancefrom biography and fiction to history and horror. A novel, quite openly based on actual historical records relating to miss du maurier s great, great grandmother, mary anne clarke. Below is a list of daphne du mauriers books in order of when they were originally published. The writer daphne du maurier shares the story of courtesan mary anne clarke, a distant relative who caused a scandal when she was the mistress of frederick the duke of york. The marriage produced two children, george and ellen. From all the available evidence the writer introduces us to a cynical. Her daughter, ellen, born of her marriage to clarke, married louismathurin busson du maurier and was the mother of the caricaturist george du maurier 183496 and the greatgrandmother of the novelist daphne du maurier 19071989, who wrote a book about her, mary anne. The novel is based on the life and writings of du mauriers own greatgreatgrandmother, a courtesan whose affair with the duke of york in the early 1800s had. Dame daphne du maurier, lady browning, dbe was an english author and playwright. Du mauriers greatgreatgrandmother, mary anne clarke, was mistress to the duke of york during the napoleonic wars.
Daphne du maurier books list of books by author daphne du. In regency london, the only way for a woman to succeed is to beat men at their own game. Mary anne clarke, the greatgreatgrandmother of daphne du maurier, was born into a poor family in the east end of london, married at fifteen and was the mother of four children at was twentythree. Mary anne clarke from 1803 to 1808 was mistress of frederick augustus, the duke of york and albany. Her bestselling works were not at first taken seriously by critics, but have since earned an enduring reputation for narrative craft.
With beauty, brains, ambition, and the glittering decadence of regency london to sustain her, she chose the. Author daphne du maurier reconstructs from museum and personal notes, the life of her great great grand mother mary anne clarke who. In 1969, du maurier was created a dame of the british empire. Mary anne clarke from 1803 to 1808 was mistress of frederick augustus, the duke of york and albany 17631827. As usual, dr laura varnam has chosen two books for fowey festivals du maurier reading groups, and we are delighted to be able to tell you that they are the third book that daphne du maurier wrote, julius 1933, and mary anne 1954, the novelised tale of daphnes great, great grandmother mary anne clarke. Mary anne is a novelisation of the life of daphne du mauriers greatgreatgrandmother, mary anne clarke 1776. Daphne du maurier s story of sex, society and scandal, based on the life of her greatgreatgrandmother. Du mauriers novel mary anne 1954 is a fictionalised account of her greatgreatgrandmother, mary anne clarke nee thompson 17761852, who, from 1803 to 1808, was mistress of frederick augustus, duke of york and albany 17631827. Now, with beauty, brains and ambition, and the glittering decadence of regency london to sustain her, she becomes a royal mistress. A vivid portrait of overweening ambition, mary anne is set during the napoleonic wars and based on the life of du mauriers own greatgreatgrandmother. Mary anne clarke nee thompson 1776 daphne du maurier. In a sometimes cumbersome combination of fact and fiction, du maurier chronicles the ragstoriches tale of her bright, ambitious, amoral ancestor, who, overwhelmed by youthful passion, marries at 16. Daphne du mauriers novel mary anne 1954 is a fictionalised account of the reallife story of her greatgrandmother, mary anne clarke nee thompson.