Daphne Du Maurier
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- £5.99
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
The definitive biography of Daphne Du Maurier, one of history's greatest psychological thriller novelists
Rebecca, published in 1938, brought its author instant international acclaim, capturing the popular imagination with its haunting atmosphere of suspense and mystery. Du Maurier was immediately established as the queen of the psychological thriller. But the more fame this and her other books encouraged, the more reclusive Daphne du Maurier became.
Margaret Forster's award-winning biography could hardly be more worthy of its subject. Drawing on private letters and papers, and with the unflinching co-operation of Daphne du Maurier's family, Margaret Forster explores the secret drama of her life - the stifling relationship with her father, actor-manager Gerald du Maurier; her troubled marriage to war hero and royal aide, 'Boy' Browning; her wartime love affair; her passion for Cornwall and her deep friendships with the last of her father's actress loves, Gertrude Lawrence, and with an aristocratic American woman.
Most significant of all, Margaret Forster ingeniously strips away the relaxed and charming facade to lay bare the true workings of a complex and emotional character whose passionate and often violent stories mirrored her own fantasy life more than anyone could ever have imagined.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Prolific English author Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was best known for her imaginative suspense novels (especially Rebecca , 1938), although she also published biographies and plays. Here Forster ( Elizabeth Barrett Browning ) sharply analyzes du Maurier's work and, aided by access to previously unavailable papers and correspondence, illuminates her subject's character. Du Maurier hid an intensely passionate nature behind the facade of a reserved wife and mother. Aware of her sexual attraction to women since childhood, she repressed her bixsexual urges during the early years of her marriage to British war hero Major F. A. M. ``Tommy'' Browning, with whom she had three children. During WW II she became involved with another man and afterward had an affair with actress Gertrude Lawrence. In a portrait revealing of du Maurier's inner and everyday life, Forster energetically limns a personality that will surprise and engross readers. Photos not seen by PW.
Customer Reviews
Brilliant!
Forster really gets under du maurier's skin with this well researched and eye opening biography. Can't rate it highly enough. One of those books you could read again after a few years as well.