Helen de Guerry Simpson (1 December 1897 – 14 October 1940) was an Australian novelist and British

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician.

Youth and education

Simpson was born in Sydney into a family that had been settled in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

for over 100 years. Her great-grandfather, Piers Simpson, R.N., was associated with Sir Thomas Mitchell and her maternal grandfather, the Marquis de Lauret, settled at

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

some 50 years before her birth. Her father, Edward Percy Simpson, was a well-known solicitor at Sydney who married Anne de Lauret. Helen Simpson was educated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Rose Bay (now called Kincoppal-Rose Bay, School of the Sacred Heart) and at

Abbotsleigh , motto_translation = Time Flies Faster than a Weaver's Shuttle , established = , type = Independent early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school , denomination = Anglic ...

, Wahroonga and, in 1914, she went to France for further study. On returning to England she went to Oxford, reading French (1916-1917), at a time when women could study at Oxford but not receive degrees.First woman graduate of the University
Oxford University Archives. Retrieved 13 April 2019. in April 1918, she joined the WRNS to work in decoding as a senior section officer. In September 1919 she returned to Oxford to study music, and there became intensely interested in theatre, founding the Oxford Women's Dramatic Society and writing and publishing several plays. She was sent down in 1921 without completing her degree, apparently for breaking regulations prohibiting men and women students from acting together.

Career as a writer

Her first appearance in print was a slight volume of verse, ''Philosophies in Little'', published at Sydney in a limited edition in 1921. It attracted little notice but was included by

Percival Serle Percival Serle (18 July 1871 – 16 December 1951) was an Australian biographer and bibliographer. Early life Serle was born in Elsternwick, Victoria to English parents who had migrated as children and for many years worked in a life assurance ...

in his list of the more important volumes in his ''Bibliography of Australasian Poetry and Verse'', published in 1925. Her play, ''A Man of His Time'', based on the life of

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiograph ...

and written partly in blank verse, was performed by McMahon's repertory company at Sydney and published there by

Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

in 1923. Her first novel, ''Acquittal'', appeared in London in 1925 and was followed by ''The Baseless Fabric'' (short stories) in 1925 and ''Cups, Wands and Swords'' (1927). ''The Women's Comedy'' (a play) was privately printed in 1926. Simpson visited Australia in 1927 and, in the same year, married Denis John Browne, F.R.C.S., a children's surgeon and a fellow Australian; Browne was a nephew of

Thomas Alexander Browne Thomas Alexander Browne (born Brown, 6 August 1826 – 11 March 1915) was an Australian author who published many of his works under the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood. He is best known for his 1882 bushranging novel '' Robbery Under Arms''. Biog ...

, "Rolf Boldrewood". ''Mumbudget'', a collection of Irish fairy stories, appeared in 1928 and was serialised on the BBC the following year. It was followed by ''The Desolate House'' (1929) and ''Vantage Striker'' (1931). These books were all capably written, but had comparatively little success. She was a member of the

Detection Club The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, Hugh Walpole, John Rhode, Jessie Rickard, Baroness Emma Orczy, R. ...

and contributed to two of their round-robin works ''The Floating Admiral'' (1931) and ''Ask a Policeman'' (1933) and the creative non-fiction ''The Anatomy of Murder'' (1936). ''Boomerang'', published in 1932, was her first big success. Its plot begins in Paris at the end of the eighteenth century, wanders all over the world, including Australia, and ends in the trenches in France during World War I. It was awarded the

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Uni ...

for fiction and serialised for radio by William Power in 1937. It was followed by ''The Woman on the Beast'' in 1933, which consisted of a prologue, three books and an epilogue. The three books have no connection with each other; in reality they form three separate short novels with the common basis that the most hateful things may be done for apparently the best of reasons. An historical novel, ''Saraband for Dead Lovers'' ( filmed in 1948) came out in 1935, as did ''The Female Felon'', a long short story. Simpson was also the author of two pieces of historical biography, ''The Spanish Marriage'' (1933) and ''Henry VIII'' (1934). ''The Happy Housewife'', a book of household management, was published in 1934. The ''Waiting City'', which appeared in 1933, is her translation of a selection from

Louis-Sébastien Mercier Louis-Sébastien Mercier (6 June 1740 – 25 April 1814) was a French dramatist and writer, whose 1771 novel ''L'An 2440'' is an example of proto-science fiction. Early life and education He was born in Paris to a humble family: his father was a ...

's ''Le Tableau de Paris''. Three novels, ''

Enter Sir John ''Enter Sir John'' is a 1928 British crime novel by Clemence Dane and Helen Simpson. It concerns Martella Baring, a young actress, who is put on trial and convicted of murder and a fellow actor Sir John Saumarez who takes up her cause and tries t ...

'' (1929), ''Printer's Devil'' (1930) and ''

Re-enter Sir John ''Re-enter Sir John'' is a 1932 British crime novel written by Clemence Dane and Helen Simpson. It was the sequel to the 1928 novel '' Enter Sir John'', which had been adapted into a film ''Murder!'' by Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph H ...

'' (1932), were written in conjunction with

Clemence Dane Clemence Dane CBE is the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton (21 February 1888 – 28 March 1965), an English novelist and playwright. Life and career After completing her education, Dane went to Switzerland to work as a French tutor, but returned h ...

. ''Enter Sir John'' was filmed as ''

Murder! ''Murder!'' is a 1930 British thriller film co-written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Herbert Marshall, Norah Baring and Edward Chapman. Written by Hitchcock, his wife Alma Reville and Walter C. Mycroft, it is based on the 19 ...

'' (1930) directed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, who later directed the film version of '' Under Capricorn'' (1949). Helen Simpson also wrote portions of the dialogue for Hitchcock's movie ''Sabotage'' (1936). In 1937 Simpson went to Australia under engagement to the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

. She gave a series of lectures and, while in Australia, collected material for the novel '' Under Capricorn'', which appeared in 1937 and was set in Sydney about 100 years earlier. In 1938, she published ''A Woman Among Wild Men'', an account of

Mary Kingsley Mary Henrietta Kingsley (13 October 1862 – 3 June 1900) was an English ethnographer, scientific writer, and explorer whose travels throughout West Africa and resulting work helped shape European perceptions of both African cultures and ...

. This was later published in 1950 as a Puffin Story Book under the title ''A Woman Among Savages''.

Political career

In 1939 she was selected by the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Is ...

Liberal Association to be their parliamentary candidate at the UK General Election which was expected to take place in 1939 or 1940. The seat was held by the Conservatives but the Liberals were expected to challenge strongly to recapture the seat they last won in 1923. She attended the Liberal Party Assembly at Scarborough in June 1939 and travelled around England speaking for the Liberal Party.

Personal

She became ill and underwent a surgical operation in 1940, but died from cancer after months of suffering on 14 October 1940. Her husband,

Sir Denis Browne Sir Denis John Wolko Browne (2 April 1892 – 9 January 1967) was the first British surgeon to devote his practice entirely to the care of children. A native of Australia, he served in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps in World War I befor ...

, survived her with their daughter Clemence, who was named after Simpson's collaborator Clemence Dane. Simpson's last novel, ''Maid No More'', was published in 1940.

Bibliography

Novels

* ''Acquittal'' (1925) * ''Cups, Wands and Swords'' (1927) * ''Enter Sir John'' (1929), with

. Serialised in Nash's Magazine in 1928 * ''The Desolate House'' (1929) * ''Printer's Devil'' (1930), with Clemence Dane. Also known as ''Author Unknown'' * ''Vantage Striker'' (1931) * ''

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

'' (1932). Winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for the Best Novel Published in 1932 * ''Re-Enter Sir John'' (1932), with Clemence Dane * ''The Woman on the Beast: Viewed from Three Angles'' (1933) *''Ask A Policeman'' (1933), with members of The Detection Club ( Anthony Berkeley,

Milward Kennedy Milward Rodon Kennedy Burge (21 June 1894 – 20 January 1968) was an English civil servant, journalist, crime writer and literary critic. He was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford. He served with British Military Intelli ...

Gladys Mitchell Gladys Maude Winifred Mitchell (21 April 1901 – 27 July 1983) was an English writer best known for her creation of Mrs Bradley, the heroine of 66 detective novels. She also wrote under the pseudonyms Stephen Hockaby and Malcolm Torrie. Fêt ...

John Rhode Cecil John Charles Street (3 May 1884 – 8 December 1964), who was known to his colleagues, family and friends as John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British Army. During the course of World War I, he became a ...

, Dorothy L. Sayers and Simpson each contributed a chapter) * ''Saraband for Dead Lovers'' (1935) * '' Under Capricorn'' (1937) * ''Maid No More'' (1940)

Collections

* ''Philosophies in Little'' (1921) original verse and translations * ''The Baseless Fabric'' (1925) 11 short stories * ''Mumbudget'' (1928) 6 short fairy stories for children * ''Heartsease and Honesty: Being the Pastimes of the Sieur de Grammont'' (1935). Translation from the French

Biographies

* ''The Spanish Marriage, 1554'' (1933) * ''Henry VIII'' (1934)

Non-fiction

* ''The Waiting City: Paris 1782-1788'' (1933), an abridged translation of ''Le Tableau de Paris'' by Louis-Sebastien Mercier * ''Has Russia Hoaxed the Worker?''. Billings Gazette, 15 January 1933 * ''What Communism Does to Women''. Los Angeles Times, 29 January 1933 * ''The Happy Housewife'' (1934) * ''The Witch Unbound''. Collected in ''The Boat Train'' (1934), edited by Mary Agnes Hamilton * ''What's Wrong with Our Hospitals?''. Time and Tide, 1934 * ''The Female Felon'' (1935) *''Death of Henry Kinder'' (1936), included in ''The Anatomy of Murder'' by The Detection Club

Drama

* ''A Man of His Time'' (1923) * ''Pan in Pimlico'', collected in ''Four One Act Plays'', edited by AP Herbert (1923) * ''The Women's Comedy'' (1926), a translation of ''L'ecole des Femmes'' by Moliere * ''Gooseberry Fool'' (1929), with

* ''Oxford Preserved'' (1930), with music by Richard Addinsell

Short fiction

* '' itle unknown'. Nash's Magazine, December 1928 * ''My Daughter's Daughter''. Sphere, 1 December 1929 * ''London in June''. Sphere, 14 June 1930 * ''Death Versus Debt''. Broadcast as a reading by Simpson. BBC National Service, 29 June 1934 * ''Puss in Boots''. Collected in ''The Fairies Return'' (1934) * ''No Jewel Is Like Rosalind'' (1938). Broadcast as a reading by Simpson on the BBC (1938)

References

Sources

External links

Helen de Guerry Simpson
at

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Works by Helen Simpson
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Helen de Guerry 1897 births 1940 deaths 20th-century Australian novelists 20th-century Australian women writers Australian people of French descent Australian women novelists Deaths from cancer in England James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Members of the Detection Club People educated at Abbotsleigh Writers from Sydney