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In 1904, Seton was born in
Anya Seton's papers, housed at the Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seton, Anya 1904 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American novelists American historical novelists American women novelists Writers from New York City 20th-century American women writers Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period Women historical novelists People from Cos Cob, Connecticut Novelists from New York (state) Ernest Thompson Seton
Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 – November 8, 1990), born Ann Seton, was an American author of historical fiction, or as she preferred they be called, "
.
Her 1962 novel '' Devil Water'' concerns biographical novel
The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fict ...
s".
Career
Seton published her first novel, '' My Theodosia'', in 1941. Seton's historical novels were noted for how extensively she researched the historical facts, and some of them were best-sellers: ''Dragonwyck'' (1944) and ''Foxfire'' (1950) were both made into Hollywood films. Three of her books are classics in their genre and continue in their popularity to the present: ''Katherine'', the story of Katherine Swynford, the mistress and eventual wife of John of Gaunt, and their children, who were the direct ancestors of the Tudors, Stuarts, and the modern British royal family; '' Green Darkness'', the story of a modern couple plagued by their past life incarnations; and '' The Winthrop Woman'' about the notoriousElizabeth Fones
Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett (21 January 1610 – c. 1673) was an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1640 Fones, with her then-husband Robert Feake, were founders of Greenwich, Connecticut. Wolfe (2012)
She married her ...
, niece and daughter-in-law of John Winthrop
John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led t ...
, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Most of her novels have been recently republished, several with forewords by Philippa Gregory. In 2003, ''Katherine'' was chosen as the 95th best British novel of all time in a nationwide poll conducted by the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
, the luckless Earl of Derwentwater
Earl of Derwentwater (pronounced "Durwentwater") was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1688 for Sir Francis Radclyffe, 3rd Baronet. He was made Baron Tyndale, of Tyndale in the County of Northumberland, and Viscount Radclyffe ...
and his involvement with the Jacobite rising of 1715
The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ;
or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts.
At Braemar, Aberdeenshire ...
. She also narrates the story of his brother Charles, beheaded after the 1745 rebellion, the last man to die for the cause. The action of the novel moves back and forth between Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
, Tyneside
Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt.
The population of Tyneside as publishe ...
, London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, and the United States. Seton stated that the book developed out of her love for Northumberland. She certainly visited her Snowdon cousins at Felton. Billy Pigg
Billy Pigg (1902 – 1968) was an English player of Northumbrian smallpipes. He was a vice-president and an influential member of the Northumbrian Pipers Society from 1930 until his death.
Life and music
He was born at Dilston Park, near Corbr ...
, the celebrated Northumbrian piper played "Derwentwater's Farewell" especially for her. The novel shows her typical thorough research of events and places, though the accents are a little wayward. Seton said that her greatest debt of all was to Miss Amy Flagg of Westoe
Westoe was originally a village near South Shields, Tyne & Wear, England, but has since become part of the town and is now used to refer to the area of the town where the village once was. It is also an electoral ward for local politics purposes. ...
Village in South Shields, her father's birthplace.
Personal life
In 1904, Seton was born in Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
to English-born naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton and American travel writer Grace Gallatin Seton Thompson. She grew up in Cos Cob, Connecticut
Cos Cob is a neighborhood and census-designated place in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut. It is located on the Connecticut shoreline in southern Fairfield County. It had a population of 6,770 at the 2010 census.
Cos Cob is located on the we ...
, in a wealthy family.
Seton married twice. Her first marriage at the age of 19 was to Rhodes scholar Hamilton Cottier, and they had two children, Pamela and Seton Cottier. Her second marriage was to investment counselor Hamilton (Chan) M. Chase in 1930. Together they had one daughter, Clemency, and they divorced in 1968.
She died in Old Greenwich, Connecticut
Old Greenwich is an affluent coastal village in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 6,611.
The town of Greenwich is one political and taxing body, but consists of several distinct section ...
, and was survived by two daughters, five grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. She is interred at Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich.
Works
*'' My Theodosia'' (1941) *'' Dragonwyck'' (1944) *'' The Turquoise'' (1946) *'' The Hearth and Eagle'' (1948) *'' Foxfire'' (1951) *''Katherine
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.
In the early Christ ...
'' (1954)
*'' The Mistletoe and Sword'' (1955)
*'' The Winthrop Woman'' (1958)
*'' Devil Water'' (1962)
*''Avalon
Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...
'' (1965)
*'' Green Darkness'' (1973)
*'' Smouldering Fires'' (1975)
References
Further reading
*External links
Anya Seton's papers, housed at the Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seton, Anya 1904 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American novelists American historical novelists American women novelists Writers from New York City 20th-century American women writers Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period Women historical novelists People from Cos Cob, Connecticut Novelists from New York (state) Ernest Thompson Seton