Betty Bergson Spiro Miller (1910 – 24 November 1965) was an Irish author of literary fiction and non-fiction.

Early life and education

Betty Spiro was born in

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, Ireland, the daughter of Sara Bergson and Simon Spiro, who were Lithuanian Jews.Sceats, Sarah
"Betty Miller and the Marrano Self"
in Nadia Valman, ed., ''Jewish Women Writers in Britain'' (Wayne State University Press 2014): 81-96. She earned a degree in journalism at

University College, London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

in 1930.

Career

She wrote her first novel, ''The Mere Living'' (1933), while she was a university student; it was first published under the pen name "B. Bergson Spiro." Several more novels followed. After the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she wrote extensively for literary journals including ''

Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...

'', ''

The Cornhill Magazine ''The Cornhill Magazine'' (1860–1975) was a monthly Victorian magazine and literary journal named after the street address of the founding publisher Smith, Elder & Co. at 65 Cornhill in London.Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, ''Dictionar ...

'' and ''The Twentieth Century''. She also edited a collection of letters from

Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime and frequently anthologised after her death. Her work receiv ...

to fellow writer

Mary Russell Mitford Mary Russell Mitford (16 December 1787 – 10 January 1855) was an English essayist, novelist, poet and dramatist. She was born at Alresford in Hampshire, England. She is best known for '' Our Village'', a series of sketches of village scenes ...

, published in 1954. Miller's literary reputation was established by the publication of her biography of

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...

(1952), which earned her election to the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

. In ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

,'' novelist

Francis Steegmuller Francis Steegmuller (July 3, 1906 – October 20, 1994) was an American biographer, translator and fiction writer, who was known chiefly as a Flaubert scholar. Life and career Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Steegmuller graduated from Columbia U ...

called Miller's biography of Browning "fascinating and impressive" and said that it "supercedes previous lives of the poet." In ''The Daily Telegraph'', Guy Ramsey wrote that "It is difficult to know which to admire the most—the industry of research, the delicacy of insight, or the moderation of statement."

Personal life and legacy

In 1933, Spiro married

Emanuel Miller Emanuel Miller (26 August 1892 – 29 July 1970) was a British psychiatrist. He is best known for his work on child psychology. Life Miller was born on 26 August 1892 into a Lithuanian Jewish family in Spitalfields, London, and was educated at ...

, the founding father of British child psychiatry. The couple had two children: Sarah (died 2006), and Sir

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, comedian and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...

(1934–2019), the theatre and opera director. Betty Miller died in 1965, at the age of 55, in London. Of Miller's seven novels, two have continued in print: ''Farewell, Leicester Square'' (1941), published by

Persephone Books ''Persephone Books'' is an independent publisher based in Bath, England. Founded in 1999 by Nicola Beauman, Persephone Books reprints works largely by women writers of the late 19th and 20th century, though a few books by men are included. Th ...

in 2000, and ''On the Side of the Angels'' (1945), published by Capuchin Classics in 2012.

Books by Miller

* ''The Mere Living'' (1933) * ''Sunday'' (1934) * ''Portrait of the Bride'' (1935) * ''Farewell Leicester Square'' (1941) * ''A Room in Regent's Park'' (1942) * ''On the Side of the Angels'' (1945) * ''The Death of a Nightingale'' (1948) * ''Robert Browning: A Portrait'' (1952) * ''Elizabeth Barrett to Miss Mitford'' (1954, editor)

References

External links

A 1935 portrait of Miller
by Bassano Ltd, in the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

* Lydia Fellgett
"The Writing of Betty Miller, 1933-49"
(PhD thesis, University of East Anglia, 2014). {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Betty 1910 births 1965 deaths Jewish novelists Jewish women writers 20th-century Irish biographers Irish women biographers Irish women novelists 20th-century Irish women writers 20th-century Irish novelists Writers from Cork (city) Alumni of University College London People educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School 20th-century Irish Jews