Dolf Wyllarde
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Dorothy Margarette Selby Lowndes, writing as Dolf Wyllarde (3 April 1871 - 10 May 1950) was a British journalist and a writer of verse and fiction. From 1897 to 1939, she was known to publish in excess of 30 books, including novels, stories and children's literature. Numerous reviews of her work mistakenly referred to her as a male due to misunderstanding of her chosen name, with some believing it to be a
pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
. She was described by one newspaper as being "one of the pioneers in the latest phase of English fiction" and as "a new power in the fiction world, a power to be reckoned with". Little is known about her private life and she died a spinster in May 1950.


Career

Born on 3 April 1871, she was educated at
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
. She described herself as a London correspondent, sports editor, reporter and a paragraphist. In 1902, after suffering from overwork, she travelled to
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
to recover her health. Throughout her career, she published over 30 books between 1897 and 1939, encompassing story collections, children's books and numerous novels. Her 1902 novel ''The Story of Eden'' was highly praised by New York's ''
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''Kings County Democrat'', later ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' before shortening title further to ''Brooklyn Eagle'') was an afternoon daily newspaper published in the city ...
'' as one of the most impressive novels recently produced by England. Wyllarde later explained that the novel was inspired by her visit to South Africa in 1889, a trip she took after suffering a breakdown from excessive work. She began writing the novel while in Wynberg and continued during her journey back to England. Despite her illness, she credited her journalism background for her ability to write swiftly and persistently, regardless of her physical or mental state, emphasising that journalism was an invaluable training ground for writers. The ''Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' also later recognised her in July 1907 as a pioneer in the evolving landscape of English fiction. Her novel ''Captain Amyas'', described as "a strong, masterly piece of fiction", marked her emergence as a force in the literary world. However, her 1908 novel ''Rose-White Youth'', a love story about a 15-year-old girl, represented a departure from her typically realistic and straightforward style. ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' suggested that her regular readers might have found it somewhat subdued, although acknowledged many would appreciate the style. In 1913, Wyllarde was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
. Her literary work also included poetry, with her poem ''Rondeaux d'Amour'' featured in volume 4 of ''
The Yellow Book ''The Yellow Book'' was a British quarterly literary periodical that was published in London from 1894 to 1897. It was published at The Bodley Head Publishing House by Elkin Mathews and John Lane, and later by John Lane alone, and edited by th ...
'' ''Facsimile'' and she also published two other collections of poetry. Her 1916 novel ''Exile: an outpost of empire'' was the basis of a 1917 American film and ''The Holiday Husband'' was filmed in 1920 featuring Adeline Hayden Coffin.


Personal

During the early 20th century, there was speculation as to whether her name was a
pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
, which was a commonly held view according to ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' in May 1902. Responding to the suggestion, Wyllarde conveyed her amusement "by the incredulity cast" on her name, assuring those who doubted it as being her actual name that her own friends could "testify as to its extreme suitability" and that she was not able to imagine being named anything other than Dolf. She would also sometimes be incorrectly referred to as a male writer, with critics believing she was a man and the press congratulating "Mr Wyllarde" on "his new and instant success". Little is known about her life, except that she lived at Old Mixon Manor near
Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...
. She was boarding with several other people in
Weymouth, Dorset Weymouth ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the Dorset (district), Dorset district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. Situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, Dorset, River Wey, south of the county town of ...
at the time of the 1911 census. She made several summer trips by ship to
Marseilles Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean S ...
over a period of several years in the 1930s, such as in July 1931 at the age of 60, June 1932 at the age of 61, and in July 1933. Wyllarde died a spinster on 10 May 1950, leaving effects worth just over £49443.


References


External links

* * *
Works by Wyllarde
available as full text facsimiles at the Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Wyllarde, Dolf 1871 births 1950 deaths Alumni of King's College London English women poets 19th-century English poets English women novelists 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English women 20th-century English people 19th-century English women writers Pseudonymous women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers