Elizabeth Margaret Jane Humphreys Gollan (14 June 1850 – 1 January 1938) was a Scottish novelist from Inverness-shire who wrote 120 books, plays and essays, and founded the ''Writers’ Club for Women''.
Many of her works were published under the pseudonym Rita.
Biography
Eliza Margaret Jane Gollan was born at
Gollanfield in
Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire () or the County of Inverness, is a Counties of Scotland, historic county in Scotland. It is named after Inverness, its largest settlement, which was also the county town. Covering much of the Scottish Highlands, Highlands and s ...
, the daughter of John Gilbert Gollan, a Scottish businessman and his wife Jane Plumb, daughter of the manager of the
Bank of Bengal
The Bank of Calcutta (a precursor to the present State Bank of India) was founded on 2 June 1806, mainly to fund General Arthur Wellesley's wars against Tipu Sultan and the Marathas. It was the tenth oldest bank in India and was renamed Ban ...
.
Her father travelled extensively, visiting India and Australia, and became a landowner in Scotland following his inheriting the family home at Gollanfield. This necessitated the family to move from India to Scotland to take ownership. Eliza Gollan was born on 14 June 1850 on the family estate as the second of three children.
The family then moved to
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, Australia where her father had business interests and she was raised and home educated there. The business venture turned out disappointingly however and the family returned to London when Gollan turned 14 years old.
Eliza received little formal education, but her talent for story writing was apparent at an early age. She used her experience of Australia to write a semi-autobiographical novel ''Sheba'' in 1889, using the pen-name ‘Rita’.
Another novel, ''Episodes'', was originally published using the pen-name 'E. Jayne Gilbert.'
Eliza was married twice. On 23 July 1872, aged just 22, she married Karl Otto Edmund Booth, a musician, with whom she had three sons.
This unhappy marriage later provided Eliza with material for four novels ''Saba Macdonald'' (1906) ''The Grandmothers'' (1927), ''The Wand’ring Darling'' (1928) and ''Jean and Jeanette'' (1929). The marriage to Booth ended, but the author went on to a happy union with Anglo-Irish singer William Humphreys, with whom she had a daughter. Humphreys used the stage name, Desmond Humphreys, and after their marriage Eliza was known as Mrs. W. Desmond Humphreys.
Eliza spent her married life in
Cork, Ireland,
Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
and
Bath, Somerset
Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...
. In 1910, she was listed as one of the celebrities of
Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
, with books published in French, German and Italian; at the time she was undertaking a tour of America.
The dedication in the first edition of ''Saba Macdonald'' reads: ''To "THE EMANACIPATED WOMAN" who owes her present freedom of mind, morals, and pastimes, to such repression and tyranny as formed the discipline of youth in days such as this book commemorates.''
[Saba Macdonald, by "Rita" 1906.]
Writing career
Under the penname 'Rita', Gollan produced a remarkable 120 books, plays and essays from 1877 onwards when she was still in her twenties. These started as 'light', 'daring' works of popular fiction, often featuring aristocratic characters in fashionable foreign settings.
Gollan herself was an admirer of the works of
Ouida
Maria Louise Ramé (1 January 1839 – 25 January 1908), going by the name Marie Louise de la Ramée and known by the pseudonym Ouida ( ), was an English novelist. Ouida wrote more than 40 novels, as well as short stories, children's boo ...
but she was more often compared as a rival with her contemporary, the bestselling English novelist,
Marie Corelli
Mary Mackay (1 May 185521 April 1924), also called Minnie Mackey and known by her pseudonym Marie Corelli (, also , ), was an English novelist.
From the appearance of her first novel '' A Romance of Two Worlds'' in 1886, she became a bestselli ...
.
Gollan's widespread recognition grew as a popular writer with ''Dame Durden'' in 1883 while it was ''Peg the Rake'' (1894) that earned her real commercial success, having sold 160,000 copies.
She helped to found the
Lyceum Club Writers’ Club for Women.
[
Her later work became infused with her own opinions and beliefs and works such as ''A Husband of No Importance'' (1894) and ''Souls'' (1903) were vehicles for attacking an emerging trend in novels at the time, the ]New Woman
The New Woman was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century and had a profound influence well into the 20th century. In 1894, writer Sarah Grand (1854–1943) used the term "new woman" in an influential article to refer to indepe ...
movement, fearing that women were 'aping men' and disapproving of what might be later termed ''polemical feminism''.A Woman of No Importance
''A Woman of No Importance'' by Oscar Wilde is "a new and original play of modern life", in four acts, first given on 19 April 1893 at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Like Wilde's other society plays, it satirises English upper-class society. It ...
'', which had opened in 1893.Madame Blavatsky
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian-born mystic and writer who emigrated to the United States where she co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She gained an international foll ...
she became interested in Theosophy
Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neop ...
and wrote ''Calvary: A Tragedy of Sects'' (1909) exploring religious themes. This was one of her books that was made into a film, as were other works ''Grim Justice'' and ''The Iron Stair.''First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
Eliza struggled financially, as her husband became an invalid and her style of writing went out of fashion. However in 1930 she received a Royal Bounty Fund grant for her work, and Queen Mary liked her books and ordered a complete set of her works for her private bookcase.'Somehow I think of “Rita”'s readers as lying on deck-chairs in pre-war summers, as tourists in Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
and other pleasant places where well-to-do English people used to take their holidays.'
Eliza Humphreys died of heart failure, aged 87, on 1 January 1938 at the family home at 239 West Brow, Combe Down, Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
;
Literature
''A Husband of No Importance'' is set in Salwych, which "Rita" based strongly on Droitwich Spa
Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester.
T ...
in Worcestershire, after visiting the town for treatment at its brine baths, in 1906.
Biography
A biography, ''"Rita" The Forgotten Author.'' has been written by Paul Jones.[Paul Jones: "Rita" The Forgotten Author]
''amazon.co.uk'', accessed 26 December 2018
Novels and short stories
* Vivienne (1877) serialized as 'The Triumph of Love' (1914)
* Like Dian's Kiss (1878)
* Countess Daphne - A Musical Romance (1880)
* My Lady Coquette (1881)
* A Sinless Secret (1881)
* She is Woman, Therefore to be Won (short story) (1881)
* Faustine (1882)
* Dame Durden (1883)
* After Long Grief and Pain (1883)
* Two Bad Blue Eyes (1884)
* My Lord Conceit (1884)
* Fragoletta (1885)
* Corinna (1885)
* Gretchen (Published elsewhere as 'Adrian Lyle') (1887)
* The Seventh Dream (1888)
* Darby and Joan (1888)
* The Mystery of a Turkish Bath (1888)
* Miss Kate; or, Confessions of a Caretaker (1889)
* Sheba. A Study of Girlhood (1889)
* A Vagabond Lover (1889)
* The Doctor's Secret (1890)
* A Society Scandal (1890)
* The Laird o'Cockpen (1891)
* Brought Together. A volume of stories (1892)
* Asenath of the Ford (1892)
* The Fate of Fenella (1892) Ch. VII - "So Near -- So Far Away"
* The Countess Pharamond (1893), Sequel to Sheba
* The Man in Possession (1893)
* Naughty Mrs. Gordon. A romance of society (1894)
* A Husband of No Importance (1894)
* The Ending of My Day. The story of a stormy life. (1894)
* Peg the Rake (1894)
* Master Wilberforce. A study of a boy. (1895)
* A Woman in It. A sketch of feminine misadventure. (1895)
* A Gender in Satin (1895)
* Vignettes (1896)
* Kitty the Rag (1896)
* Joan and Mrs. Carr (1896)
* Good Mrs Hypocrite (1897)
* The Sinner, serialized as The Grinding Mills of God (1897)
* Stephen Wynthorpe's Presentiment (short story) (1897)
* Adrienne: A Romance of French Life (1898)
* Petticoat Loose, serialized as A Daughter of the People (1898)
* The Voice on the Stairs (short story) (1898)
* An Old Rogue's Tragedy (1899)
* Vanity. The confessions of a Court modiste (1900)
* A Woman of Samaria, serialized as The Mystery of the Dark House (1900)
* The Bohemians (short story) (1900)
* Prince Charming. A fantastic episode in court dress (1901)
* The Sin of Jasper Standish (1901)
* The Ending of my Day (1901)
* A Jilt's Journal (1901)
* The Spell of The Yarrow (short story) 1901)
* The Lie Circumspect (1902), serialized as A Craven Heart (1902)
* Prince Charming, etc. (1903)
* Souls. A Comedy of Intentions (1903)
* The Valley of Desolation (short story) (1903)
* The Jesters (1904)
* The Silent Woman (1904) serialized as The Mystery of the 'Headless Woman' Inn (1904)
* The Sin and Scandal of the 'Smart' Set (1904)
* Vanity! (1904)
* The Masqueraders (1904)
* Valley of Desolation (short story) (1904)
* Queer Lady Judas (1905)
* The Baths of Salwych (short story) (1905)
* Saba Macdonald (1906)
* Personal Opinions Publicly Expressed (1907)
* A Man of no Importance (1907)
* The Pointing Finger (1907)
* The Millionaire Girl and other stories (1908) comprising:
# The Millionaire Girl
# The Other Woman
# The Boots at No. 40
# The Passing of Miss Flint
# The Crank
# Riviera studies: The brave Mariana, The Tremblement at Bussana, The Haunted Bedroom, The Sealed Door
# The treacherous mountain
# The valley of desolation
# A Test of Endurance
* Betty Brent, Typist (1908)
* Calvary. A tragedy of sects. (1909)
* That is to say--. ales.(1909)
* The Faithful Billium (short story) (1909)
* The Story of a Soul (short story) (1910)
* America-through English eyes (1911)
* Only an Actress (1911)
* Half a Truth (1911)
* Grim Justice. The study of a conscience. (1912)
* Edelweiss (1912)
* Two Detrimentals (short story) (1912)
* The Mystic and The Colonel (short story) (1912)
* The House Opposite (1913)
* A Grey Life. A romance of modern Bath. (1913)
* The Young Horatius (1914)
* The Simpleton (short story) (1914)
* The Ink-Slinger (1915)
* Unmasking the Hun - What the War has Revealed (Short article) (1916)
* The Wrong End of Religion (1917)
* The Rubbish Heap (1917)
* Diana of the Ephesians: A Novel. (1919)
* The Philanthropic Burglar (1919)
* The Make-believers (1920)
* When the Wicked Man, and other stories. (1920)
* The Iron Stair. A romance of Dartmoor. (1921)
* The Best Lover nd other tales (1921)
* Pat the Pedlar (1922)
* The Road to Anywhere (1922)
* Conjugal Rights, and other stories. (1922)
* The Man Who Understood (1923)
* The Ungrown-Ups. (1923)
* Episodes. By Rita. Originally published as by E. Jayne Gilbert. (1925)
* The Farm of Melchizedek (1925)
* The Great “Perhaps.” (1926)
* Our Miss Acadee (1926)
* The Grandmothers (1927)
* The Prince Errant, and other stories. (1928)
* The Wand'ring Darling (1928)
* Jean and Jeannette (1929)
* Quarrelsome Corner (1930)
* The New Poor. A romance of to-day. (1931)
* The Naughty Grandfather (1932)
* Six Mistresses, etc. (1932)
* The Ladies of Moyallo (1933)
* The Pointing Finger (1934)
* The Marriage Comedy (1934)
* Recollections of a literary life (1936)
References
* Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
, (2004) ''Bournemouth Celebrities 1910'', from the Bournemouth Visitors' Directory.
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Humphreys, Eliza
1850 births
1938 deaths
Scottish Theosophists
Scottish women novelists
20th-century Scottish short story writers
20th-century Scottish novelists
Victorian novelists
Victorian women writers
Pseudonymous women writers
People from Inverness
Writers from Sydney
Scottish women short story writers
19th-century Scottish novelists
19th-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights
Scottish women dramatists and playwrights
19th-century Scottish short story writers
Scottish women essayists
19th-century Scottish essayists
20th-century Scottish essayists
19th-century pseudonymous writers
20th-century pseudonymous writers
Scottish religious writers
Scottish women autobiographers
20th-century Scottish autobiographers