Maggie Hemingway (17 March 1946 – 9 May 1993) was a British novelist. She was born in Orford, Suffolk and named Margaret Joan Hemingway; but when she was three years old her family moved to New Zealand, where she spent her childhood. Returning to England in her teens, she read French and English at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

and graduated MA in 1967. Shortly after leaving university she married Michael Dias, with whom she had two daughters. The marriage broke up in the late 1970s and she moved to London. There she worked in publishing, eventually becoming Rights Manager for J. M. Dent. She had been writing poetry and prose from her youth, and in 1986 published her first novel, ''The Bridge'', which won the

Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize The Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize was presented from 1967 until 2003 by the Royal Society of Literature for the best regional novel of the year. It is named after the novelist Winifred Holtby Winifred Holtby (23 June 1898 – 29 September ...

(presented for the best regional novel of the year). This story about an artist's conflict between his life and his art was made into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

in 1992. Her following three novels all received much critical acclaim.

Victoria Glendinning Victoria Glendinning (''née'' Seebohm; born 23 April 1937) is a British biographer, critic, broadcaster and novelist. She is an honorary vice-president of English PEN and vice-president of the Royal Society of Literature. She won the James Tait B ...

wrote of her second novel, ''Stop House Blues'' (1988), that "it has a classic quality which will ensure its survival". Her third, ''The Postman's House'' (1991), was based on her own experiences of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

before the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

. ''Eyes'', her final novel (1993), is also her most experimental, combining four stories of murder into a single span and reaching a chilling conclusion. Upon its release, critics commented particularly on her descriptive powers, with the ''

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

'' insisting that "Landscape is her forte. You can feel her weather, smell the menace in her earth." From 1983 until her death, Maggie Hemingway's partner was the composer David Matthews, with whom she collaborated on three vocal works: *''Cantiga'', op.45, for soprano and orchestra (1988); *''From Coastal Stations'', op.53, for medium voice and piano (1990–91); *''Pride'', for soprano, alto, tenor and string quartet (1993). In her early 40s, Maggie Hemingway was diagnosed with

aplastic anaemia Aplastic anemia (AA) is a severe hematologic condition in which the body fails to make blood cells in sufficient numbers. Normally, blood cells are produced in the bone marrow by stem cells that reside there, but patients with aplastic anemia ...

. She died in London on 9 May 1993. David Matthews composed his ''Piano Trio No. 2'', op. 61 (1993–94) in her memory.

Books

*''The Bridge'' (1986): London (Jonathan Cape), ; New York (Atheneum), ; 2 paperback editions: 1987, London (Pavanne), , and 1991, London (Sceptre), . *''Stop House Blues'' (1988): London (Hamish Hamilton), ; paperback edition: 1989, London (Penguin), . *''The Postmen's House'' (1990), London (

Sinclair-Stevenson Sinclair-Stevenson Ltd was a British publisher founded in 1989 by Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson. Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson became an editor at Hamish Hamilton Hamish Hamilton Limited is a publishing imprint and originally a British p ...

), ; paperback edition: 1992, London (Sceptre), . *''Eyes'' (1993), London (Sinclair-Stevenson), ; paperback edition: 1994, London (Sceptre), .

Short Story

'Mostly Southend', in ''Storia 3: Consequences''; Pandora Press, 1989, .

Essay

'Look Behind You...', in ''Violetta and Her Sisters: "The Lady of the Camellias" – Responses to the Myth'', ed. Nicholas John (1994); London (Faber and Faber),

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hemingway, Maggie 1946 births 1993 deaths 20th-century British novelists Alumni of the University of Edinburgh English expatriates in New Zealand Deaths from anemia People from Orford, Suffolk