Mary Patricia "Mollie" Panter-Downes (25 August 1906 – 22 January 1997) was a British

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

and

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

''. Aged sixteen, she wrote ''The Shoreless Sea'' which became a

bestseller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

and was serialised in ''

The Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead ...

''. Her second novel ''The Chase'' was published in 1925.

Early life and education

Panter-Downes was born to Major Edward Martin Panter-Downes (died 1914 at

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

) and Marie Kathleen Cowley, who was of Irish origin. She lived with her mother in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

and then a Sussex village without much money.

Career

In 1922, aged sixteen, Panter-Downes wrote ''The Shoreless Sea'' which became a

; eight editions were published in 1923 and 1924, and the book was serialised in

. Her second novel ''The Chase'' was published in 1925. In 1938, Panter-Downes began writing for ''

'', first a series of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

, and from September 1939, a column entitled ''Letter from London'', which she wrote until 1984. The collected columns were later published as ''Letters from England'' (1940) and ''London War Notes'' (1972). Panter-Downes visited

Ootacamund Ooty (; officially Udagamandalam (), anglicized: Ootacamund , abbreviated as Udagai, ) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located northwest of Coimbatore, and is the headquarters of N ...

, in India, and wrote about the town, known to all as Ooty, in her ''New Yorker'' columns. This material was later published as ''Ooty Preserved''.

Death

Panter-Downes married Clare Robinson in 1927 and the couple moved to Surrey. She died in Compton, Surrey, aged 90.

Publications

Selected works

*''The Shoreless Sea'' (1923) *''The Chase'' (1925) *''Storm Bird'' (1929) *''My Husband Simon'' (1931) *''One Fine Day'' (1947) *''Minnie's Room'' (short stories collected between 1947–1965) *''Good Evening, Mrs Craven'' (short stories collected between 1938–1944) *''Ooty Preserved: A Victorian Hill Station in India'' (1967) *''At The Pines'' (later life of

Swinburne Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He wrote many plays – all tragedies – and collections of poetry such as '' Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the Eleve ...

) (1971)

Republished by Persephone Books

*''London War Notes'' (wartime letters written for ''The New Yorker'') Republished in 2014 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 ...

*''Minnie's Room'' (Short stories collected between 1947–1965) Republished in 2002 by

*''Good Evening, Mrs Craven'' (short stories collected between 1938–1944) Republished in 1999 by

The last short story in ''Minnie's Room'', called "The Empty Place" and written in 1965, has a character called Harry Potter.

References

Sources

* *

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

Obituary, Mollie Panter Downes (Mrs C. Robinson)

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