Georgette Heyer

Diana Wallace (University of South Wales)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of York), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

Born 16 Aug 1902
Died 14 Jul 1974
Activity 1921-1974

Places

Born in England
Active in England; Macedonia; Tanzania

Genres and Modes

Crime and Detective

Activities

Primary

Novelist

Resources

Heyer's Works

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Best-known as the originator of the much-imitated Regency romance, a sub-genre of the popular historical novel, Georgette Heyer was a meticulous craftswoman whose highly stylised and neatly plotted novels were grounded in detailed historical research. A consistent bestseller, despite her refusal to do “publicity”, she was never taken seriously by the reviewers who failed to acknowledge the command of form and style which enabled her particular brand of elegant romantic comedy.

Born in Wimbledon, Surrey in 1902, she was the eldest child of George Heyer, the son of a Russian émigré, and Sylvia Watkins, the daughter of a Thames tugboat owner and an accomplished musician. Heyer had two younger brothers and was particularly close to her father, who read Classics at Cambridge and, after

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991 words

Citation: Wallace, Diana. "Georgette Heyer". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 November 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2118, accessed 27 November 2024.]