Betty Miller (née Spiro; 1910 – 24 November 1965) was an Irish

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

of both literary fiction and non-fiction.

Biography

Betty Spiro was born in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, Ireland, the daughter of Sara (Bergson) and Simon Spiro, who were Lithuanian

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

s. She wrote her first novel, ''The Mere Living'' (1933), while studying journalism at

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

. Her literary reputation was established by the publication of her biography of

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...

(1952), which earned her election to the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

. After the Second World War she wrote extensively for literary journals including ''

Horizon The horizon is the apparent line that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This line divides all viewing directions based on whether i ...

'', ''

The Cornhill Magazine ''The Cornhill Magazine'' (1860–1975) was a monthly Victorian magazine and literary journal named after the street address of the founding publisher Smith, Elder & Co. at 65 Cornhill in London.Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, ''Dictionary ...

'' and ''The Twentieth Century''. Of her seven novels, two are still in print: ''Farewell, Leicester Square'' (1941), published 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 ...

in 2000, and ''On the Side of the Angels'' (1945), published by Capuchin Classics in 2012.

Personal life

In 1933, she married Emanuel Miller (1892–1970), the founding father of British child psychiatry. The couple had two children: Sarah (died 2006), and Sir

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, humourist and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...

(1934–2019), the theatre and opera director.

Bibliography

* ''The Mere Living'' (1933) * ''Sunday'' (1934) * ''Portrait of the Bride'' (1935) * ''Farewell Leicester Square'' (1941) * ''A Room in Regent's Park'' (1942) * ''On the Side of the Angels'' (1945) * ''The Death of a Nightingale'' (1948) * ''Robert Browning: A Portrait'' (1952)

References

1910 births 1965 deaths Jewish novelists Jewish women writers Irish biographers Irish Jews Women biographers Irish women novelists 20th-century Irish women writers 20th-century Irish novelists 20th-century biographers People from Cork (city) Alumni of University College London People educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School {{UK-writer-stub