Dorothy Margarette Selby Lowndes, writing as Dolf Wyllarde (3 April 1871 - 10 May 1950) was a British journalist and a writer of verse and fiction. From 1897 to 1939, she was known to publish in excess of 30 books, including novels, stories and children's literature. Numerous reviews of her work mistakenly referred to her as a male due to misunderstanding of her chosen name, with some believing it to be a

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

. She was described by one newspaper as being "one of the pioneers in the latest phase of English fiction" and as "a new power in the fiction world, a power to be reckoned with". Little is known about her private life and she died a

spinster ''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...

in May 1950.

Early work

Born on 3 April 1871 according to the 1939 England register, she was educated at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. She described herself as being a London correspondent, sports editor, reporter and a paragraphist. She suffered from being overworked in 1902 and took a short visit to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

"for the sake of her health". She published over 30 books between 1897 and 1939, including collections of stories, children's books, and many novels. In 1902, her novel ''The Story of Eden'' was described by New York's ''

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

'' as being "one of the brightest and cleverest novels that England has recently sent us". Wyllarde recalled that the novel came about from a visit in 1889 to

on account of illness, as she had "broken down from over-work". Some of the book was written while she was in Wynberg and she continued with it on her journey home. Despite being unwell, she conveyed that her training in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

taught her quick writing and to write regardless whether she was ill or without inclination, noting that in her opinion, there was "no school so excellent for a writer as that of journalism." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle would also later describe her in July 1907 as being "one of the pioneers in the latest phase of English fiction." Upon release of her novel ''Captain Amyas'', described as "a strong, masterly piece of fiction", she was being described as "a new power in the fiction world, a power to be reckoned with". Her novel ''Rose-White Youth'', a love story about a 15-year-old girl released in 1908, was considered a departure from the "realistic and plain spoken style which characterized her other books", with ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' suggesting that her regular readers may find the novel "rather milk and water", although acknowledged many would appreciate the style of story. In 1913 she was elected a fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

. Her poem "Rondeaux d'Amour" was published in volume 4 of ''

The Yellow Book ''The Yellow Book'' was a British quarterly literary periodical that was published in London from 1894 to 1897. It was published at The Bodley Head Publishing House by Elkin Mathews and John Lane, and later by John Lane alone, and edited by th ...

'' ''Facsimile'' and she published two other collections of poetry.

Later work

Her 1916 novel ''Exile: an outpost of empire'' was the basis of a 1917 American film, and ''The Holiday Husband'' was filmed in 1920 featuring

Adeline Hayden Coffin Adeline Maria Elisabeth Hayden Coffin (née de Leuw; 20 June 1862 – 31 March 1939) was a German-born British actress. In an advertisement for her professional availability in 1921 she described herself, or was described by her agent, as suita ...

Personal

During the early 20th century, there was speculation as to whether her name was a

, which was a commonly held view according to ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' in May 1902. Responding to the suggestion, Wyllarde conveyed her amusement "by the incredulity cast" on her name, assuring those who doubted it as being her actual name that her own friends could "testify as to its extreme suitability" and that she was not able to imagine being named anything other than Dolf. She would also sometimes be incorrectly referred to as a male writer, with critics believing she was a man and the

press Press may refer to: Media * Print media or news media, commonly called "the press" * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers * Press TV, an Iranian television network People * Press (surname), a fam ...

congratulating "Mr Wyllarde" on "his new and instant success". Little is known about her life, except that she lived at Old Mixon Manor near

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...

. She was boarding with several other people in

Weymouth, Dorset Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, on the English Channel coast of England. Situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, south of the county town of Dorchester, Weymouth had a population of 53,427 in 2021. It is the third l ...

at the time of the

1911 census The United Kingdom Census 1911 of 2 April 1911 was the 12th nationwide census conducted in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The total population of the United Kingdom was approximately 45,221,000, with 36,070,000 recorded in England ...

. She made several summer trips by ship to

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

over a period of several years in the 1930s, such as in July 1931 at the age of 60, June 1932 at the age of 61, and in July 1933. Wyllarde died a

on 10 May 1950, leaving effects worth just over £49443.

References

External links

* * *
Works by Wyllarde
available as full text facsimiles at the Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Wyllarde, Dolf 1871 births 1950 deaths Alumni of King's College London English women poets 19th-century English poets English women novelists 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English women 20th-century English people 19th-century English women Pseudonymous women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers