Romer Wilson (born Florence Roma Muir Wilson (''married name'' O'Brien); 26 December 1891 in Sheffield – 11 January 1930 in Lausanne) was a British writer who wrote about 13 novels during the inter-war period. In 1921, she won the

Hawthornden Prize The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award given annually to a British, Irish or British-based author for a work of "imaginative literature" – including poetry, novels, history, biography and creative non-fiction – published in the pre ...

. She married American short-story anthologist

Edward Joseph Harrington O'Brien Edward Joseph Harrington O'Brien (December 10, 1890 – February 24, 1941) was an American writer, poet, editor and anthologist. As Edward J. O'Brien, he created a series of annual anthologies containing his selection of the previous year's be ...

in 1923.

Life

Florence Wilson was the daughter of

Arnold Muir Wilson Arnold Muir Wilson (1857 – 1 October 1909) was a British solicitor and politician. Born in Sheffield, Wilson studied in the German Empire before becoming a solicitor based at Clifford's Inn. He built up a large practice in Sheffield, usually r ...

. She attended West Heath School (1906–10) and then began to study law at

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college at Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status by the un ...

, the first women's college in Britain. In 1914, she completed her studies with moderate success. During the First World War she sold potatoes for the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. As a writer, she took the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of "Romer Wilson". During the war, she began writing her first novel ''Martin Schüler'', which was published in 1919. In 1921, she received the

for the novel ''The Death of Society: Conte de Fée Premier''. In addition, she wrote ''Green Magic'' (1928), ''The Hill of Cloves'' (1929) and ''Red Magic'' (1930) which were collections of fairy tales from all over the world, and a biography about

Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English writer best known for her 1847 novel, ''Wuthering Heights''. She also co-authored a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte and Anne Bront� ...

entitled ''The Private Life And History Of Emily Jane Bronte'' (1928). Her novels contained a philosophical trend that spoke to some of the major concerns of the time, but also future generations. Among the subjects in her books topics included the First World War and its devastating effects on the civilization and personal relationships, the demise of a predominantly rural world, the harmful consequences for agriculture and human life through the introduction of machinery and the replacement of manual work through automation. In addition, however, they also looked at the role of the artist and the difficulties in romantic relationships that are frustrated by the war or social conventions.

Storm Jameson Margaret Ethel Storm Jameson (8 January 1891 – 30 September 1986) was an English journalist and author, known for her novels and reviews and for her work as President of English PEN between 1938 and 1944. Life and career Jameson was born in ...

, who helped manage Wilson for

Blanche Knopf Blanche Wolf Knopf (July 30, 1894 – June 4, 1966) was an American book publisher who was the president of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., and wife of Alfred A. Knopf Sr., with whom she established the firm in 1915. She traveled the world seeking new ...

, described her novel ''Dragon's Blood'' as a prevision of Hitler's Nazi Europe. "In Romer Wilson, genius took the form of a short cut between her senses and her half-conscious mind." Romer Wilson died from the effects of tuberculosis during a stay in Switzerland. She was 38.

Selected works

*''Martin Schüler'' (1919) *''If All These Young Men'' (1919) *''The Death of Society'' (1921) *''The Grand Tour of Alphonse Marichaud'' (1923) *''Dragon's Blood'' (pre-1926) *''Greenlow'' (1927) *''The Social Climbers'' (1927) *''Latterday Symphony'' (1927) *''All Alone: The Life and Private History of Emily Jane Brontë'' (1928) *''Green Magic'' (1928, illustrated by

Violet Brunton Violet Ella Evelyn Brunton (October 1878 – 1951), also known as Victor du Lac, was an English sculptor, painter, and illustrator. Biography Violet E.E. Brunton was born in Brighouse, Yorkshire; her father, Arthur D. Brunton, was also an ...

) *''The Hill of Cloves'' (1929) *''Silver Magic'' (1929) *''Red Magic'' (1930)

References

Sources

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External links

Works by Romer Wilson
at

Hathi Trust HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digit ...

''The Death of Society''
at

''Dragon's Blood''
at

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Romer 1891 births 1930 deaths 20th-century English writers 20th-century English women writers Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Pseudonymous women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers