Hilda Winifred Lewis (nee Maizels, 1896–1974) was a British writer of historical and children's fiction.

Biography

She was born Hilda Winifred Maizels in Whitechapel, London in 1896. Her father, Joseph Maizels, was a Jewish jeweler and silversmith who had immigrated to England from Kalisz, Poland; he married her mother, Deborah Lipman, in London in 1893. Lewis originally worked as a teacher, but started writing when she moved to

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

in the 1920s. Most of her works were historical novels, some of which, such as ''I Am Mary Tudor'' (1972), received critical attention. Her young adult historical novel '' The Gentle Falcon'', was adapted for television. She also wrote a noted

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

, ''The Ship that Flew'' (1939) which concerns

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...

and

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

. The 1946 novel ''The Day is Ours'' about a young deaf girl was the basis of the film ''

Mandy Mandy or Mandie may refer to: People * Mandy (name), a female given name and nickname * Iván Mándy (1918-1995), Hungarian writer * Mark Mandy (born 1972), Irish retired high jumper * Philip Mandie (born 1942), a former judge on the Supreme Cou ...

''. The novel in turn was inspired by the work of her husband Professor M. Michael Lewis who was a specialist in the education of the deaf at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

. Most of Lewis' works are out of print; however, a number are available either in print or as e-books. ''The Ship that Flew'' was republished in the Oxford Children's Modern Classics series in 1998. Four of her young adult novels, ''Harold Was My King'', ''Here Comes Harry'', ''The Ship That Flew'' and ''The Gentle Falcon'' are available as interactive ebooks in iTunes and Amazon from Beebliome Books. ''Wife to Charles II'' and ''I, Jacqueline'' are available in The Book People's historical fiction paperback collection. ''The Witch and the Priest'' (1956), a horror novel about the seventeenth century Lincolnshire witch trials was republished in

Dennis Wheatley Dennis Yeats Wheatley (8 January 1897 – 10 November 1977) was a British writer whose prolific output of thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors from the 1930s through the 1960s. His Gregory Sallust series ...

's paperback ''Library of the Occult.'' A number of works are being made available by

The History Press The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

. In 2013,

Valancourt Books Valancourt Books is an independent American publishing house founded by James Jenkins and Ryan Cagle in 2005. The company specializes in "the rediscovery of rare, neglected, and out-of-print fiction," in particular gay titles and Gothic and horr ...

reissued ''The Witch and the Priest'' with an introduction by Alison Weir. Bromley House Library published a reprint of ''Penny Lace'' in 2011.

Selected works

* ''The Ship that Flew'' (1939) * ''Penny Lace'' (1942), reprint 2011 * ''The Day Is Ours'' (1946) – Formed the basis of the screenplay of the 1952 film ''

''. * '' The Gentle Falcon'' (1952) * ''The Witch and the Priest'' (1956) * ''I, Jacqueline'' (1957) * ''Wife to Great Buckingham'' (1959) * ''Here Comes Harry'' (1960) * ''Wife to Charles II'' (1965) * ''Wife to the Bastard'' (1966) * ''Harold Was My King'' (1968), about the struggle between

Harold Godwinson Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings, fighting the Norman invaders led by William the C ...

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

and Edgar the Atheling for the English throne.Lynda G. Adamson, ''World Historical Fiction : An Annotated Guide to Novels for Adults and Young Adults''. Phoenix, Ariz. : Oryx Press, 1998. (p. 156) * ''Harlot Queen'' (1970), about

Isabella of France Isabella of France ( – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France (), was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II, and regent of England from 1327 until 1330. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving ...

* ''I Am Mary Tudor'' (1972) * ''Rose of England'' (1977 – published posthumously) * ''Heart of a Rose'' (1978 – published posthumously)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Hilda 1896 births 1974 deaths British children's writers British historical novelists 20th-century British novelists British women novelists British horror writers 20th-century British women writers Women historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period