Jane Aiken Hodge (December 4, 1917 – June 17, 2009) was an American-born British writer.

Life

Born near Cambridge, Massachusetts, the second child of Pulitzer prize-winning poet Conrad Aiken and his first wife, the writer Jessie McDonald. Jane Hodge was 3 years old when her family moved to Great Britain, settling in Rye, East Sussex where her younger sister,

Joan Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *: Joan of Arc, a French military heroine * Joan (surname) Weather events * Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multi ...

, who would become a novelist and a children's writer, was born. Their parents' marriage was dissolved in 1929. From 1935, Jane Hodge read English at Somerville College, Oxford University, and in 1938 she took a second degree in English at

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

, USA, her mother's alma mater. She was a civil servant for a time, and also worked for '' Time'' magazine, before returning to the UK in 1947. In 1948 she married

Alan Hodge Alan Hodge (16 October 1915 – 25 May 1979) was an English historian and journalist. He was a member of the circle of writers and artists that centred on Laura Riding and Robert Graves in the late 1930s, and later collaborated with Graves on '' ...

, an English historian and journalist. Hodge had divorced his first wife Beryl to allow her to marry the poet

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was a British poet, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celtic ...

. Her works of fiction include historical novels and contemporary detective novels. In 1972 she renounced her United States citizenship and became a British subject. For many years a believer in the right of people to end their own lives, Hodge chose to end her own life by means of an overdose in June 2009. The Times obituary (pub. July 25, 2009) stated that she left "a letter expressing her deep distress that she had felt unable to discuss her plans with her daughters without risking making them accessories."."Jane Aiken Hodge: prolific author of romance and suspense novels"
'' The Times'', 25 July 2009. She died at home in

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

on June 17, 2009 and was survived by two daughters and two granddaughters.

Select bibliography

Non-fiction

*(1972) ''Only a Novel: The Double Life of Jane Austen'' *(1984) ''The Private World of Georgette Heyer'', Arrow Books. *(1996) ''Passion and Principle: Loves And Lives of Regency Women''

Fiction

*(1961) ''Marry in Haste'' *(1963) ''Maulever Hall'' *(1965) ''The Adventurers'' ''Royal Gamble'' (U.S.) *(1966) ''Watch the Wall My Darling'' *(1967) ''Here Comes a Candle'' a.k.a. ''The Master of Penrose'' (U.S.) *(1968) ''The Winding Stair'' *(1970) ''Greek Wedding'' *(1970) ''Savannah Purchase'' a.k.a. ''All for Love'' (2018) *(1973) ''Strangers in Company'' *(1973) ''Shadow of a Lady'' *(1974) ''One Way to Venice'' *(1975) ''Rebel Heiress'' *(1976) ''Runaway Bride'' *(1976) ''Judas Flowering'' *(1977) ''Red Sky At Night'' a.k.a. ''Red Sky at Night, Lovers' Delight'' (U.S.) *(1979) ''Last Act'' *(1981) ''Wide Is the Water'' *(1982) ''The Lost Garden'' *(1985) ''Secret Island'' *(1987) ''Polonaise'' *(1989) ''First Night'' *(1990) ''Leading Lady'' *(1992) ''Windover'' *(1993) ''Escapade'' *(1995) ''Whispering'' *(1996) ''Bride of Dreams'' *(1997) ''Unsafe Hands'' *(1998) ''Susan in America'' *(1999) ''Caterina'' *(2000) ''A Death in Two Parts'' *(2003) ''Deathline''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hodge, Jane Aiken Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford British historical novelists Drug-related suicides in England Euthanasia activists American historical novelists Writers from Cambridge, Massachusetts People from Rye, East Sussex Radcliffe College alumni 1917 births 2009 suicides American women novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century British novelists 21st-century American novelists 21st-century British novelists Women historical novelists Novelists from Massachusetts 20th-century American women writers 2009 deaths 21st-century American women writers American emigrants to the United Kingdom