Emma Tennant
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Emma Christina Tennant
FRSL 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 ...
(20 October 1937 – 21 January 2017) was an English novelist and editor of Scottish extraction, known for a
post-modern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...
approach to her fiction, often imbued with fantasy or
magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
. Several of her novels give a feminist or dreamlike twist to classic stories, such as ''Two Women of London: The Strange Case of Ms Jekyll and Mrs Hyde'' (from
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
's ''
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...
''). She also published under the name Catherine Aydy.


Early life

Tennant was of Scottish extraction, the daughter of Christopher Grey Tennant, 2nd Baron Glenconner, and Elizabeth, Lady Glenconner (née Powell). She remembered her father as a mix of rage and benevolence. She was the niece of
Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
and Stephen Tennant, and the half-sister of Colin Tennant, later the third Baron Glenconner, from her father's first marriage. Born in London, she spent the World War II years at the family's ''faux''
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
mansion The Glen in Peeblesshire. Her parents were regularly absent, while The Glen "was the strangest possible place. I knew no other world at all until I was nine." The family then resettled in London. Tennant was educated at
St Paul's Girls' School St Paul's Girls' School is an independent day school for girls, aged 11 to 18, located in Brook Green, Hammersmith, in West London, England. History St Paul's Girls' School was founded by the Worshipful Company of Mercers in 1904, using part o ...
, but left when she was 15. She spent some time at an Oxford finishing school, studying languages and the history of art, and a year in Paris at
The Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
. In the mid-1960s, her parents built a house in Corfu, known as Rovinia. She spent much time there throughout her life and later in 2001, published a book about the building of the house, entitled ''A House in Corfu''.


Career

Tennant worked as a travel writer for ''
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
'' magazine and an editor for ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
''. Her first novel, ''The Colour of Rain'', was published under a pseudonym when she was 26. Submitted to the Spanish Prix Formentor, the response of the chair of the judges, the Italian novelist
Alberto Moravia Alberto Moravia ( , ; born Alberto Pincherle ; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990) was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia is best known for his d ...
meant that she suffered writer's block for some years afterwards. According to Tennant, he "tossed my book into a wastepaper basket and declared, 'This book stands for the decadence of British contemporary culture.'" It was not until 1973 that her second novel, ''The Time of the Crack'', was first published. Between 1975 and 1979, she edited a literary magazine, ''
Bananas A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
'', which helped launch the careers of several young novelists. She was the editor of the Viking series ''Lives of Modern Women''. A large number of books by Tennant followed: thrillers, children's books, fantasies, and several revisionist takes on classic novels, including a sequel to ''
Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...
'' called ''
Pemberley Pemberley is the fictional country estate owned by Fitzwilliam Darcy, the male protagonist in Jane Austen's 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice''. It is located near the fictional town of Lambton, and believed by some to be based on Lyme Park, south ...
''. In later years, she began to treat her own life in such books as ''Girlitude'' and ''Burnt Diaries'' (both published in 1999), the second of which details her affair with
Ted Hughes Edward James "Ted" Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest wri ...
. "He was so odd – to put it mildly," she wrote. ''The French Dancer's Bastard'', which recounts the life of Adèle, the daughter of
Mr Rochester Edward Fairfax Rochester (often referred to as Mr Rochester) is a character in Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel ''Jane Eyre''. The brooding master of Thornfield Hall, Rochester is the employer and eventual husband of the novel's titular protagonist ...
from ''
Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...
'', was published in October 2006. ''The Autobiography of the Queen'', written with
Hilary Bailey Hilary Bailey (19 September 1936 – 19 January 2017) was a British writer, critic and editor. Life Bailey attended Newnham College, Cambridge, where she was a founder-member of the Cambridge University Women's Union. She was born in Brom ...
, was published in October 2007.


Personal life

Tennant was married four times, including to the journalist and author
Christopher Booker Christopher John Penrice Booker (7 October 1937 – 3 July 2019) was an English journalist and author. He was a founder and first editor of the satirical magazine '' Private Eye'' in 1961. From 1990 onward he was a columnist for ''The Sunday T ...
between 1963 and 1968 and the political writer
Alexander Cockburn Alexander Claud Cockburn ( ; 6 June 1941 – 21 July 2012) was a Scottish-born Irish-American political journalist and writer. Cockburn was brought up by British parents in Ireland, but lived and worked in the United States from 1972. Together ...
between 13 December 1968 and 1973. She had one son and two daughters. Her son, from her first marriage, is the author Matthew Yorke. Her older daughter Daisy, from her marriage to Cockburn, teaches the Alexander technique. Her younger daughter Rose Dempsey, from a relationship with the publisher Michael Dempsey, works for the
Serpentine Galleries The Serpentine Galleries are two contemporary art galleries in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Central London. Recently rebranded to just Serpentine, the organisation is split across Serpentine South, previously known as the Serpentine Gallery, ...
. A lifelong supporter of the Labour Party, she married in April 2008 her partner of 33 years, Tim Owens, saying it was not, or not only for tax policies introduced by the government of
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...
. Emma Tennant died on 21 January 2017 in a London hospital from
posterior cortical atrophy Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), also called Benson's syndrome, is a rare form of dementia which is considered a visual variant or an atypical variant of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The disease causes atrophy of the posterior part of the cerebral ...
, a form of
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
.


Selected bibliography


Novels

*''The Colour of Rain'' (as Catherine Aydy), London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1964 *''The Time of the Crack'', London: Cape, 1973; as ''The Crack'', London: Penguin, 1978 *''The Last of the Country House Murders'', London: Cape, 1974; New York, Nelson, 1976 *''Hotel de Dream'', London: Gollancz, 1976 *''The Bad Sister'', London: Gollancz; New York: Coward McCann, 1978 *''Wild Nights'', London: Cape, 1979; New York: Harcourt Brace, 1980 *''Alice Fell'', London: Cape, 1980 *''Queen of Stones'', London: Cape, 1982 *''Woman Beware Woman'', London: Cape, 1983; as ''The Half-Mother'', Boston: Little Brown, 1985 *''Black Marina'', London: Faber: 1985 *''The Adventures of Robina, by Herself'', London: Faber, 1986; New York:, Persea, 1987. Series: ''The Cycle of the Sun The House of Hospitalities'', London: Viking, 1987 *''A Wedding of Cousins'', London: Viking, 1988 *''The Magic Drum'', London: Viking, 1989 *''Two Women of London: The Strange Case of Ms. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde'', London: Faber, 1989 *''Sisters and Strangers'', London: Grafton, 1990 *''Faustine'', London: Faber: 1991 *''Pemberley; or, Pride and Prejudice Continued'', New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993; as ''Pemberley: A Sequel to Pride and Prejudice'', London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1993 *''Tess'', London: HarperCollins, 1993 *''An Unequal Marriage; or, Pride and Prejudice Twenty Years Later'', London: Sceptre; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994 *''Travesties'', London and Boston: Faber and Faber, 1995. *''Emma in Love: Jane Austen's Emma Continued'', London: Fourth Estate, 1996


Non-fiction

*''A House in Corfu, London: Jonathan Cape, 2001''


Autobiography

*''Strangers: A Family Romance'', New York" New Directions, 1999 *''Girlitude'', London: Jonathan Cape, 1999 *''Burnt Diaries'', Edinburgh: Canongate, 1999


References


External links


''Literary Encyclopedia'' article on Emma TennantCanongate Books biography of Emma TennantEmma Tennant bibliography
*Lesley McDowell
"Two sides to every story – Emma Tennant Interview"
''The Scotsman'', 31 July 2008. *Dee O'Connell
This much I know – Emma Tennant
''The Observer'', 3 November 2002. *David Smith
"How Gordon got Emma to the altar...33 years late"
''The Observer'', 20 April 2008.
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library
Emory University
Emma Tennant collection, 1973-1998
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennant, Emma 1937 births 2017 deaths Daughters of barons English women novelists Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at St Paul's Girls' School 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers Writers from London English people of Scottish descent Emma