Rosamond Lehmann with her brother John and Lytton Strachey

Rosamond Nina Lehmann (3 February 1901 – 12 March 1990) was an English novelist and translator. Her first novel, ''

Dusty Answer ''Dusty Answer'' is English author Rosamond Lehmann's first novel, published in 1927. She sent it unsolicited to publishers Chatto & Windus who agreed to publish it, saying it showed "decided quality". It went unnoticed on initial publication but ...

'' (1927), was a ''

succès de scandale ''Succès de scandale'' (French for "success from scandal") is a term for any artistic work whose success is attributed, in whole or in part, to public controversy surrounding the work. In some cases the controversy causes audiences to seek ou ...

''; she subsequently became established in the literary world and intimate with members of the

Bloomsbury set The Bloomsbury Group—or Bloomsbury Set—was a group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the first half of the 20th century, including Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Stra ...

. Her novel '' The Ballad and the Source'' received particular critical acclaim.

Early life

Rosamond Lehmann was born in

Bourne End, Buckinghamshire Bourne End is a village mostly in the parish of Wooburn, but partly in that of Little Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England. It is about five miles (8 km) south-east of High Wycombe and three miles (5 km) east of Marlow, near the bounda ...

, the second of four children to Rudolph Chambers Lehmann (1856–1929) and his American wife, Alice Mary Davis (1873–1956), from New England. Rosamond's father was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

MP from 1906-1910, founder of ''

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and ma ...

'' magazine and editor of the '' Daily News''. Because of this, Rosamond grew up in an affluent, well-educated, and well-known family; the American playwright Owen Davis was Rosamond's cousin, and her great-grandfather Robert Chambers founded

Chambers Dictionary The ''Chambers Dictionary'' (''TCD'') was first published by William and Robert Chambers as ''Chambers's English Dictionary'' in 1872. It was an expanded version of ''Chambers's Etymological Dictionary'' of 1867, compiled by James Donald. A sec ...

.Introduction to

Virago Press Virago is a British publisher of women's writing and books on feminist topics. Started and run by women in the 1970s and bolstered by the success of the Women's Liberation Movement (WLM), Virago has been credited as one of several British femini ...

edition, publ. 2000, Her great-uncle was the artist Rudolf Lehmann. Lehmann was the second oldest of four children. Her two younger siblings were born in 1903 and 1907 respectively. Her younger sister would become the actress

Beatrix Lehmann Beatrix Alice Lehmann (1 July 1903 – 31 July 1979) was a British actress, theatre director, writer and novelist. Early life and family Lehmann was born in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire. She came from a family of notable achievers: the third o ...

(1903–1979). Her younger brother,

John Lehmann Rudolf John Frederick Lehmann (2 June 1907 – 7 April 1987) was an English poet and man of letters. He founded the periodicals ''New Writing'' and '' The London Magazine'', and the publishing house of John Lehmann Limited. Biography Born i ...

(1907–1989) would become the writer and publisher."Rosamond Nina Lehmann" in the 1911 England Census (Class: ''RG14''; Piece: ''7895''; Schedule Number: ''238)'' Purportedly, Rosamond's father favoured Beatrix and her mother favoured John, leaving Rosamond feeling neglected. Because of this, supposedly, she turned to writing. By 1911, Lehmann was being educated at home by the family's live-in "Childrens Government", Maria Jacquemin. Also in the home lived the family's eight servants. Rosamond's mother also instilled feminist ideals into her children.Simons, Judy. "Introduction." ''Rosamond Lehmann'', Liverpool University Press, 2011, pp. 1–8. ''JSTOR'', http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv5rf161.6. Accessed 30 July 2020. In 1919 Lehmann won a scholarship to

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college statu ...

. She graduated with second-class degrees in both English Literature (1921) and Modern and Medieval Languages (1922). There, she also met her first husband, Walter Leslie Runciman (later 2nd

Viscount Runciman of Doxford Viscount Runciman of Doxford, of Doxford in the County of Northumberland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1937 for the Hon. Walter Runciman, a politician whose career included service as a Member of Parliament ...

). They married in December 1923, and the couple went to live in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

. It was an unhappy marriage: "He uncimanpanicked when ehmannbecame pregnant and insisted on an abortion, after which he praised her for being once again "all clean and clear inside". The two separated in 1927 and were officially divorced later that year.

Career

In 1927, Lehmann published her first novel, ''

'', to great critical and popular acclaim. The novel's heroine, Judith, is attracted to both men and women, and interacts with fairly openly gay and lesbian characters during her years at Cambridge. The novel was considered a ''

'' and is thought to be based on her Cambridge years. Lehmann went on to publish six more novels, as well as a play (''No More Music'', 1939), a collection of short stories (''The Gypsy's Baby & Other Stories'', 1946), a spiritual autobiography (''The Swan in the Evening'', 1967), and a photographic memoir of her friends (''Rosamond Lehmann's Album'', 1985), many of whom were famous ( Bloomsbury Group). She also translated two French novels into English: Jacques Lemarchand's ''Genevieve'' (1948) and

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

's 1929 novel '' Les Enfants Terribles'' as ''The Holy Terrors'' (1955). Lehmann's novel ''The Weather in the Streets'' (1936) was made into a movie in 1983 and starred

Michael York Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television and stage actor. After performing on-stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Ro ...

and

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

. Her 1953 novel ''The Echoing Grove'' was made into the 2002 film '' Heart of Me'', starring

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...

as the main character, Dinah.

Personal life and death

After Lehmann's divorce from Leslie Runciman, she married Wogan Philipps in 1928. Phillips was an artist who later succeeded his father as

Wogan Philipps, 2nd Baron Milford Wogan Philipps, 2nd Baron Milford (25 February 1902 – 30 November 1993) was the only member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) ever to sit in the House of Lords. Early life Philipps was the eldest son of Laurence Philipps, 1st Baro ...

. Together, they had two children, a son Hugo (1929–1999) and a daughter Sarah, also known as Sally (1934–1958). The family lived at Ipsden House in Oxfordshire between 1930 and 1939. While living in Oxfordshire, Lehmann began to mingle with Bloomsbury leaders, including

Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' L ...

and

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...

, though "Lehmann was unsure how to respond to the older woman's combination of teasing and flattery". Lehmann's marriage with Phillips fell apart during the late 30s, after Phillips left for Spain during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

to support the anti-fascist cause. The separation, and Lehmann's affair with Goronwy Rees, caused the two to get divorced in 1943. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Lehmann lived in the English countryside with her two children and helped to edit and also contributed to ''

New Writing ''New Writing'' was a popular literary periodical in book format founded in 1936 by John Lehmann and committed to anti-fascism.''The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell, Volume 1 – An Age Like This 1939–1940'', p. 250 ...

'', a periodical edited by her brother,

. She was also an active opponent of

fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

and spoke at anti-fascist meetings in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, as well as being active in

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internatio ...

. Lehmann had an affair with the journalist Goronwy Rees, starting in 1936 and ending when Lehmann found out Rees was engaged to another woman, by reading about the engagement in the newspaper. Afterwards, Lehmann entered a "very public affair" for nine years (1941–1950) with the married poet Cecil Day-Lewis. The two vacationed and lived together, and Lehmann tried to convince him to leave his wife for her. In the end, however, Day-Lewis left both his wife and Lehmann for a younger actress,

Jill Balcon Jill Angela Henriette Balcon (3 January 192518 July 2009) was a British actress. She was known for her work in film, television, radio and on stage. She made her film debut in ''Nicholas Nickleby'' (1947). She was the second wife of poet Cecil ...

. This heartbreak inspired Lehmann's novel ''The Echoing Grove'' (1953), to great success. Lehmann's beloved daughter, Sarah, died of

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

myelitis in 1958. Her death caused Lehmann to retreat from the public world, and turn to spiritualism. Lehmann believed that Sarah lived on after death. Her 1967 novel, ''The Swan in the Evening'', is an autobiography which Lehmann described as her "Last Testament". In it, she intimately describes the emotions she felt at the birth of her daughter, and also when she died abruptly. The novel also recounts the psychic experiences Lehmann claims to have had in relation to Sarah's death, a theme she revisits in her 1986 anthology ''Moments of Truth,'' which is a collection of letters from 'beyond the grave' purportedly dictated by Sarah. Some of these letters also appeared in book form in an anthology of similar writings, ''The Awakening Letters'', co-edited by Lehmann. Nearly blind from cataracts, Lehmann died at home in Clareville Grove, London on 12 March 1990, aged 89.

Works

* ''

'' (1927) * ''

A Note in Music ''A Note in Music'' is Rosamond Lehmann's second novel. The novel was published to less acclaim than Lehmann's debut novel, first novel, ''Dusty Answer''. The novel is semi-autobiographical, as it is based on the marriage between Lehmann and Wogan ...

'' (1930) * '' Invitation to the Waltz'' (1932) * '' The Weather in the Streets'' (1936) * ''No More Music'' (1939) * '' The Ballad and the Source'' (1944) * ''Orion'' (as editor) (1945) *''The Gypsy's Baby & Other Stories'' (1946) * ''The Echoing Grove'' (1953) * ''The Swan in the Evening: Fragments of an Inner Life'' (1967) (non-fiction) * ''A Sea-Grape Tree'' (1976) * ''The Awakening Letters'' (1978) (ed. with Cynthia, Lady Sandys) * ''Moments of Truth'' (1986) (anthology, non-fiction)

Biographies

* Selina Hastings, ''Rosamond Lehmann: A Life'', 2002 *Diana E Lestourgeon, ''Rosamond Lehmann'', 1965 *Marie-Jose Codaccioni, ''L'Oeuvre de Rosamond Lehmann: Sa contribution au roman féminin (1927–1952)'', 1983 *Judy Simons, ''Rosamond Lehmann'', 1992 * Gillian Tindall, ''Rosamond Lehmann'', 1985 *Wiktoria Dorosz, ''Subjective Vision and Human Relationships in the Novels of Rosamond Lehmann'', 1975 *Wendy Pollard, ''Rosamond Lehmann and Her Critics: the Vagaries of Literary Reception'', 2004 *Françoise Bort, Marie-Françoise Cachin, ''Rosamond Lehmann et le métier d'écrivain'', 2003 *Ruth Siegel, ''Rosamond Lehmann: a Thirties Writer'', 1990

Letters

*''My Dear Alexias: Letters from Wellesley Tudor Pole to Rosamond Lehmann'', by Rosamond Lehmann (1979)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lehmann, Rosamond 1901 births 1990 deaths Lehmann family Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English feminist writers English women novelists English anti-fascists English people of German descent English people of Scottish descent People from Buckinghamshire 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English novelists English women non-fiction writers Presidents of the English Centre of PEN