1940).ĭaphne du Maurier tried to play the part of the army wife, accompanying her husband to Egypt, but she longed for Cornwall and wrote Rebecca (1938), her best-known novel, whilst homesick for the county she made her own. In 1943, she took the lease of Menabilly, the Rashleigh family home that was the model for Manderley. They married in 1932 and had three children: Tessa (b. Whilst staying there, she met ‘Tommy’, or ‘Boy Browning’ (Major Frederick Arthur Montague Browning, 1896-1965) who sailed in to the Fowey Estuary looking for the famous young writer. The Loving Spirit (1931), Daphne du Maurier’s first novel, was written in the winter of 1929-30 at Ferryside, Bodinnick by Fowey, which was the family’s country house in Cornwall.
Her grandfather, George du Maurier (1834-1896), was the renowned Victorian novelist and illustrator, in whose footsteps her father hoped she would follow. She was named a Dame of the British Empire, and died at the age of 81 in 1989, at her home in Cornwall, in a region which had been the setting for many of her books.Īs per her desire, Dame Daphne's body was cremated and her ashes were scattered on the cliffs near her home.Centre for Literature and Archives Holdings Daphne du Maurier Daphne du Maurierĭame Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was born in London on 13 May 1907, the middle daughter of her father, Gerald du Maurier (actor-manager, 1873-1934) and mother, Muriel, née Beaumont (actress, 1881-1957). Besides Rebecca, several of her other novels were made into films, including The Glass-Blowers, which traces her French ancestry. She is most noted for the novel Rebecca which has been filmed on several occasions. Her writing went from strength to strength. These connections gave a head start to her literary career, and her first novel, The Loving Spirit, was published in 1931.Īlthough married for many years to Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick "Boy" Browning and the mother of one son and two daughters, du Maurier was bisexual (which she referred to as her "Venetian tendencies"), and had intimate relationships with several women, including actress Gertrude Lawrence. She was born in London, the daughter of the actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier, and granddaughter of the author and cartoonist, George du Maurier. Her best-known work, Rebecca (1938), is a literary classic and was the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's Oscar-winning film as well as many other adaptations.
Daphne du Maurier DBE (May 13, 1907- April 19, 1989) was one of the most successful Cornish novelists of all time.
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