Daphne du Maurier

She married Lieutenant General Frederick in 1932 and had three children with him. She was married to him for 33 years before she started distancing herself from him. Many believe it was because she engrossed herself in writing, while others speculate about her bi-sexuality and extra-marital affairs.

She died at the age of 81 in her house in Cornwall. Following her death, secrets about her sexual encounters with an English actress, Gertrude Lawrence and Ellen Doubleday began to spread.

In August 1996, her name featured in the list of five women who were selected for a range of British stamps titled ‘Women of Achievement’.

Daphne du Maurier was the second of the three daughters born to Sir Gerald du Maurier and Muriel Beaumont, in London, England. Her grandfather, who was an artist himself, inspired her to pursue an artistic/literary career.

From a very young age, she was nurtured and cared for by a governess, while she attended schools in London and Paris. It was around this time she wrote a short-story, which was published in a famous magazine, the ‘Bystander’.

Her first novel, ‘The Loving Spirit’ was published during her teenage years, in 1931, which brought her immediate literary success. It also brought her the romantic attention of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick who sailed halfway across the world to meet her and married her in 1932.

Thereafter, she wrote ‘The Progress of Julius’, ‘Jamaica Inn’ and ‘Rebecca’ through the 1930s, which catapulted her to great success. ‘Rebecca’ in particular hit the best-sellers shelves and made her a household name in England. The novel was even adapted for stage and screen several times, and was regarded a work of genius.

Apart from writing novels, she also wrote three plays throughout her career. The first was an adaptation of her novel, ‘Rebecca’, which opened on March 5, 1940.

Through the course of her career, she produced a number of other works including, ‘The House on the Strand’, ‘The King’s General’ and ‘The Scapegoat’.

She worked her plots around mysterious, supernatural themes and puttered with romantic themes, inspired by her own whirlwind extra-marital romance.

Du Maurier authored ‘Rebecca’ in 1938, which was adapted for a stage play and later into a movie. It is considered her best work and regarded a modern classic. Many songs like ‘She’s Fantastic’ and ‘Rebecca’ have been written after the novel. The book is considered her magnum opus and one of the adaptations of the same, won the prestigious Academy Award.

‘The Birds’, written in 1952, is a thriller, which won rave reviews from critics and readers for its engaging plot and characterization. The story was even adapted for a film of the same title, by award-winning director Alfred Hitchcock.