Miss read dora saint autobiography sample
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Her heartwarming stories, with their relatable characters, gentle humor, and celebration of rural life, offer a timeless escape. At this time her father was also a teacher.
Two years at Homerton were followed by a job in Middlesex, where she remained until war broke out. You can find them at bookstores, online retailers, and libraries.
What are some interesting facts about Miss Read?
A love of animals: Miss Read’s affection for animals shines through in her novels, with many furry companions gracing the pages.
Wartime experiences: Staples served as a driver during World War II, an experience that may have influenced her portrayal of resilience and community spirit.
A private life: Despite her literary success, Miss Read preferred a life away from the spotlight.
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Miss Read
Dora Jessie Saint (née Shafe) was born on 17 April 1913 in Middlesex.
Her father, now working as an insurance agent, decided that the family needed country air, and in early 1921 sank his Army gratuity into a smallholding at Chelsfield in Kent, from where he continued to commute to his job in London.
Dora began school at the age of four in Chelsfield, near Orpington, Kent; and later joined her older sister at Bromley county school.
Dora was a voracious reader and, encouraged by her headmaster, who lent her books from his own collection, she soon became familiar with the works of Dickens and devoured periodicals for young people produced by Arthur Mee.
Eventually, she won a scholarship to Bromley County School for Girls, where she dreamed of becoming a journalist; but her father discouraged her, saying it was no fit job for a woman, so she trained as a teacher at Homerton College, now part of Cambridge University.
She became an MBE in 1998 and finally retired from writing aged 83. It was the publisher’s suggestion that she use a pseudonym for full-length fiction; thus ‘Miss Read’ was born.
From the start, her novels were characterized by gentle humour, vivid descriptions of the natural world, and the comforting minutiae of everyday life.
After the first three ‘Fairacre’ novels, Miss Read created a new fictional village, Thrush Green.
After he joined the RAF, they moved to Oxfordshire.
Dora started writing after the Second World War, mainly articles for magazines such as Punch and scripts for the BBC Schools Programmes.
In 1953 Sir Robert Lust, a director of the publishing house Michael Joseph, read one of her articles in the Times Literary Supplement and suggested to her that she might have a book in her.
She died 10 days short of her 99th birthday.
Sources:
The Village News: The Truth Behind England’s Rural Idyll
Famous Women of Lewisham
Where can I find Miss Read books?
Miss Read’s novels are widely available in print and audiobook formats.
Born in 1915, Staples’ life was relatively private. The name itself held a special significance – a tribute to her mother’s maiden name.
Miss Read was awarded an MBE in the 1998 New Year Honours list for her services to literature, She was the author of many immensely popular books, including two autobiographical works, but it was her novels of English rural life for which she was best known.
Soon she was also writing for the Times Educational Supplement, The Lady, and The Countryman, but it was one of her articles in The Observer in 1953 that caught the eye of the book publisher Michael Joseph. From the formidable yet kind headmistress, Miss Clare, to the gossipy villagers and the mischievous children, Saint’s characters feel authentic and relatable.
Her stories are infused with a gentle humor that celebrates the eccentricities of life in a small community.
Loneliness, loss, and the challenges of rural life are also addressed with sensitivity and understanding. She then wrote on educational and country matters and worked as a scriptwriter for the BBC. Miss Read was married to a schoolmaster for sixty-four years until his death in 2004, and they had one daughter. As well as the two series she wrote a stand-alone novel, Fresh From the Country (1960), several children’s novels, and a number of non-fiction titles.
Miss Read was made MBE in 1998.
This shift, prompted by both her own ill health and her mother’s, instilled a deep love for the rural landscape that would permeate her future work. Quirky traditions, village rivalries, and the foibles of human nature are all explored with a light touch, creating a sense of warmth and nostalgia.
Beyond the humor lies a deep appreciation for the natural world.
The family attended St. Swithun’s church, and Dora went to Ennersdale School.
During the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-21, Dora nearly died and her mother too became seriously ill. After World War I she moved with her family to Kent where she adored the atmosphere of the village school and had an early appreciation of books.
Arthur served with the Royal Horse Artillery during the First World War. During his absence, the family moved to Hither Green, Lewisham, in south London, where Dora grew up surrounded by a close-knit extended family of maiden aunts and grandparents.
Her paternal grandfather was a builder in Deptford, and his widow lived at 267, Hither Green Lane, close to Dora’s own home.
Early Days
Miss Read, or in real life Dora Saint, was a teacher by profession who started writing after the second world war, beginning with light essays written for Punch and other journals. The result was Village School which she regarded as fiction and expected to be published under her married name, Dora Saint.