Elizabeth Bowen 1899 - 1973

Her Life… Bowen was born in Ireland She and her mother moved to England; after her mother’s death, Bowen was raised by her aunts Bowen received an excellent education She decided to become a writer and joined the Bloomsbury Group (Woolf) In 1923 she married Alan Cameron Once her work became popular, Bowen became a member of the Irish Academy of Letters

Bowen inherited her family estate, Bowen’s Court, in Ireland She remained in London but spent time at the family home After her husband retired, they moved to Bowen’s Court where he died a few months later Bowen struggled to maintain the property, and eventually had to sell it; it was later demolished She died in 1973 from lung cancer Bowen is buried near the gates of Bowen’s Court, next to her husband

Her Work Bowen’s work included novels and short stories She wrote many works that related to the emotions of WWII She won several awards and served as a judge for some of those awards Bowen wrote about life and what lies under the veneer we all hide behind She was influenced by film, particularly European works Her work is character driven and emphasizes the plot

Bowen’s style is very modern Her best-known work is The Heat of the Day, a war novel that describes the psychology in London and the effects of the war and bombing raids in WWII