Dame Daphne du Maurier (1907–89) was an English novelist, playwright, and biographer known for her atmospheric and suspenseful storytelling. Though often labeled a romantic writer, her works explored mystery, psychological tension, and the supernatural, earning lasting literary acclaim.
Born in London, du Maurier was the daughter of actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel Beaumont. Surrounded by the theatrical world, she developed a vivid imagination and storytelling ability. Her first novel, The Loving Spirit (1931,) launched her career, but Rebecca (1938) cemented her reputation, becoming a bestseller and later an Academy Award-winning film. Other notable works include Jamaica Inn (1936,) Frenchman’s Creek (1941,) My Cousin Rachel (1951,) and The Scapegoat (1957.) Her short stories The Birds (1952) and Don’t Look Now (1971) were adapted into acclaimed films. Cornwall, where she lived for much of her life, often served as the backdrop for her novels.
Beyond fiction, du Maurier wrote biographies, including The Du Mauriers (1937) and Gerald: A Portrait (1934,) as well as her autobiography Growing Pains (1977.) She was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1969 for her contributions to literature.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Daphne du Maurier
All autobiography is self-indulgent.
—Daphne du Maurier
Topics: Autobiography, One liners
Writers should be read – but neither seen nor heard.
—Daphne du Maurier
Topics: Writers
Happiness is not a possession to be prized. It is a quality of thought, a state of mind.
—Daphne du Maurier
Topics: Happiness
We can never go back again, that much is certain. The past is still too close to us. The things we have tried to forget and put behind us would stir again, and that sense of fear, of furtive unrest … might in some manner unforeseen become a living companion, as it had before.
—Daphne du Maurier
Topics: Foresight
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