Georgette Heyer
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Georgette Heyer (pronounced "hair") (16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was a English historical romance and detective fiction novelist.
Life
Born in Wimbledon, London, her first published work, inspired by Baroness Orczy, was The Black Moth, and was written while she was seventeen to amuse her convalescent brother. She became an increasingly popular writer, supporting her family through her work.Heyer created her most popular work when she started setting her novels during the English Regency, a period she made uniquely her own. Novels from this period include The Unknown Ajax, Frederica, and Black Sheep. She did a tremendous amount of research on this period but glossed over the bleaker realities of life when she wrote. Her writing in this genre has influenced many subsequent writers.
She also wrote whodunit mysteries set contemporaneously in England between World War I and World War II which are classic country-house murder mysteries. In all, she published 56 works, of which the last, My Lord John, was published posthumously. While her writings were mostly Regency romances, Heyer also wrote several detective novels, four contemporary novels and a number of short stories. She supported her husband, Ronald Rougier, financially during his studies for the bar – successfully, as in 1959 he became a Queen's Counsel.
There have been four significant books on Heyer's life and work:
- The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Jane Aiken Hodge (1984), ISBN 0099493497
- Georgette Heyer's Regency England by Teresa Chris (1989), ISBN 0283998326
- Georgette Heyer: A Critical Retrospective by Mary Fahnestock-Thomas (2001), ISBN 0966800532 (includes short stories "A Proposal to Cicely", "Pursuit", and "Runaway Match")
- Georgette Heyer's Regency World by Jennifer Kloester (2005), ISBN 0434013293
Bibliography
Historical novels
- The Black Moth (1921), ISBN 0099466198
- The Great Roxhythe (1923)
- Simon the Coldheart (1925), ISBN 0099490943
- These Old Shades (1926), ISBN 0099465825
- The Masqueraders (1928), ISBN 0099476436
- Beauvallet (1929), ISBN 0099490935
- Powder and Patch (1930), ISBN 0099474433 (originally published 1923 as The Transformation of Philip Jettan)
- The Conqueror (1931), ISBN 0099490927
- Devil's Cub (1932), ISBN 0099465833
- The Convenient Marriage (1934), ISBN 0099474425
- Regency Buck (1935), ISBN 0099465582
- The Talisman Ring (1936), ISBN 0099474395
- An Infamous Army (1937), ISBN 0099465760
- Royal Escape (1938), ISBN 0099476398
- The Spanish Bride (1940), ISBN 009947445X
- The Corinthian (1940), ISBN 0099468085
- Faro's Daughter (1941), ISBN 0099465590
- Friday's Child (1944), ISBN 0099468042
- The Reluctant Widow (1946), ISBN 0099468077
- The Foundling (1948), ISBN 0099468069
- Arabella (1949), ISBN 0099465620
- The Grand Sophy (1950), ISBN 0099465639
- The Quiet Gentleman (1951), ISBN 0099476371
- Cotillion (1953), ISBN 0099474379
- The Toll-Gate (1954), ISBN 0099476363
- Bath Tangle (1955), ISBN 0099468093
- Sprig Muslin (1956), ISBN 0099476355
- April Lady (1957), ISBN 0099476347
- Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle (1957), ISBN 0099465779
- Venetia (1958), ISBN 0099465655
- The Unknown Ajax (1959), ISBN 0099474360
- Pistols for Two (1960), ISBN 009947638X (short stories)
- A Civil Contract (1961), ISBN 0099474441
- The Nonesuch (1962), ISBN 0099474387
- False Colours (1963), ISBN 0099476339
- Frederica (1965), ISBN 0099465647
- Black Sheep (1966), ISBN 0099468034
- Cousin Kate (1968), ISBN 0099490951
- Charity Girl (1970), ISBN 0099468050
- Lady of Quality (1972), ISBN 0099474468
- My Lord John (1975), ISBN 0099476428
Mysteries
- Footsteps in the Dark (1932)
- Why Shoot a Butler? (1933)
- The Unfinished Clue (1934)
- Death in the Stocks (1935), ISBN 0099493624
- Behold, Here's Poison (1936), ISBN 0099493640 (AKA Merely Murder in the U.S.)
- They Found Him Dead (1937), ISBN 0099493632
- A Blunt Instrument (1938), ISBN 0099493659
- No Wind of Blame (1939)
- Envious Casca (1941)
- Penhallow (1942)
- Duplicate Death (1951)
- Detection Unlimited (1953)
Contemporary fiction
- Instead of the Thorn (1923)
- Helen (1928)
- Pastel (1929)
- Barren Corn (1930)
Other short stories
- "A Proposal to Cicely" (1922)
- "Pursuit" - [Text online] (in The Queen's Book of the Red Cross, 1939)
- "Full Moon" (1948)
- "Runaway Match"
- "The Bulldog and the Beast"
- "Linckes' Great Case"
External links
- [A Georgette Heyer email service], users may send the webmaster Regency related questions
- [These Old Boards], a forum for discussing Georgette Heyer and her novels
- [A detailed bibliography]
- [Georgette Heyer website], detailed fan site
- [Georgette Heyer Poll]
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