Elizabeth Bowen

Date of Birth: June 7, 1899

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Date of Death: February 22, 1973

Biography

Elizabeth Bowen was an Anglo-Irish novelist and short story writer who was born on June 7, 1899, in Dublin, Ireland. She is best known for her books that explore themes of wartime and the complexities of human relationships, often set against the backdrop of crumbling aristocratic life. Bowen spent much of her childhood in Bowen’s Court, her family’s ancestral home in County Cork, which deeply influenced her writing. After her father’s mental health declined, she moved with her mother to England at the age of 7. Bowen attended Downe House School and later the London Council School of Art. Her first book, a collection of short stories titled “Encounters,” was published in 1923. Bowen’s most celebrated novels include “The Last September” (1929), “The Death of the Heart” (1938), and “The Heat of the Day” (1948). She was a member of the Irish Academy of Letters and received numerous honors for her works, including the CBE in 1948. Elizabeth Bowen passed away on February 22, 1973, in London, England.

5 Interesting Facts about Elizabeth Bowen

1. Elizabeth Bowen served as an air raid warden during World War II, an experience that greatly influenced her writing.

2. Her novel “The Death of the Heart” was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005.

3. Bowen’s ancestral home, Bowen’s Court, was demolished in 1959 due to financial difficulties, a loss she deeply mourned.

4. She had a lifelong friendship with writer Virginia Woolf.

5. Bowen received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Trinity College Dublin in 1942.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Elizabeth Bowen

1. “No object is mysterious. The mystery is your eye.”

2. “Experience isn’t interesting until it begins to repeat itself. In fact, till it does that, it hardly is experience.”

3. “Art is one thing that can go on mattering once it has stopped hurting.”

4. “Fate is not an eagle, it creeps like a rat.”

5. “Jealousy is no more than feeling alone against smiling enemies.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Elizabeth Bowen’s highest net worth is not well-documented, but her financial struggles, especially towards the end of her life, suggest she did not amass significant wealth.