Alice Dudeney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alice Dudeney
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c. 1912
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| Born | Alice Whiffin 21 October 1866 Brighton, England |
| Died | 21 November 1945 (aged 81) Lewes, England |
| Pen name | Alice Dudeney, Mrs. Henry Dudeney |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | English |
| Genre | Fiction, dramatic fiction, romantic fiction, social commentary |
| Spouse | Henry Dudeney (1884–1930) |
| Children | Phyllis Mary (died in infancy) Margery Janet |
Alice Dudeney (born Alice Whiffin) was an English writer who lived from 1866 to 1945. She wrote many novels and short stories. She was married to Henry Dudeney, who was also a writer and created fun math puzzles. For a long time, she wrote under the name "Mrs. Henry Dudeney." Alice was very popular during her life. People often compared her to the famous writer Thomas Hardy because she wrote so well about life in Sussex, England. She published over 50 books between 1898 and 1937!
Contents
Alice Dudeney's Books
Alice Dudeney was known as "one of the most powerful writers of fiction among modern English women." She wrote popular novels like A Man with a Maid (1897), Folly Corner (1899), and Maternity of Harriott Wicken (1899). She also wrote regularly for Harper's Magazine.
In 1928, a writer named Arthur St. John Adcock said that Alice Dudeney created characters and stories with "strong imaginative realism." She was best known for her dramatic and romantic stories. Her books often talked about social issues that affected everyday people in England. Her publishers often called her "the novelist of the Weald and the Marsh and the Down Countries," because she wrote so much about those areas.
Alice is also seen as an early feminist writer from the Victorian era. Her popular novels often showed female characters dealing with difficult situations in their marriages.
Her Personal Diary
In 1998, a writer named Diana Crook edited and published Alice Dudeney's personal diaries. The book was called A Lewes Diary: 1916–1944. These diaries describe her life in Lewes with Henry Dudeney during the years between World War I and World War II. The book was very successful and made people interested in her work again. Because of this, several of her novels were printed again in 2008 and 2009.
About Alice Dudeney's Life
Alice Dudeney was born in Brighton, England, on October 21, 1866. Her father, Frederick Whiffin, was a master tailor. She went to school in Hurstpierpoint, a part of West Sussex. This area later became a setting for some of her novels.
She met Henry Dudeney through a friend when she was young. They got married in London on November 3, 1884.
Early Married Life
The couple first lived in a rented house in London. Alice wanted to be a writer and wrote some short stories. But she also spent a lot of time as a housewife. Their first child, Phyllis Mary, was born in May 1887 but sadly died when she was only four months old.
After losing their baby, Alice stopped writing for a while. She took a job as an assistant secretary at a publishing company called Cassells. Being around books and writers at Cassells made her want to write again. She started her career as a novelist by publishing three short stories in Cassell journals. Her connections there also helped Henry find places to publish his work.
Their second child, Margery Janet, was born in 1890. The family decided to leave London and moved to a small cottage near the border of Surrey and Sussex. They loved living in the countryside. After a few years, they bought a piece of land near Horsell. In 1897, they built a large country house called Littlewick Meadow. They even hired servants to help them manage the big house. Alice and Henry both loved antique furniture. They would go to local sales and fill their home with beautiful old pieces from different time periods.
Alice Dudeney's personal life was very focused on her home and family. In an interview, she listed her hobbies as "gardening and collecting old oak furniture." She also helped restore old historic homes that were falling apart.
Her Growing Success
In 1897, Alice Dudeney published her first novel, A Man with a Maid. Many of her early books were dramatic stories that dealt with social topics of the time. For example, Folly Corner (1899) is about a young woman who moves to a farm and gets into a complicated relationship. Maternity of Harriott Wicken (1899) is a story that ends with a mother and child dying. Men of Marlowe's (1900) is a collection of short stories set in London.
As Alice's success as a writer grew, the money from her books became a big part of the family's income. By the early 1900s, her popularity helped her and Henry meet important people in both literature and high society. In 1912, her writing was featured in a book called Some English Story Tellers. She was often a guest of Sir Philip Sassoon and his sister Sybil at their home. Alice even dedicated her novel Head of the Family (1917) to Philip because he asked her to.
Alice and Henry had some difficult times in their marriage, which led to them selling their home, Littlewick. They later got back together after their daughter Margery Janet got married and moved to Canada. In 1916, they moved to Castle Precincts House in Lewes.
In 1920, Alice Dudeney received an honorable mention from the American Society of Arts and Sciences. This was a special recognition, even though she was not American and could not receive their main award.
After Henry died in 1930, Alice stayed in Lewes and continued writing until 1937. She passed away on November 21, 1945, after having a stroke. She was buried next to her husband in the Lewes town cemetery. Their grave has a special stone monument that Alice had made to remember them both.
Over 50 years after her death, Alice's personal diaries were published in 1998. The book, A Lewes Diary: 1916–1944, shared details about her life with Henry in Lewes. The success of this book led to many of her stories being reprinted, including Spindle and Plough, Men of Marlowe's, and Robin Brilliant in 2008. More books like The Maternity of Harriott Wicken and Folly Corner were reprinted in 2009.
Images for kids
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Alice Dudeney around 1912.
See Also
- Henry Dudeney
