Amy Levy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amy Levy
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| Born | Amy Judith Levy 10 November 1861 Clapham, London, England |
| Died | 9 September 1889 (aged 27) Endsleigh Gardens, London, England |
| Resting place | Balls Pond Road Cemetery |
| Occupation | Essayist, poet, novelist |
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Amy Judith Levy (born November 10, 1861 – died September 9, 1889) was a talented English writer. She wrote essays, poems, and novels. Amy is remembered for her amazing writing skills. She was also the first Jewish student at Newnham College, Cambridge, part of Cambridge University. Amy believed in equal rights for women, which was called "New Woman" ideas back then. She had many friends in London who were also writers and activists in the 1880s.
Biography
Early Life and Education
Amy Levy was born in Clapham, a wealthy part of London, on November 10, 1861. Her parents were Lewis and Isobel Levy. She was the second of seven children in a Jewish family. Her family was not very strict about religious rules. They sometimes went to a Reform synagogue in London. As an adult, Amy still saw herself as Jewish. She wrote articles for The Jewish Chronicle, a Jewish newspaper.
Amy loved reading and writing from a young age. When she was 13, she wrote about a feminist book called Aurora Leigh. At 14, her first poem, "Ida Grey: A Story of Woman's Sacrifice," was published. Her family supported her interest in writing and education. In 1876, she went to Brighton and Hove High School. Later, she studied at Newnham College, Cambridge. Amy was the first Jewish student at Newnham when she started in 1879. However, she left before finishing her final year.
She had many close friends, including Clementina Black and Eleanor Marx. Eleanor was the daughter of the famous thinker Karl Marx. While traveling in Florence, Italy, in 1886, Amy met Vernon Lee. Vernon Lee was a writer six years older than Amy. They became very close friends. Amy even wrote a poem called "To Vernon Lee."
Literary Career
Amy Levy's first novel was The Romance of a Shop (1888). This book is seen as an early "New Woman" novel. It tells the story of four sisters who run a business in London in the 1880s. The book shows the challenges and chances women had back then.
Her second novel was Reuben Sachs (1888). Amy wrote this book because she felt there was a need for serious stories. These stories would explore the complex lives and characters of Jewish people. She talked about this idea in an article called "The Jew in Fiction" in 1886.
Amy also wrote short stories, essays, and poems for popular magazines. Two of her well-known stories are "Cohen of Trinity" and "Wise in Their Generation." Both were published in The Woman's World, a magazine edited by Oscar Wilde. In 1886, she started writing essays about Jewish culture. These appeared in The Jewish Chronicle. Some titles were The Ghetto at Florence and Jewish Humour.
Amy's poems often showed her concerns about women's rights. One daring poem was A Ballad of Religion and Marriage. Her book Xantippe and Other Verses (1881) includes a poem from the point of view of Xanthippe, the wife of Socrates. Her book A Minor Poet and Other Verse (1884) had more dramatic poems. Her last poetry book, A London Plane-Tree (1889), had poems that showed the influence of French Symbolism.
Death
Amy Levy struggled with severe depression from a young age. In her later years, her depression became worse. She passed away on September 9, 1889. Oscar Wilde wrote a tribute to her in The Women's World. He praised her amazing writing talents. Amy Levy was the first Jewish woman in England to be cremated. Her ashes were buried at Balls Pond Road Cemetery in London.
Legacy
In 1993, a collection of Amy Levy's works was published. It was called The Complete Novels and Selected Writings of Amy Levy: 1861–1889. This book helped more people discover her important writings.
Selected works
- Xantippe and Other Verse (1881)
- A Minor Poet and Other Verse (1884)
- The Romance of a Shop (1888) novel
- Reuben Sachs: A Sketch (1888)
- A London Plane-Tree and Other Verse (1889)
- Miss Meredith (1889; a novel)
- The Complete Novels and Selected Writings of Amy Levy: 1861–1889 (1993)
