Constance Savery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Constance Savery
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Savery in 1943
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| Born | Constance Winifred Savery 31 October 1897 Froxfield, Wiltshire, England |
| Died | 2 March 1999 (aged 101) Stroud, Gloucestershire |
| Pen name | Another Lady; Elizabeth Cloberry |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | Somerville College, Oxford |
| Period | 1920–1999 |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Notable works |
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Constance Winifred Savery (born October 31, 1897 – died March 2, 1999) was a British author. She wrote over fifty novels and children's books. She also wrote many short stories and articles.
Constance Savery was featured in important book series. These included The Junior Book of Authors and Something About the Author. Her book Enemy Brothers, set during World War II, was very popular. It is still printed today.
When she was 82, she finished a story started by the famous author Charlotte Brontë. This book was called "Emma by Charlotte Brontë and Another Lady." It was translated into several languages.
Constance grew up in a vicarage, which is a church house. She studied at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham. She won a scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford. In 1920, she was among the first women to earn a degree from the University of Oxford. Seventy-five years later, Oxford honored her as the last person alive from that special group. She stayed active her whole life. Just before her 99th birthday, she finished revising a long, handwritten book.
About Constance Savery's Life
Her Early Life and Family
Constance Savery was born on October 31, 1897. She was the first of five daughters. Her father, John Manly Savery, was a vicar. He worked at All Saints Church in Froxfield, Wiltshire. Since her mother was also named Constance, she was called Winifred by her family.
By age ten, Constance was already writing stories and poems. She used scraps of paper for her ideas. One poem she wrote then was later used in her book, The Memoirs of Jack Chelwood. This means she had something published in print during every decade of the 1900s!
In 1907, her family moved to Birmingham. Constance went to King Edward VI High School for Girls there. In 1917, she started at Somerville College at the University of Oxford. She graduated in 1920 with good grades in English.
After college, she taught English for a short time. But in 1925, her mother passed away. Constance then moved to help her father in his new church parish. Later, she lived with her sister Phyllis. After Phyllis died, she lived with another sister, Christine. Even with health problems like arthritis and poor eyesight, Constance kept writing.
In 1995, Oxford University celebrated women getting degrees for 75 years. Constance was a special guest. She was invited back to Oxford in 1996 and 1997, just before she turned 100. She passed away on March 2, 1999.
Her Writing Journey
In the 1930s, Constance wrote many short stories. These appeared in Christian magazines and were broadcast on the BBC Children's Hour. She also wrote for children's annuals, which were special yearly books.
Her first novel, Forbidden Doors (1929), was published in England. A slightly changed version, Tenthragon (1930), came out in the United States. Both books received good reviews. She then wrote more Christian books for children. These included Nicolas Chooses White May (1930) and Pippin's House (1931).
When World War II started, there was a shortage of paper. Magazines became smaller, and publishers couldn't print as many books. But America had more paper. So, Constance wrote nine children's books for a U.S. publisher called Longmans, Green, & Co.
One of these books was Enemy Brothers, which became very famous. Another book, The Good Ship Red Lily, won an award in 1944. Two of her books, Magic in My Shoes and The Reb and the Redcoats, were chosen by the Junior Literary Guild.
After the war, paper was available again. Constance offered a story to the Lutterworth Press. This story was about a girl at a new school. It was based on Constance's own school experiences. The publisher liked the story, Redhead at School, and it was published in 1951. Lutterworth Press went on to publish 25 more of her books. These books were often given as "reward books" to good Sunday School students. They were praised for their interesting characters and conversations. Many were reprinted and translated into other languages.
Constance also wrote for other Christian publishers. Blue Fields (1947) was one of her most successful books for older children. It was about a 13-year-old boy.
Her most widely known book was Emma (1980). This story was started by Charlotte Brontë, but she only wrote two chapters before she died. Constance Savery finished the story. The publisher quickly accepted it. Brontë wrote the first 17 pages, and Constance wrote the remaining 181 pages. A reviewer from The New York Times said the book was exciting and kept readers interested. Constance was first known as Another Lady for this book. She received good payments and the book sold well. It was translated into Dutch, Spanish, and Russian. Only the Russian edition named Constance Savery as "Another Lady."
Constance continued writing even as her eyesight failed. She rewrote a long novel called The Quicksilver Chronicle. She finished it just six weeks before her 99th birthday. She couldn't read her old draft or what she was writing, so she wrote on widely spaced lines.
Before she died, Constance allowed The Reb and the Redcoats and Enemy Brothers to be reprinted. Her favorite book, The Memoirs of Jack Chelwood, was printed after her death.
What Makes Her Books Special?
Constance Savery mostly wrote about children, even in her books for adults. Her child characters felt very real. Reviews often praised her writing style and how well she created characters.
She wrote to teach and inspire her readers. She believed in showing good characters who were more alive than villains. Like other authors of her time, her bad characters rarely faced harsh punishments.
Constance came from a large family with four sisters. Many of her books feature big families. The love between brothers and sisters is a key part of her best stories, even when they argue.
Twins appear often in her books. Sometimes the twins are against each other, like in Green Emeralds for the King. Other times, they work together, as in Four Wonders for Wyn. In some stories, like Moonshine in Candle Street, twins act like one character.
Even though she started writing in the 1920s and 1930s, her books avoided common stereotypes of that time. Later books like The Royal Caravan and The Drifting Sands spoke out against racism. Three Houses in Beverley Road challenged anti-Semitism.
Constance Savery's Writings
Adult Novels
- Forbidden Doors (1929)
- Tenthragon (1930)
- Emma (1980; with Charlotte Brontë)
- The Memoirs of Jack Chelwood (2004; published after her death)
Children's Literature
- Pippin's House (1931)
- Moonshine in Candle Street (1937)
- Green Emeralds for the King (1938)
- Enemy Brothers (1943)
- The Good Ship Red Lily (1944)
- Emeralds for the King (1945)
- Dark House on the Moss (1949)
- Redhead at School (1951)
- Welcome, Santza (1956)
- Magic in My Shoes (1958)
- The Reb and the Redcoats (1961)
Sunday School Reward Books
- Three Houses in Beverley Road (1950)
- Meg Plays Fair (1953)
- Young Elizabeth Green (1954)
- Five Wonders for Wyn (1955)
- Tabby Kitten (1956)
- In Apple Alley (1958)
- To the City of Gold (1958)
- The Sea Urchins (1959)
- Rebel Jacqueline (1960)
- All Because of Sixpence (1961)
- The White Kitling (1962)
- The Royal Caravan (1963)
- Breton Holiday (1963)
- Joric and the Dragon (1964)
- Please Buy My Pearls (1965)
- The Sea Queen (1965)
- The Golden Cap (1966)
- The Strawberry Feast (1967)
- The Silver Angel (1968)
- Lavender's Tree (1969)
- Gilly's Tower (1969)
- The Sapphire Ring (1969)
- The City of Flowers (1970)
- The Drifting Sands (1971)
Picture Book
- Four Lost Lambs (1957)
Evangelical Children's Books
- Nicholas Chooses White May (1930)
- Yellow Gates (1935)
- Danny and the Alabaster Box (1937)
- Peter of Yellow Gates (1945)
- Up a Winding Stair (1949)
- Scarlet Plume (1953)
- The Boy from Brittany (1957)
- Flight to Freedom (1958)
- Thistledown Tony (1958)
Evangelical Books for Adults
- Blue Fields (1947)
- Sir Dominic's Scapegrace (1947; as Elizabeth Cloberry)
Drama
- No King But Christ (1976)
Short Story Collection
- There Was a Key (1930)
Services of Song
- The Christmas Flower Shop (1932)
- Gifts of Gold (1935)
- In His Steps (1935; based on a novel by C. M. Sheldon)
- God's Promises (1936)
- His Brother's Keeper (1936; based on a novel by C. M. Sheldon)
- The Christmas Cloak (1937)
- White Unto Harvest (1938)
Biographies
- She Went Alone: Mary Bird of Persia (1942)
- Bishop Guy Bullen (1948)
- God's Arctic Adventurer: The Story of William Bompas (1973)
