Elaine Feinstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elaine Feinstein
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| Born | Elaine Cooklin  24 October 1930 (age 92)Bootle |
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Elaine Feinstein (born Elaine Cooklin; October 24, 1930 – September 23, 2019) was an amazing English writer. She was a poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright, biographer, and translator. She was also a member of the Royal Society of Literature, which is a group that celebrates great writers.
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Elaine Feinstein's Early Life
Elaine Feinstein was born in Bootle, England, and grew up in Leicester. Her dad was a great storyteller, even though he left school at a young age. He owned a small factory that made wooden furniture. Elaine felt very loved and valued as a child, which helped her feel strong later in life. She always felt lucky about her childhood.
Her mother sent her to Wyggeston Grammar School for Girls, which was a very good school. Elaine started writing poems when she was only eight years old. These poems were even published in her school's magazine!
After World War II, Elaine learned about the terrible events of the Holocaust. This made her feel a strong connection to her Jewish heritage. She felt like she truly became Jewish at that time. A critic once said that she felt a deep connection to Russian poets because of her family's Jewish background from Russia.
Elaine did very well in school. After studying at Newnham College, Cambridge, she worked at Hockerill Training College. Later, she became a university lecturer at the University of Essex from 1967 to 1970.
Elaine Feinstein's Writing Career
Elaine married Arnold Feinstein and they had three sons. When she started writing again, she felt like she "came to life." She loved reading and writing poetry, using it to understand her experiences. She wanted her poems to have "plain propositions" and lines that "sang out" like music.
She was very inspired by the Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva. Elaine decided to translate some of Tsvetaeva's poems into English. These translations were published in 1971 and won her three awards from the Arts Council.
In 1980, Elaine became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. After this, she became a full-time writer. In 1990, she won the Cholmondeley Award for Poetry and received an honorary degree from the University of Leicester.
Elaine often visited Russia to research her books and see her friends, including the famous poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. She wrote many different types of books:
- 14 novels
- Many radio plays
- Television dramas
- Five biographies
Some of her famous biographies include:
- A Captive Lion: the Life of Marina Tsvetaeva (1987)
- Pushkin (1998)
- Ted Hughes: The Life of a Poet (2001), which was nominated for a special prize.
- Anna of all the Russias, about Anna Akhmatova, another Russian poet. This book was translated into twelve languages!
Elaine's first novel, The Circle (1970), was about a marriage. Many of her novels explored her Jewish background. For example, The Survivors (1982) looked at different generations before and after the Holocaust. The Border (1984) told the story of an old woman who escaped from Vienna in 1939.
Her poetry was influenced by other poets like the Black Mountain poets. She even wrote to one of them, Charles Olson, in 1959. She asked for permission to publish his work in her magazine. Her connection helped link British poets with the Black Mountain poets.
Elaine traveled a lot to read her work at festivals around the world. She was also a Writer in Residence for the British Council in Singapore and Norway. Her poems were included in many collections. Her book Collected Poems and Translations (2002) received a special award.
She also helped judge many important literary prizes, like the T. S. Eliot Prize. Elaine continued to give readings in different countries. When asked what three books she would save if her house was on fire, she joked, "I'd take my iPad."
Later Life and Death
Elaine Feinstein passed away from cancer in London on September 23, 2019, at the age of 88. She is remembered by her three sons and six grandchildren.
Elaine Feinstein's Books
Poetry Collections
- In a Green Eye (1966)
- The Magic Apple Tree (1971)
- Some Unease and Angels: Selected Poems (1977)
- The Feast of Eurydice (1980)
- Badlands (1987)
- City Music (1990)
- Selected Poems (1994)
- Daylight (1997)
- Gold (2000)
- Collected Poems and Translations (2002)
- Talking to the Dead (2007)
- Cities (2010)
- The Clinic, Memory: New and Selected Poems (2017)
Novels
- The Circle (1970)
- The Amberstone Exit (1972)
- The Glass Alembic (1973)
- Children of the Rose (1974)
- The Ecstasy of Dr Miriam Garner (1976)
- The Shadow Master (1978)
- The Survivors (1982)
- The Border (1985)
- Mother's Girl (1988)
- All You Need (1991)
- Loving Brecht (1992)
- Dreamers (1994)
- Lady Chatterley's Confession (1995)
- Dark Inheritance (2001)
- The Russian Jerusalem (2008)
Short Story Collections
- Matters of Chance (1972)
- The Silent Areas (1980)
Biographies
- Bessie Smith: Lives of Modern Women Series
- A Captive Lion: The Life of Marina Tsvetaeva (1987)
- Lawrence's Women (1993)
- Pushkin (1998)
- Ted Hughes: The Life of a Poet (2001)
- Anna of all the Russias: A Life of Anna Akhmatova (2005)
- Portraits (2015)
Memoirs
- It Goes With The Territory: Memoirs of a Poet (2013)
Translations
- Marina Tsvetayeva: Selected Poems (first published 1971)
- Three Russian Poets: Margarita Aliger, Yunna Morits, Bella Akhmadulina (1976)
Awards and Recognition
- 1970, 1979, 1981: Arts Council Grant/Award for Translation
- 1971: Betty Miller Prize
- 1981: Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- 1990: Cholmondeley Award
- 1990: Shortlisted for Los Angeles Times Fiction Prize
- 1992: Society of Authors Travel Award
- 2004: Arts Council Award
See also
In Spanish: Elaine Feinstein para niños
