Evadne Price facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eva Grace Price Dabelstein Fletcher Attiwill
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| Born | Eva Grace Price 28 August 1888 Merewether, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 17 April 1985 (aged 96) Sydney, Australia |
| Pen name | Evadne Price Helen Zenna Smith |
| Occupation | actress, writer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Citizenship | British |
| Period | 1908-1985 |
| Genre | Children's, Romance, War, Modernism |
| Notable works | Not So Quiet: Stepdaughters of War |
| Spouse | 1: Henry A. Dabelstein (1909-19??) 2: Charles A. Fletcher (1920-1924) 3: Kenneth Andrew Attiwill (1939-1992) |
Evadne Price (born August 28, 1888 – died April 17, 1985) was a talented Australian-British writer, actress, and astrologer. She was also known by her pen name, Helen Zenna Smith.
She is best remembered for her World War I novel Not So Quiet. This book tells the story of British female ambulance drivers during the war. It was written in a style similar to Erich Maria Remarque's famous book All Quiet on the Western Front.
During her life, Evadne Price wrote many popular romance novels. Some of these stories were published in national newspapers. She also wrote fun children's books about a character named Jane Turpin.
In the 1950s, she became a regular on television. She appeared as a storyteller and as an astrologer. For 25 years, she wrote a monthly astrology column for SHE magazine.
About Evadne Price
Her Early Life and First Marriage
Evadne Price's early life story has a few different versions. Records show she was likely born Eva Grace Price on August 28, 1888. This happened in Merewether, New South Wales, Australia. Her parents were also born in Australia. Her father, Jonathan Dixon Price, worked as a miner.
As a teenager, Eva Price was known in Newcastle for her public speaking skills. In 1908, she acted in Australia's first play of "Peter Pan."
On her 21st birthday in 1909, Eva Grace Price married Henry A. Dabelstein. He was a German-born actor who used the stage name Harry Preston.
Moving to England and Second Marriage
In 1910, Price moved from Australia to London. She then went to New York to find acting work. She returned to the UK in 1912 and started getting roles in plays.
Around 1915, she changed her name from "Eva" to "Evadne." She also started saying she was born at sea and was younger than she really was.
In 1920, Evadne married Charles A. Fletcher, a soldier. He was a Captain in the 3rd Devonshire Regiment. Charles died in Sudan in 1924.
When her acting career ended in 1923, Evadne started working as a journalist.
Third Marriage and World War II
In 1939, Evadne Fletcher married another Australian writer, Kenneth Andrew Attiwill. They wrote several books and plays together. Later, they also wrote scripts for the British TV soap opera Crossroads.
Evadne was a war correspondent for The People newspaper starting in 1943. She reported on the Allied invasion of Europe and other big war events. She was the first woman journalist to enter the Belsen concentration camp. Her husband was a prisoner of war in Japan. For two years, people thought he had died.
Her Writing Career
As a journalist, Evadne wrote a column for the Sunday Chronicle. She also wrote short stories for magazines. Many of these stories were funny.
Her most famous stories were about Jane Turpin. Jane was a popular character, like a female version of Richmal Crompton's "William." The Jane stories first appeared in Novel magazine in 1928. Then they were published in books, starting with Just Jane (1928). There were ten books in the Jane series. The last one was Jane at War (1947).
The famous artist Thomas Henry drew pictures for both the Jane and William books. But he signed the Jane book illustrations as "Marriott" to keep the two series separate.
Writing as Helen Zenna Smith
In 1930, a publisher named Albert E. Marriott asked Evadne Price to write a book. He wanted a funny version of Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, but with women in the war.
Evadne read Remarque's book and decided it was too serious for a funny version. She told the publisher he should publish a real story about women in the war. He asked her to write it, even though she felt too young to know much about the war.
She met Winifred Constance Young, who had been an ambulance driver during the war. Young lent Evadne her wartime diary. Evadne wrote 20,000 words in less than two days!
The book, Not So Quiet..., was published under the name Helen Zenna Smith. This was also the name of the main character in the book. The book's cover said it was a "savage record of a girl ambulance driver." This made people think it was a true story.
The book was a huge success. It was translated into French, Spanish, and Dutch. In Germany, she was compared to Adrienne Thomas, another writer of war stories.
Later, Evadne Price said that the publisher, Albert E. Marriott, had done some dishonest things. She said she found out he was actually a criminal named Netley Lucas. Because he had not paid her, Evadne kept the rights to her book.
Not So Quiet... was re-published. Four more books followed, continuing the heroine's story into the 1920s. These books were: Women of the Aftermath (1931), Shadow Women (1932), Luxury Ladies (1933), and They Lived With Me (1934). They explored challenges women faced after the war.
Romance Novel Author
Under her own name, Evadne Price became a very successful romance novelist. She wrote over 150 short romance books. She also wrote longer romance novels. She was even a vice-president of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Playwright and Screenwriter
Evadne Price also wrote plays, radio scripts, and movie scripts. Her play Big Ben (1939) was very popular.
Her novel The Haunted Light was turned into a play called The Phantom Light (1937). This play was also made into a film. Another play she co-wrote with her husband, Ken Attiwill, called Once a Crook (1939), was filmed in 1941.
In 1965, she and Ken Attiwill joined the team writing for the TV show Crossroads.
Her Work as an Astrologer
Evadne Price had another career as a broadcaster on early British television. She had a horoscope show called "Fun with the Stars." This led to regular appearances on a show called Lunchbox.
She was known as the "new astrologer extraordinaire" for SHE magazine for 25 years. She also published a book of her astrology columns called SHE Stargazes. When she and her husband moved back to Australia in 1976, Evadne Price wrote the monthly horoscope column for Australian Vogue.
She also appeared weekly on a TV news show, giving 5-minute astrological readings. She always ended with her famous saying: "think lucky and you'll be lucky."
Her Final Years
Evadne Price passed away on April 17, 1985, in Sydney, Australia. She was 96 years old.
Her Legacy
After Evadne's death, some of her Jane Turpin stories were published again in a book called Jane and Co (1985).
In 1989, Not So Quiet... was republished. This helped more people discover her important work.
Books by Evadne Price
Jane Series
- Just Jane (1928)
- Meet Jane (1930)
- Enter - Jane (1932)
- Jane the Fourth (1937)
- Jane the Sleuth (1939)
- Jane the Unlucky (1939)
- Jane the Popular (1939)
- Jane the Patient (1940)
- Jane Gets Busy (1940)
- Jane at War (1947)
- Jane and Co. (selected stories, 1985)
Other Novels
- Diary of a Red-haired Girl (1932)
- The Haunted Light (1933)
- Strip Girl! (1934)
- Probationer! (1934)
- Society Girl! (1935)
- Red for Danger (1936) (later made into the film Blondes for Danger)
- Glamour Girl (1937)
- The Wrong Mrs. Sylvester (1930s)
- Escape to Marriage (1951)
- The Dishonoured Wife (1951)
- My Pretty Sister (1952)
- Her Stolen Life (1954)
- What the Heart Says (1956)
- The Love Trap (1958)
- My Platonic Wife (1950s)
- Air Hostess in Love (1962)
Astrology Books
- 'She' Stargazes (1965)
As Helen Zenna Smith (Stepdaughters of War series)
- Not So Quiet... (1930); also called Stepdaughters of War in America
- Women of the Aftermath (1931); also called One Woman's Freedom
- Shadow Women (1932)
- Luxury Ladies (1933)
- They Lived With Me (1934)
Film and TV Work
Filmography
- The Phantom Light (1935) (based on her play The Haunted Light)
- Wolf's Clothing (1936) (play author, screenwriter)
- When the Poppies Bloom Again (1937) (script)
- Merry Comes to Town (1937) (short story author)
- Silver Top (1938) (short story author)
- Lightning Conductor (1938) (short story author)
- Blondes for Danger (1938) (based on her novel)
- Once a Crook (1941) (based on her play)
- Not Wanted on Voyage (1957) (play author, screenwriter)
- Trouble with Junia (1967) (actress)
Images for kids
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Evadne Price working at her desk.
