Githa Sowerby facts for kids
Katherine Githa Sowerby (born October 6, 1876 – died June 30, 1970) was an English writer. She was also known by her pen name K. G. Sowerby. Githa Sowerby wrote plays and children's books. She was also a member of the Fabian Society, a group that worked for social change.
Githa Sowerby was a feminist, meaning she believed in equal rights for women. She became famous in the early 1900s for her play Rutherford & Son (1912). However, her work was not as well-known in later years.
Rutherford & Son was brought back to the stage in 1980. Since then, it has been performed many times. This includes shows at the Royal National Theatre in 1994 and by Sheffield Theatres more recently. A book about Sowerby, called Looking for Githa by Pat Riley, came out in 2009. A new version was published in 2019. Besides plays, Sowerby also wrote poems and short stories for kids. Her sister, Millicent Sowerby, drew the pictures for these books. You can find her writings and other items at the Tyne and Wear Archives.
Life and Career
Githa Sowerby was born in 1876 in Gateshead, England. Her family was known for making glass. Her father, John George Sowerby, was an artist. He was also the grandson of a famous nature expert named James Sowerby. Githa's mother was Amy Margaret Sowerby. Githa married John Kendall, and they had a daughter named Joan.
Her play Rutherford & Son was a huge hit when it first opened in London in 1912. It was called a "sensation" and a "massive success." The play ran for 133 shows in London and 63 shows in New York. A writer named Barrett Harper Clark said in 1915 that it was "among the most powerful works" by younger writers.
The play was also performed in Canada and Australia. It was translated into many languages, like German, French, Italian, Russian, and Bohemian. When the play first came out, the author was only known by the initials "G. K. Sowerby." People didn't know if the writer was a man or a woman. When it was finally revealed that a woman had written the hit play, Githa Sowerby became famous right away. People even compared her writing to that of the famous playwright Henrik Ibsen.
Plays
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Children's Books
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Images for kids
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Portrait of Sowerby by George Percy Jacomb-Hood, circa 1912
