author
James Edward Austen-Leigh
1798–1874
Best known as the nephew who introduced Jane Austen to generations of readers, this English clergyman wrote the first full-length family memoir of her life. His warm, personal account helped shape how the world came to picture Austen for years afterward.
1 Audiobook
Memoir of Jane Austen
by James Edward Austen-Leigh
About the author
Born in 1798, James Edward Austen-Leigh was the son of Jane Austen’s eldest brother, James Austen, which made him one of the novelist’s nephews. He later became an Anglican clergyman and served for many years at Knowl Hill and Bray in Berkshire.
He is remembered above all for writing A Memoir of Jane Austen, first published in 1869 and expanded in a second edition in 1871. Drawing on family memories and papers, the book was the first substantial biography of Austen and played a major role in introducing her life and character to a wider Victorian audience.
Because he had known his aunt personally and wrote from within the family circle, Austen-Leigh’s portrait of Jane Austen has remained influential, even as later scholars added detail and corrected parts of the picture. He died in 1874, leaving behind a work that became an essential starting point for readers interested in Austen’s life.