author
Naomi Royde-Smith
1875–1964
A sharp-eyed editor and novelist, this pioneering literary figure helped shape early 20th-century British writing while building a long career of her own. She is remembered both for her many books and for championing younger writers at a crucial moment in their careers.
1 Audiobook
The tortoiseshell cat
by Naomi Royde-Smith
About the author
Born in 1875, she became a notable British writer, journalist, and literary editor whose career moved between newspapers, fiction, drama, and biography. She is especially remembered as the first woman literary editor of the Westminster Gazette, where she encouraged and published early work by writers including Rupert Brooke, Graham Greene, Elizabeth Bowen, and Rose Macaulay.
Alongside her editorial work, she wrote prolifically across several forms, producing novels, plays, and biographies over many decades. Her career shows an unusual range: she was part of London literary life, worked as a critic, and kept publishing well beyond the period for which she is most famous.
For audiobook listeners, her appeal lies in that mix of intelligence and versatility. She belongs to a generation of authors who were deeply involved in the literary culture around them, not only writing books but also helping decide which new voices would be heard.