author
Rebecca West
1892–1983
A fearless British writer and critic, she brought sharp intelligence and moral force to everything from fiction to war reporting. Best known for books like The Return of the Soldier and Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, she wrote with unusual clarity about politics, society, and private life.
3 Audiobooks
About the author
Born Cecily Isabel Fairfield in London on December 21, 1892, she took the pen name Rebecca West from a character in Henrik Ibsen's Rosmersholm. She became known as a novelist, journalist, critic, and travel writer, building a reputation for bold opinions and wide-ranging curiosity.
Her work moved easily between fiction, literary criticism, political commentary, and reportage. Among her best-known books are The Return of the Soldier, an early and influential novel of World War I; Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, a major work of travel writing and history; and A Train of Powder, drawn from her reporting on the Nuremberg trials.
Over a long career, she was admired for lucid prose, independence of mind, and a willingness to take big subjects seriously without losing sight of individual lives. She was made a Dame in 1959 and remained an important literary voice until her death in London on March 15, 1983.