Rowena Farre
Encyclopedia
Rowena Farre was a British writer who achieved fame for her first book Seal Morning, published in 1957. The book describes how at the age of ten she and her aunt Miriam settled in a remote croft in Sutherland
, Scotland, where they lived for seven years with various pets that included a common seal, Lora.
Following the book's release, questions were raised concerning the authenticity of parts of the narrative, particularly the claimed musical abilities of seals, and the book is now considered an autobiographical novel rather than a strict autobiography.
Farre proved to be a deeply private and elusive writer, and as the book's popularity grew, her publisher, Hutchinson
, had to go to considerable efforts to trace her. It was discovered that her real name was Daphne Lois MacReady. However, she subsequently published under the name Rowena Farre. There is disagreement over her date of birth: it has been claimed she was 26 when the book appeared, giving her a birth date of c. 1931. However, Curtis Brown states she died in 1979 aged 57, giving her a birth date of c. 1922.
From research of his family history, Dr Bernerd O’Neil confirms that she was born in London, 1921, and died in Canterbury January 9, 1979 and is buried in the family crypt in St Mary’s Cemetery, Kensal Green, London.
Seal Morning was followed by A Time from the World (1962), an account of her life among the gypsies, and The Beckoning Land (1963), describing her spiritual pilgrimage in Ceylon and India, the country of her birth, according to some writers. Neither book achieved the popularity of Seal Morning, which has gone through many reprints.
Seal Morning was made into a movie in 1986. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146389/
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
, Scotland, where they lived for seven years with various pets that included a common seal, Lora.
Following the book's release, questions were raised concerning the authenticity of parts of the narrative, particularly the claimed musical abilities of seals, and the book is now considered an autobiographical novel rather than a strict autobiography.
Farre proved to be a deeply private and elusive writer, and as the book's popularity grew, her publisher, Hutchinson
Hutchinson (publisher)
Hutchinson & Co. was an English book publisher, founded in 1887. The company merged with Century Publishing in 1985 to form Century Hutchinson, and was folded into the British Random House Group in 1989, where it remains as an imprint in the Cornerstone Publishing division...
, had to go to considerable efforts to trace her. It was discovered that her real name was Daphne Lois MacReady. However, she subsequently published under the name Rowena Farre. There is disagreement over her date of birth: it has been claimed she was 26 when the book appeared, giving her a birth date of c. 1931. However, Curtis Brown states she died in 1979 aged 57, giving her a birth date of c. 1922.
From research of his family history, Dr Bernerd O’Neil confirms that she was born in London, 1921, and died in Canterbury January 9, 1979 and is buried in the family crypt in St Mary’s Cemetery, Kensal Green, London.
Seal Morning was followed by A Time from the World (1962), an account of her life among the gypsies, and The Beckoning Land (1963), describing her spiritual pilgrimage in Ceylon and India, the country of her birth, according to some writers. Neither book achieved the popularity of Seal Morning, which has gone through many reprints.
Seal Morning was made into a movie in 1986. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146389/