Winifred Holtby

Diez relatos que mezclan el tono satírico con la compasión, el asombro o la complacencia de diferentes tipos de mujeres. Madres malas y buenas, frívolas o malévolas, dulces o taimadas, son los personajes de Winifred Holtby para componer un mosaico de caracteres femeninos.

Desde sus populares ensayos como Una habitación propia, que denuncian la posición desigual de la mujer en la época, hasta las obras menos conocidas de Woolf, lo que pone en valor el análisis de Holtby es la innegable originalidad de la obra de Woolf. Se trata en definitiva de un libro de enorme interes para los lectores de Woolf y para los que quieran empezar a conocerla, pues con el se acercaran a ella de una forma completa, ya que se trata de un estudio integral de su vida y de su obra. Con el interes añadido de su autora, Winifred Holtby, novelista, periodista, directora de un diario feminista y representante de los movimientos mas progresistas de la epoca.

Mary Robson is a young Yorkshire woman, married to her solid, unromantic cousin, John. Together they battle to preserve Marys neglected inheritance: their beloved farm, Anderby Wold. This labour of love - and the benevolent tyranny of traditional Yorkshire ways - has made Mary old before her time. Then into her purposeful life comes David Rossitur. Young, red-haired, charming, eloquent: how can she help but love him? But David is from a different England - radical and committed to social change. As their confrontation and its consequences inevitably unfold, Marys life and that of the calm village of Anderby are changed forever.

Joanna Burton was born in South Africa but sent by her missionary father to be raised in Yorkshire. There she dreams of the far-off lands she will visit and adventures to come. At eighteen, tall and flaxen-haired, she meets Teddy Leigh, a young man on his way to the trenches of the First World War. Joanna has been in love before - with Sir Walter Raleigh, with the Scarlet Pimpernel, with Coriolanus - but this is different. Teddy tells her hes been given the world to wear as a golden ball. Joanna believes him and marries him, but the fabled shores recede into the distance when, after the war, Teddy returns in ill health. The magic land turns out to be the harsh reality of motherhood and life on a Yorkshire farm. Yet still she dares to dream.

One of the exciting books of this period . . . it strikes a wholly new note in the catalogue of books about AfricaKIRKUS REVIEWSMandoa is a small African state: at its head a Virgin Princess, conceiving (immaculately) further princesses. The old traditions remain undisturbed until Mandoas Lord High Chamberlain, Safi Tala, visits Addis Ababa. There he discovers baths and cocktail shakers, motor cars and cutlery from Sheffield, telephones and handkerchiefs. In short, he has seen an apocalyptic vision - a new heaven and a new earth. Meanwhile in England it is 1931. Maurice Durrant, youngest director of Princes Tours Limited, has won North Donnington for the Conservatives. His socialist brother Bill is unemployed and their friend Jean Stanbury loses her job on The Byeword, a radical weekly paper. How all three, and others too, find themselves in Mandoa for the wedding of the Royal Princess to her Arch-archbishop is hilariously told in this wonderful satirical novel, first published in 1933.

They promise us all sorts of things, she said, happiness, success, adventure - dont you know? Then suddenly we find ourselves left alone in a dull crowded street with no one caring and our lives unneeded, and all the fine things that we meant to do, like toys that a child has laid aside . . . This is the story of Muriel Hammond, at twenty living within the suffocating confines of Edwardian middle-class society in Marshington, a Yorkshire village. A career is forbidden to her. Pretty, but not pretty enough, she fails to achieve the one thing required of her - to find a suitable husband. Then comes the First World War, a watershed which tragically revolutionises the lives of her generation. But for Muriel it offers work, friendship, freedom, and one last chance to find a special kind of happiness . . .Winifred Holtby (1891-1935), novelist, journalist and critic, was born at Rudstone, Yorkshire. With the exception of South Riding, this is her most successful novel; powerfully tracing one womans search for independence and love, it echoes in fictional form the years autobiographically recorded by her close friend Vera Brittain in Testament of Youth.

Caroline Denton-Smyth is an eccentric, dressed in trailing feathers and jangling beads, peering out from behind her lorgnette. Sitting alone in her West Kensington bedsitter, she dreams of the Christian Cinema Company - her vehicle for reform. For Caroline sees herself as a pioneer, one who must risk everything for the Cause of the Right. Her Board of Directors is a motley crew including Basil St Denis, upper crust but impecunious; Joseph Isenbaum, aspiring to society and Eton for his son; Eleanor de la Roux, Carolines independent cousin from South Africa; Hugh Macafee, a curt Scottish film technician; young Father Mortimer, scarred from the First World War; and Clifton Johnson, a seedy American scenario writer on the make. Winifred Holtby affectionately observes the foibles of human nature in this sparkling satire, first published in 1931.

La escritura de Holtby se desarrolla sin sentimentalismo, en beneficio de la complejidad y matices de sus personajes y el análisis de pasiones contenidas pero muy poderosas. Sus cuentos están repletos de comprension y conocimiento de la psicologia femenina y sus trampas. Una variedad de estilos los recorren sirviendose de puntos de vista narrativos a menudo sorprendentes. Holtby, escenifica el final de una etapa y el comienzo de una nueva era en la posicion de las mujeres ante la sociedad como sujetos activos. Frente a mujeres obsesionadas con preservar y transmitir el legado de una epoca pasada, Holtby opone un grupo de mujeres reivindicativas, libres, con voz propia y mas poderosa.

Muriel Hammond es una joven de la burguesía rural inglesa con ínfulas aristocráticas. Desde niña se había imaginado siempre avanzando hacia la edad adulta como quien se dirige a un extraño y hermoso carnaval, pero al atravesar el umbral de su madurez asiste al despertar de sus inquietudes cuando se detiene ante la estampa de una calle aburrida y abarrotada de gente. Alli nadie le presta atencion, y se esfuman, como atravesados por una niebla repentina, un puñado de recuerdos, imagenes y visiones que ella siempre habia visto maravillosos y que ahora son inalcanzables, como juguetes rotos. En esta encrucijada vital, su amiga Delia, militante feminista y socialista, le revela que lo verdaderamente importante en la vida es vivirla y asumir la responsabilidad de los exitos y los fracasos. Todo en la novela escribe Marion Shaw trabaja a favor de esta resolucion, mostrando como Muriel, que se ha desvivido para complacer a los demas y adaptarse a las expectativas sociales, logra finalmente trascender las limitaciones de una comunidad en la que lo unico que cuenta para una mujer es el exito sexual.

NOW A BRITISH DRAMA FILM AND A MAJOR BBC TELEVISION ADAPTATION. A preface by Shirley Williams, an introduction by Marion Shaw and an epitaph by Vera Brittain.Rich in humour and worldly insight INDEPENDENT The novel undoubtedly remains a fascinating depiction of a time and placeGUARDIAN Holtbys personal masterpiece . . . I cant say enough good things about this book SARAH WATERS When Sarah Burton returns to her hometown as headmistress she is full of ambition, determined to create a great school and to inspire her girls to take all they can from life. But in the aftermath of the First World War, the country is in depression and ideals are hard won. Lydia Holly, the scholarship girl from the shacks, is the most brilliant student Sarah has ever taught, but when her mothers health fails, her education must be sacrificed. Robert Carne of Maythorpe Hall stands for everything Sarah despises: his family has farmed the South Riding for generations, their position uncontested. Yet Sarah cannot help being drawn to this proud, haunted - and almost ruined - man.South Riding is a rich, panoramic novel, bringing vividly to life a rural community on the brink of change.

Esta obra maestra de Winifred Holtby es una rica evocación de la vida y las relaciones de 160 personajes que pueblan South Riding (el distrito del sur) de una inesperada belleza. Sarah Burton, su protagonista, es una ardiente y joven directora de una escuela de niñas. Mrs. Beddows, concejala del distrito, es un personaje inspirado en la propia madre de Holtby, y Robert Carne, un conservador caballero encerrado en un matrimonio desastroso. De el se enamora Sarah Burton, una mujer de extremos. Esta historia ofrece una vista panoramica e inolvidable de la vida de la campiña inglesa durante la primera mitad del siglo XX.

In "The Crowded Street," Winifred Holtby masterfully explores the intertwined lives of women in early 20th-century England, deftly capturing the constraints imposed by societal expectations and the quest for personal fulfillment. Characterized by its keen observational style and psychological depth, the narrative is enriched by Holtbys nuanced portrayal of her protagonists, who grapple with their aspirations amidst a backdrop of class and gender constraints. The novel serves as a critical commentary on the limited opportunities available to women of that era, while simultaneously celebrating their resilience and determination to carve out their own identities. Winifred Holtby, a noted British novelist and social activist, was profoundly influenced by her experiences in a rapidly changing world, particularly the suffragette movement and her work in social reform. Educated at Somerville College, Oxford, Holtbys intellectual rigor informs her writing, offering readers a lens through which to understand her characters struggles. Her own advocacy for womens rights and social justice resonates throughout "The Crowded Street," making it not just a work of fiction, but also a significant cultural artifact. This poignant examination of womens lives is recommended for readers interested in feminist literature, social history, and the evolution of the modern woman. Holtbys incisive prose and empathic characterizations invite readers to reflect on the enduring relevance of her themes, rendering "The Crowded Street" a timeless exploration of ambition, sacrifice, and the female experience in a crowded world.In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience:- A succinct Introduction situates the works timeless appeal and themes.- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the eras events and influences that shaped the writing.- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the works messages, connecting them to modern life.- Handpicked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.