E.M. Delafield (1890–1943)
Author of Diary of a Provincial Lady
About the Author
Disambiguation Notice:
Please note the following distinctions, and try to keep the single-story separate from the omnibus editions which contain several "Provincial Lady" stories.
Single Story:
The Diary of a Provincial Lady (Virago, 1844085228)
Diary of a Provincial Lady (Prion, 1853753688)
The Diary of a Provincial Lady (Remploy, 0706610342)
Diary of a Provincial Lady (Chicago, 0897330536)
Omnibus Edition (contains 4 stories):
The Diary of a Provincial Lady (Virago, 0860685225)
The Provincial Lady (Macmillan, pre-ISBN)
Series
Works by E.M. Delafield
Collected Works of E. M. Delafield: The Complete Provincial Lady Series, 15 Novels, Short Story Collections & Plays… (2015) 6 copies
The Diary of a Provincial Lady: A BBC Radio 4 Full-cast Dramatisation. Starring Imelda Staunton & Richard Hope (BBC… (2000) 4 copies
The Provincial Lady at home and abroad. Containing Diary of a Provincial Lady, The Provincial Lady goes further, The… (1935) 3 copies
Love has no Resurrection, and Other Stories — Author — 3 copies
Collected Novels of E. M. Delafield (6 Unabridged Editions in One Volume): Zella Sees Herself, The War Workers,… (2015) 2 copies
A reversion to type 2 copies
Sophy Mason Comes Back 2 copies
The Bond of Union [short story] — Author — 1 copy
Holiday Group [short story] — Author — 1 copy
O Tempora! O Mores! [short story] — Author — 1 copy
Incidental [short story] — Author — 1 copy
The Luggage in the Hall: An Un-moral Story [short story] — Author — 1 copy
And Never the Twain Shall Meet [short story] — Author — 1 copy
The Tortoise [short story] — Author — 1 copy
Reflex Action [short story] — Author — 1 copy
The Waiting Lady [short story] — Author — 1 copy
Terminus [short story] — Author — 1 copy
The Threshold of Eternity [short work] — Author — 1 copy
The Diary of Provincial Lady 1 copy
Reparation [short story] — Author — 1 copy
They Don't Wear Labels [short work] — Author — 1 copy
Bluff [short work] 1 copy
The Provincial Lady: The Diary of a Provincial Lady & The Provincial Lady Goes Further, abridged (1951) 1 copy
Gwen [short story] 1 copy
Hukutav naine 1 copy
Love Has No Resurrection [short story] — Author — 1 copy
O.K. for Story [short work] — Author — 1 copy
It's All Too Difficult [short story] — Author — 1 copy
The Girl Who Told the Truth [short story] — Author — 1 copy
My Son Had Nothing on His Mind [short work] — Author — 1 copy
Victims [short work] 1 copy
The Other Poor Chap [short work] — Author — 1 copy
The Reason [short work] — Author — 1 copy
The Indispensable Woman [short work] — Author — 1 copy
Opportunity [short work] — Author — 1 copy
The Philistine [short story] — Author — 1 copy
Associated Works
The Assassin's Cloak: An Anthology of the World's Greatest Diarists (2000) — Contributor, some editions — 554 copies
Charlotte Mary Yonge: The Story of an Uneventful Life (1943) — Introduction, some editions — 11 copies
Missing From Their Homes — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Dashwood, Edmee Elizabeth Monica
- Other names
- de la Pasture, Edmee Elizabeth Monica (birth name)
- Birthdate
- 1890-06-09
- Date of death
- 1943-12-02
- Burial location
- Kentisbeare churchyard, Devon, England, UK
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Steyning, Sussex, England, UK
- Place of death
- England, UK
- Places of residence
- Kentisbeare, Devon, England, UK
Malay States
Llandogo, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK - Occupations
- novelist
short story writer
book reviewer - Relationships
- de la Pasture, Elizabeth Lydia Rosabelle (mother)
Dashwood, R. M. (daughter)
Clifford, Hugh (stepfather) - Organizations
- Voluntary Aid Detachment
Time and Tide
Women's Institute - Short biography
- E.M. Delafield was the pen name of Edmee Elizabeth Monica Dashwood, née de la Pasture, born in Steyning, Sussex, England, the daughter of well-known novelist Elizabeth Bonham and her husband Count Henry Philip Ducarel de la Pasture. Delafield was educated by French governesses and attended several boarding schools, followed by nine months as a postulant nun in a convent in Belgium. She worked with the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) during World War I, and these experiences formed the basis of her first novel, Zella Sees Herself, published in 1917. She continued to publish one or two novels every year until her death. She is best known for the bestselling series The Diary of a Provincial Lady and its sequels. She also was an important contributor of book reviews, sketches, and short stories to Time and Tide magazine. In 1919, she married Colonel Arthur Paul Dashwood, an engineer, and they spent two years living in the Malay States before returning to live in an old house in Kentisbeare, Devonshire. The couple had two children, and Delafield served as president of the Kentisbeare Women's Institute for the the rest of her life. Her daughter Rosamund Dashwood published Provincial Daughter, a continuation of Delafield's popular series of books, in 1961.
- Disambiguation notice
- Please note the following distinctions, and try to keep the single-story separate from the omnibus editions which contain several "Provincial Lady" stories.
Single Story:
The Diary of a Provincial Lady (Virago, 1844085228)
Diary of a Provincial Lady (Prion, 1853753688)
The Diary of a Provincial Lady (Remploy, 0706610342)
Diary of a Provincial Lady (Chicago, 0897330536)
Omnibus Edition (contains 4 stories):
The Diary of a Provincial Lady (Virago, 0860685225)
The Provincial Lady (Macmillan, pre-ISBN)
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 98
- Also by
- 15
- Members
- 3,650
- Popularity
- #6,935
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 118
- ISBNs
- 163
- Languages
- 7
- Favorited
- 32
I'd never heard of this English author before I stumbled upon this work of autobiographical fiction from 1930, originally published serially. While I could tell soon enough that this "diary" is indeed one of humor, it took a little while for me to get into the style and rhythm of the Provincial Lady's vignettes about her everyday life.
Once I got used to the style, the reading became funnier and funnier to me.
Even through my amusement, though, I would feel for the Lady during her awkward and discouraging moments. Her monetary troubles. Her worries about her looks and health and fashion. Her doubts about her motherhood and household capabilities.
I'd also feel touched at times when one experience or another of pleasure or kindness would make the Lady jot in her diary "Am touched." I found her brief accounts of actively playing with her two young children to be pretty adorable (even if it would once result in her hair and clothing being mussed in the sudden presence of unexpected guests), and so many of her sentiments jibed with me.
Like her figuring she'll think up a great answer/comeback to deliver on a subject—at some time after the conversation has long been over, and it'd be inappropriate by then to go spouting off her answer. While she's sitting in church or something. And her wondering how much she sacrifices the truth, not expressing what she really feels and thinks, for the sake of not rocking the social boat.
Now, one particular moment portends a war that she doesn't know is coming: when the Lady meets a lady who makes an offhand mention that something bad must be imminent concerning the Jewish people. Besides that, I couldn't help my little inward cringe at the one appearance of the outdated term for the Romani people. And some light reference to "Jamaica children" got an eye-roll from me, despite any non-malicious intent that may have been behind it.
There's also a lightly handled event that isn't too detailed but still cringey for animal lovers. Like the thought of what eventually happens to stray animals at certain animal pounds.
Even so, on the whole, this was an enjoyable old-fashioned read for me. I'm curious enough to go further into the series.… (more)