Evelyn Anthony

Evelyn Bridgett Patricia Ward-Thomas (3 July 1926 – 25 September 2018),[1][2][3] better known by the pen name Evelyn Anthony, was a British writer. Anthony was born in the Lambeth district of London.

She had a very prolific writing career, translated into at least 19 languages and her 1971 The Tamarind Seed was adapted for a film in 1974, starring Julie Andrews as Judith Farrow.

Early life and education

She was born Evelyn Stephens to Henry and Elizabeth (née Sharkey).[1] Her father had a fortune which came from the indelible ink invented by his grandfather Dr. Henry Stephens.[1] She was a keen reader as a child and attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart school in Roehampton.[1] She was evacuated to the West Country during World War II.[4]

Her parents‘ marriage was not happy and by the time she was 12 they had divorced.[1] She was close to her father and when his health deteriorated within two years of the divorce she cared for him at home.[1]

Personal life

She met Michael Ward-Thomas on a double date in The Dorchester and both were attracted to each other.[1] He worked for the Consolidated African Selection Trust.[1] They switched partners and were married a few months later.[1]

They bought Horham Hall in 1968 but found that it was costly and sold it in 1976 and moved to Naas, County Kildare where she had relatives.[1] Increased income from her writing allowed her to buy Horham Hall back in 1982.[1]

In 1994 she became the first female High Sheriff of Essex.[1][4]

In 1995 her daughter Kitty died of a heroin overdose, leading Evelyn to not write for another seven years.[1]

In 2004 her husband died of a stroke.[1]

She was survived by her children Susan, Anthony, Ewan, Christian and Luke as well as 16 grandchildren.[1]

Writing

Her pen name is derived from the name of St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of lost things.[1]

Her writing career began with short stories that she submitted to womens magazines after the second world war.[1][4]

Anthony's first historical novel, Rebel Princess (1953), focused on Catherine the Great. Other Anthony historical novels depicted Anne Boleyn (Anne Boleyn 1957) and Queen Victoria (Victoria and Albert 1958).[1] Her historical novels Far Fly The Eagles and Valentina were both set during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The later novels had a theme of espionage.[5][6]

Her 1971 The Tamarind Seed was adapted for a film in 1974, starring Julie Andrews as Judith Farrow, a British Home Office functionary and Omar Sharif as Feodor, a Soviet air attaché-lovers involved in Cold War intrigue.[7]

Her books were translated into at least nineteen languages.[4]

Partial bibliography

The following bibliography includes both historical novels and thrillers.

  • 1953 : Rebel Princess (later reissued as Imperial Highness)
  • 1954 : Curse Not the King (Museum Press)
  • 1955 : Far Fly The Eagles (Museum Press)
  • 1957 : Anne Boleyn
  • 1958 : Victoria and Albert (Museum Press)
  • 1960 : Elizabeth
  • 1960 : All the Queen's Men
  • 1961 : Charles the King (Museum Press) (Doubleday)
  • 1963 : Clandara (Hurst & Blackett)
  • 1964 : The French Bride
  • 1964 : The Heiress (Hurst & Blackett)
  • 1966 : Valentina (Hurst & Blackett)
  • 1967 : The Rendezvous
  • 1968 : Anne of Austria (Hurst & Blackett)
  • 1969 : The Legend
  • 1970 : The Assassin (Hutchinson)
  • 1971 : The Tamarind Seed (Hutchinson)
  • 1972 : The Poellenberg Inheritance (Hutchinson)
  • 1973 : The Occupying Power aka Stranger at the Gates (Hutchinson)
  • 1974 : The Malaspiga Exit also called Mission to Malaspiga (Hutchinson)
  • 1975 : The Persian Ransom (Hutchinson)
  • 1977 : The Silver Falcon (Hutchinson)
  • 1978 : The Return (Hutchinson)
  • 1979 : The Grave of Truth (Hutchinson)
  • 1980 : The Defector (Hutchinson)
  • 1981 : The Avenue of the Dead (Hutchinson) (Cowrad McCann)
  • 1982 : Albatross (Hutchinson)
  • 1983 : The Company of Saints (Hutchinson)
  • 1985 : Voices on the Wind (Hutchinson)
  • 1987 : No Enemy But Time (Hutchinson)
  • 1988 : The House of Vandekar (Hutchinson)
  • 1989 : The Scarlet Thread (Hutchinson)
  • 1991 : The Relic
  • 1992 : The Doll's House (Bantam)
  • 1994 : Exposure
  • 1994 : The Heiress
  • 1994 : Bloodstones (Bantam)
  • 1997 : The Legacy (Bantam)
  • 2002 : A Dubious Legacy
  • 2002 : Codeword Janus
  • 2003 : Sleeping with the Enemy
  • 2004 : Betrayal
  • 2004 : No Resistance
  • 2005 : Mind Games
  • 2015 : The Defector
  • 2015 : The Avenue of the Dead
  • 2015 : The Company of the Saints
  • 2015 : Rebel Prince

References
  1. Kean, Danuta (10 October 2018). "Evelyn Anthony obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  2. "Evelyn Anthony obituary". 5 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  3. Ward-Thomas, Christian (28 September 2018). "Ward-Thomas.- Evelyn". The Telegraph.
  4. Hayes, Lizzies. "Evelyn Anthony". www.mysterypeople.co.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  5. Trademe.co.nz Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Evelyn Anthony Biography - (1928– ), Imperial Highness, Victoria, Elizabeth, Clandara, Assassin, The Poellenberg Inheritance, The Occupying Power". www.jrank.org. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  7. "Evelyn Anthony". IMDb. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
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