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Myself When Young
Both her novels and her non-fiction reveal Daphne du Maurier's overwhelming desire to explore her family's history. In Myself When Young, based on diaries that she kept from 1920-1932, the most famous du Maurier probes her own past, beginning with her earliest memories and encompassing the publication of her first book and her subsequent marriage. Here, the writer is open and sometimes painfully honest about the difficult relationship with her father; her education in Paris; early love affairs; her antipathy towards London life and the theatre; her intense love for Cornwall and her desperate ambition to succeed as a writer. The resulting portrait is of a captivating and complex character.
Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1977
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1458 people want to read
About the author
Daphne du Maurier
431 books10.1k followersDaphne du Maurier was born on 13 May 1907 at 24 Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, London, the middle of three daughters of prominent actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel, née Beaumont. In many ways her life resembles a fairy tale. Born into a family with a rich artistic and historical background, her paternal grandfather was author and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier, who created the character of Svengali in the 1894 novel Trilby, and her mother was a maternal niece of journalist, author, and lecturer Comyns Beaumont. She and her sisters were indulged as a children and grew up enjoying enormous freedom from financial and parental restraint. Her elder sister, Angela du Maurier, also became a writer, and her younger sister Jeanne was a painter.
She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. Her family connections helped her establish her literary career, and she published some of her early work in Beaumont's Bystander magazine. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, whom she married.
She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories The Birds and Don't Look Now/Not After Midnight. While Alfred Hitchcock's films based upon her novels proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with the past. She intensively researched the lives of Francis and Anthony Bacon, the history of Cornwall, the Regency period, and nineteenth-century France and England. Above all, however, she was obsessed with her own family history, which she chronicled in Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father; The du Mauriers, a study of her family which focused on her grandfather, George du Maurier, the novelist and illustrator for Punch; The Glassblowers, a novel based upon the lives of her du Maurier ancestors; and Growing Pains, an autobiography that ignores nearly 50 years of her life in favour of the joyful and more romantic period of her youth. Daphne du Maurier can best be understood in terms of her remarkable and paradoxical family, the ghosts which haunted her life and fiction.
While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism reflecting her intense feelings about her father, and to a lesser degree, her mother. This vision, which underlies Julius, Rebecca and The Parasites, is that of an author overwhelmed by the memory of her father's commanding presence. In Julius and The Parasites, for example, she introduces the image of a domineering but deadly father and the daring subject of incest.
In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story.
She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. Her family connections helped her establish her literary career, and she published some of her early work in Beaumont's Bystander magazine. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, whom she married.
She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories The Birds and Don't Look Now/Not After Midnight. While Alfred Hitchcock's films based upon her novels proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with the past. She intensively researched the lives of Francis and Anthony Bacon, the history of Cornwall, the Regency period, and nineteenth-century France and England. Above all, however, she was obsessed with her own family history, which she chronicled in Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father; The du Mauriers, a study of her family which focused on her grandfather, George du Maurier, the novelist and illustrator for Punch; The Glassblowers, a novel based upon the lives of her du Maurier ancestors; and Growing Pains, an autobiography that ignores nearly 50 years of her life in favour of the joyful and more romantic period of her youth. Daphne du Maurier can best be understood in terms of her remarkable and paradoxical family, the ghosts which haunted her life and fiction.
While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism reflecting her intense feelings about her father, and to a lesser degree, her mother. This vision, which underlies Julius, Rebecca and The Parasites, is that of an author overwhelmed by the memory of her father's commanding presence. In Julius and The Parasites, for example, she introduces the image of a domineering but deadly father and the daring subject of incest.
In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
August 1, 2021
I love du Maurier's novels, so when I saw this available after reading a review by a GR friend, I picked it up to read in small spurts. It was perfect for that, I guess I had never realized her father was a famous theater personality in London, her grandfather had been a novelist and a playwrite, and her upbringing had been very restricted and privileged. A memoir of her childhood, adolescence and early adulthood when she began to write, it was taken from her diaries of the time. If you are a fan of her or her books, you'll find this a very worthwhile read.
November 28, 2011
If you have writerly inclinations, it helps to be born rich in a time and place where your first 20-plus years can be almost entirely given over to idleness and leisure pursuits. This is Dame Daphne's account of her life from age four until she married at twenty-five. She wrote it as she was approaching her 70th birthday, drawing from the diaries she kept as a youngster.
If you've enjoyed her novels, you'll appreciate how her early life nurtured that fertile imagination, and you'll also find some tidbits from real life that she incorporated into her fiction. What I found most striking was the way her innocence was sheltered long into her adolescence. At nearly sixteen years of age, she was still keen to act out Robin Hood scenarios in the woods with her sister. She was eighteen before she found out from a school friend what happens between men and women when they're naked, and her response was "what an extraordinary thing for people to want to do!"
Du Maurier's development as a writer wasn't particularly extraordinary until she found her niche. She wrote a lot of bad poetry and struggled with short stories that didn't generate enthusiasm when she submitted them for publication. She remained unfocused and undisciplined in her writing until she was encouraged by a mentor to forget about short stories and just write a novel. She took that advice, and everything changed. She found the focus she'd been lacking and wrote her first novel in ten weeks, followed by two more novels in quick succession.
Daphne's experience may be encouraging for frustrated writers. Find the right medium and you may blossom. If you stink at short stories, try a novel. If you stink at fiction, try nonfiction. (And if you stink at writing, self-publish?)
If you've enjoyed her novels, you'll appreciate how her early life nurtured that fertile imagination, and you'll also find some tidbits from real life that she incorporated into her fiction. What I found most striking was the way her innocence was sheltered long into her adolescence. At nearly sixteen years of age, she was still keen to act out Robin Hood scenarios in the woods with her sister. She was eighteen before she found out from a school friend what happens between men and women when they're naked, and her response was "what an extraordinary thing for people to want to do!"
Du Maurier's development as a writer wasn't particularly extraordinary until she found her niche. She wrote a lot of bad poetry and struggled with short stories that didn't generate enthusiasm when she submitted them for publication. She remained unfocused and undisciplined in her writing until she was encouraged by a mentor to forget about short stories and just write a novel. She took that advice, and everything changed. She found the focus she'd been lacking and wrote her first novel in ten weeks, followed by two more novels in quick succession.
Daphne's experience may be encouraging for frustrated writers. Find the right medium and you may blossom. If you stink at short stories, try a novel. If you stink at fiction, try nonfiction. (And if you stink at writing, self-publish?)
May 30, 2021
I am a du Maurier fan and found Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel gripping; I was also very impressed with Hungry Hill. I did not realise until recently that she had also written an autobiography. It covers her life until 1932, when she was 25, and takes in the publication of her first novels.
According to Helen Taylor’s introduction, du Maurier had intended for some time to stitch together a memoir of her early life using a combination of recollections of childhood and her journal entries. Professor Taylor says she finally began it in the winter of 1975-76, in a somewhat liverish mood – two of her children were in dangerous places, the weather was bad, and she was worried (with good reason) about the way her late soldier husband would be portrayed in the upcoming film A Bridge Too Far. She was, according to Taylor, also afraid that her memory was beginning to go.
The story the book tells is one of a privileged upbringing. Her father was the successful actor-manager Gerald du Maurier and the family clearly lived very well (though one wonders how secure a living it was). The book develops as the story of a young woman struggling to develop her own identity as a writer and to break free of a controlling family.
Is that the whole story? In fact, du Maurier seems to have had a freedom to pursue her aspirations that many young women of her time would have killed for. She was able to spend long periods writing on her own at the family “cottage” in Cornwall – or visiting her former teacher Fernande, who ran a finishing school in Paris. Moreover the book might be leaving a lot out. It presents itself as a frank account of du Maurier’s upbringing and youth (there is a blunt passage on her first menstruation, for example). But in fact, you sense that a lot is being withheld, and a little online searching suggests that it was. It’s been suggested that her relationship with Fernande was a sexual one, and du Maurier is sometimes thought to have been lesbian or bisexual, but that is speculation. However, there is also her relationship with her father. She hinted to Taylor, years later, that they had had an incestuous relationship. We do know that she did not attend his funeral in 1934, and quite soon after his death she published a biography of him that painted a very mixed picture. Yet in Myself When Young he comes across as a fairly normal father, albeit rather possessive. There is also a rather creepy relationship with a married, and much older, cousin.
And yet… It was her life and her book and perhaps it was her business what she chose not to include. In an autobiography, one shouldn’t lie but might want to omit certain matters, for your own privacy and other people’s; so a sin of omission is not as bad as a sin of commission. In any case, there is plenty here to enjoy – for example du Maurier sneaking out for evenings with her boyfriend, who was Carol Reed, no less. (He is unceremoniously dumped at the end of the book. Still, he went on to make The Third Man.) We also get a glimpse of Edgar Wallace, remembered now for a vast output of pulp fiction of no critical worth; yet in this book it’s clear that he was a warm and generous family friend. We also get to see how du Maurier, a Londoner, fell in love with Cornwall and how it inspired her early writing. This includes her first sight of a mysterious and beautiful house, Menabilly, which was to be her home for 25 years and was the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
If you’re a du Maurier completist, you will want to read this. If you’re not, it is still worth it. I certainly do not regret doing so, and my opinion of du Maurier as a writer is still pretty high. But if one wants a writer’s autobiography from the same era, I’d warmly recommend one of du Maurier’s contemporaries, fellow-novelist Rumer Godden; born a few months later, she recounted her early life in several books – one of which, A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep, is one of the best autobiographies I’ve ever read. It is a better book than this.
According to Helen Taylor’s introduction, du Maurier had intended for some time to stitch together a memoir of her early life using a combination of recollections of childhood and her journal entries. Professor Taylor says she finally began it in the winter of 1975-76, in a somewhat liverish mood – two of her children were in dangerous places, the weather was bad, and she was worried (with good reason) about the way her late soldier husband would be portrayed in the upcoming film A Bridge Too Far. She was, according to Taylor, also afraid that her memory was beginning to go.
The story the book tells is one of a privileged upbringing. Her father was the successful actor-manager Gerald du Maurier and the family clearly lived very well (though one wonders how secure a living it was). The book develops as the story of a young woman struggling to develop her own identity as a writer and to break free of a controlling family.
Is that the whole story? In fact, du Maurier seems to have had a freedom to pursue her aspirations that many young women of her time would have killed for. She was able to spend long periods writing on her own at the family “cottage” in Cornwall – or visiting her former teacher Fernande, who ran a finishing school in Paris. Moreover the book might be leaving a lot out. It presents itself as a frank account of du Maurier’s upbringing and youth (there is a blunt passage on her first menstruation, for example). But in fact, you sense that a lot is being withheld, and a little online searching suggests that it was. It’s been suggested that her relationship with Fernande was a sexual one, and du Maurier is sometimes thought to have been lesbian or bisexual, but that is speculation. However, there is also her relationship with her father. She hinted to Taylor, years later, that they had had an incestuous relationship. We do know that she did not attend his funeral in 1934, and quite soon after his death she published a biography of him that painted a very mixed picture. Yet in Myself When Young he comes across as a fairly normal father, albeit rather possessive. There is also a rather creepy relationship with a married, and much older, cousin.
And yet… It was her life and her book and perhaps it was her business what she chose not to include. In an autobiography, one shouldn’t lie but might want to omit certain matters, for your own privacy and other people’s; so a sin of omission is not as bad as a sin of commission. In any case, there is plenty here to enjoy – for example du Maurier sneaking out for evenings with her boyfriend, who was Carol Reed, no less. (He is unceremoniously dumped at the end of the book. Still, he went on to make The Third Man.) We also get a glimpse of Edgar Wallace, remembered now for a vast output of pulp fiction of no critical worth; yet in this book it’s clear that he was a warm and generous family friend. We also get to see how du Maurier, a Londoner, fell in love with Cornwall and how it inspired her early writing. This includes her first sight of a mysterious and beautiful house, Menabilly, which was to be her home for 25 years and was the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
If you’re a du Maurier completist, you will want to read this. If you’re not, it is still worth it. I certainly do not regret doing so, and my opinion of du Maurier as a writer is still pretty high. But if one wants a writer’s autobiography from the same era, I’d warmly recommend one of du Maurier’s contemporaries, fellow-novelist Rumer Godden; born a few months later, she recounted her early life in several books – one of which, A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep, is one of the best autobiographies I’ve ever read. It is a better book than this.
April 20, 2021
I read this one as a teen and it stuck with me all these years later--even more poignant now that I've become an author myself. What an author!
May 12, 2025
Such a memoir, one can't take as a biography. The book was just a recollection of childhood and young adulthood done by the "main character". And as such, it was an interesting glimpse, how du Maurier saw her own young years.
There were priceless explanations for her fans, but I would not recommend it for someone who hasn't read at least a few of her books.
[3-3.5 stars]
There were priceless explanations for her fans, but I would not recommend it for someone who hasn't read at least a few of her books.
[3-3.5 stars]
February 26, 2019
I enjoyed Myself When You as a way of getting to know the personality of one of my favourite authors! Even from the offset with the introduction, you can’t help but like this reclusive writer, self-professing to enjoying her own company above others’ (except that of her dogs - relatable), determined to claim her writing as a career and not merely a hobby as other women of her time were wont to do, and more than a bit headstrong.
.
I loved the parts when du Maurier was reminiscing about what she was reading at the time, and especially when she finally got to grips with novels and she detailed writing her first, The Loving Spirit, at 22, and then the fever that took her and compelled her to write one and a bit more before The Loving Spirit was even published! Her love for the craft is clear and she almost made me want to go live in an isolated house alone and sit down to write every morning.
.
I also enjoyed her candidness about her lack of conventional femininity in the 20s and 30s - from playing Peter Pan instead of Tinkerbell to her love for sailing and wearing trousers and shorts, she’s comfortable expressing her own identity.
.
Unfortunately a few of the other parts fell a bit flat for me. I would have liked more introspective musings or more detail on her distant relationship with her mother, but it was more a log of all of her trips to France, a cruise, and her desire to simply stay in Cornwall alone - Her passion for Cornwall is interesting but the other parts felt a bit, frivolous maybe?
.
But I do think it’s worth a read if you’re a du Maurier fan or if you have ambitions to be a writer, as her struggles and determination are very relatable!
.
I loved the parts when du Maurier was reminiscing about what she was reading at the time, and especially when she finally got to grips with novels and she detailed writing her first, The Loving Spirit, at 22, and then the fever that took her and compelled her to write one and a bit more before The Loving Spirit was even published! Her love for the craft is clear and she almost made me want to go live in an isolated house alone and sit down to write every morning.
.
I also enjoyed her candidness about her lack of conventional femininity in the 20s and 30s - from playing Peter Pan instead of Tinkerbell to her love for sailing and wearing trousers and shorts, she’s comfortable expressing her own identity.
.
Unfortunately a few of the other parts fell a bit flat for me. I would have liked more introspective musings or more detail on her distant relationship with her mother, but it was more a log of all of her trips to France, a cruise, and her desire to simply stay in Cornwall alone - Her passion for Cornwall is interesting but the other parts felt a bit, frivolous maybe?
.
But I do think it’s worth a read if you’re a du Maurier fan or if you have ambitions to be a writer, as her struggles and determination are very relatable!
December 23, 2014
*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during Du Maurier December (December 2014)
Daphne Du Maurier had a somewhat typical childhood with a-typical interludes. She was taught at home with her two sisters, was finished in Paris, and spent her spare time outdoors with her dogs or indoors reading. A-typically she was the daughter of a famous actor and was surrounded by playwrights and authors and other actors growing up. Therefore a flair for the dramatic was in her blood, and while she made up stories and kept a journal, it wasn't until she was a little older that she contemplated being a writer. She wanted a way to make a living that WAS NOT acting. Retiring and loving solitude over parties, when she finally started to venture to Cornwall her path in life was clear. Her path was to live in Cornwall and write... she just had to make that happen.
I don't want to make a sweeping generalization here, but it seems to me that all female British authors of a certain generation have 97% the same stories of their upbringing in print. This past year I read a lot about the Mitfords and their upbringing. A LOT. Daphne Du Maurier's upbringing could slot right in there easy as can be. I've never really thought overly much on the class system of England, but it can not be denied that people went in sets and you'd see the same group over and over again at parties and shoots. This leads to a sameness of experience in those certain classes. A certain Britishness that carries on as they finish their children in Paris, take jaunts for health treatments, Switzerland or Italy, visit Germany and hopefully not befriend too many people who will become or are Nazis, and then a nice family vacation spot to get away from it all and live the outdoor life.
The more you read these biographies, the more you gloss over. Ah yes, they are now in Paris and sneaking out, the right of passage of British schoolgirls abroad, which movie will they see? Who will they kiss? Oh naughty they kissed a relative in secret. Now they are outdoorsy, to the hunt! I'm of two minds here. I find it reassuring that there was such a set way of life. So if I was dropped in a time machine during this epoch I'd be all set. At the same time how boring would life be? I mean reading Myself When Young felt like I was reading something I'd already read a long time ago and couldn't quite remember all the details because I'd heard it too many times and had started to consciously block it. What would you talk about with people who all had the exact same life experiences as you? The things that make life interesting are our differences not our similarities. Yes, our similarities might be what bring us together, but they aren't what keep us together. And they aren't what kept me reading this book.
Where Du Maurier differs from her peers is totally in creep value. While she doesn't mention her father much in this book, most likely because she exhausted the topic in his biography she wrote of him, little hints give you the willies. He's overprotective, overemotional, and why is she comparing how he kisses to another kiss she gets? You can see why the incest rumors started. Yet her father is nowhere near as creepy as her cousin Geoffrey. Geoffrey is responsible for her "sexual awakening" at fourteen, when he was in his thirties! Nothing "happens" till they are both older, but eww. Gag me with a spoon. You shouldn't be getting up to hanky panky with people related to you by blood. Especially people who are basically pedophiles, look to her cousins and J.M. Barrie for more proof! Though all this just seems to be water off a ducks back to Daphne as she says her family has a Borgia vibe. Ok, why not just start killing each other then. Please, it would be a relief to what you are getting up to.
But maybe all this human interaction didn't matter to Daphne and that's why it is water off her back. She never got on very well with others and is more at home in nature and with animals, so people can just bog off. Or the cynic could say her experiences with her family drove her from seeking solace with humans and she found comfort in nature. Either way you look at it it's her connection to nature, and to Cornwall in particular, that makes her work resonate. She understood the world around her and this translated into her writing. When you read her work, you are walking towards Menabilly, down that long and twisty three mile drive. You hear the crash of the surf and the cry of the gulls and the screams of the men as the ship goes down. The world around you is so present in her writing that you can't help but feel like you are there with her by your side.
And it's her writing that is when her life really begins. For pages and pages it's the same old story, but once she writes, and I mean really writes, sequestering herself away that, well, in one regard the book fails and in another the book succeeds. It fails because it's a headlong rush to the end and her marriage and the end of this book, but in another regard it's success because everything else falls away and it's just her words on the page that matter now. The stories bursting to come out that have become classics that I, among many other, have adored throughout the years. Who cares if this book is cut short, it was so that the other books could come into the word. She really had a calling to write, but until she found that connection to nature she was bottled up. She was more concerned with curfews and jaunts to Paris then finally setting about making a career for herself. Yet she did make it a career. She stopped faffing about and an author was there all along.
Daphne Du Maurier had a somewhat typical childhood with a-typical interludes. She was taught at home with her two sisters, was finished in Paris, and spent her spare time outdoors with her dogs or indoors reading. A-typically she was the daughter of a famous actor and was surrounded by playwrights and authors and other actors growing up. Therefore a flair for the dramatic was in her blood, and while she made up stories and kept a journal, it wasn't until she was a little older that she contemplated being a writer. She wanted a way to make a living that WAS NOT acting. Retiring and loving solitude over parties, when she finally started to venture to Cornwall her path in life was clear. Her path was to live in Cornwall and write... she just had to make that happen.
I don't want to make a sweeping generalization here, but it seems to me that all female British authors of a certain generation have 97% the same stories of their upbringing in print. This past year I read a lot about the Mitfords and their upbringing. A LOT. Daphne Du Maurier's upbringing could slot right in there easy as can be. I've never really thought overly much on the class system of England, but it can not be denied that people went in sets and you'd see the same group over and over again at parties and shoots. This leads to a sameness of experience in those certain classes. A certain Britishness that carries on as they finish their children in Paris, take jaunts for health treatments, Switzerland or Italy, visit Germany and hopefully not befriend too many people who will become or are Nazis, and then a nice family vacation spot to get away from it all and live the outdoor life.
The more you read these biographies, the more you gloss over. Ah yes, they are now in Paris and sneaking out, the right of passage of British schoolgirls abroad, which movie will they see? Who will they kiss? Oh naughty they kissed a relative in secret. Now they are outdoorsy, to the hunt! I'm of two minds here. I find it reassuring that there was such a set way of life. So if I was dropped in a time machine during this epoch I'd be all set. At the same time how boring would life be? I mean reading Myself When Young felt like I was reading something I'd already read a long time ago and couldn't quite remember all the details because I'd heard it too many times and had started to consciously block it. What would you talk about with people who all had the exact same life experiences as you? The things that make life interesting are our differences not our similarities. Yes, our similarities might be what bring us together, but they aren't what keep us together. And they aren't what kept me reading this book.
Where Du Maurier differs from her peers is totally in creep value. While she doesn't mention her father much in this book, most likely because she exhausted the topic in his biography she wrote of him, little hints give you the willies. He's overprotective, overemotional, and why is she comparing how he kisses to another kiss she gets? You can see why the incest rumors started. Yet her father is nowhere near as creepy as her cousin Geoffrey. Geoffrey is responsible for her "sexual awakening" at fourteen, when he was in his thirties! Nothing "happens" till they are both older, but eww. Gag me with a spoon. You shouldn't be getting up to hanky panky with people related to you by blood. Especially people who are basically pedophiles, look to her cousins and J.M. Barrie for more proof! Though all this just seems to be water off a ducks back to Daphne as she says her family has a Borgia vibe. Ok, why not just start killing each other then. Please, it would be a relief to what you are getting up to.
But maybe all this human interaction didn't matter to Daphne and that's why it is water off her back. She never got on very well with others and is more at home in nature and with animals, so people can just bog off. Or the cynic could say her experiences with her family drove her from seeking solace with humans and she found comfort in nature. Either way you look at it it's her connection to nature, and to Cornwall in particular, that makes her work resonate. She understood the world around her and this translated into her writing. When you read her work, you are walking towards Menabilly, down that long and twisty three mile drive. You hear the crash of the surf and the cry of the gulls and the screams of the men as the ship goes down. The world around you is so present in her writing that you can't help but feel like you are there with her by your side.
And it's her writing that is when her life really begins. For pages and pages it's the same old story, but once she writes, and I mean really writes, sequestering herself away that, well, in one regard the book fails and in another the book succeeds. It fails because it's a headlong rush to the end and her marriage and the end of this book, but in another regard it's success because everything else falls away and it's just her words on the page that matter now. The stories bursting to come out that have become classics that I, among many other, have adored throughout the years. Who cares if this book is cut short, it was so that the other books could come into the word. She really had a calling to write, but until she found that connection to nature she was bottled up. She was more concerned with curfews and jaunts to Paris then finally setting about making a career for herself. Yet she did make it a career. She stopped faffing about and an author was there all along.
July 6, 2021
Daphne du Maurier culls her childhood diaries for this reminiscence of birth through meeting her husband. It's a charming look at upper-class British life of one hundred years ago, with country houses, dogs, children reading literature that most adults of 2021 would find challenging, nannies, maids, and boating. So straight up my back kitchen.
December 3, 2024
Najciekawsze we wspomnieniach Daphne du Maurier były dla mnie informacje o czytanych przez nią książkach (zawsze mnie interesuje, co kto czyta :P) oraz odnajdywanie powiązań i inspiracji dla jej późniejszych powieści. O, i jeszcze ten fragment, jak poszła do dentysty, bo jej „nerw obumierał” – ale to już zboczenie zawodowe :)
A najdziwniejsze było ujawnienie jej dość bliskiej relacji z kuzynem, kiedy ona miała czternaście lat, a on trzydzieści sześć. Uczucie to było raczej platoniczne, ale jednak nie czułam się zbyt komfortowo czytając o tym.
A najdziwniejsze było ujawnienie jej dość bliskiej relacji z kuzynem, kiedy ona miała czternaście lat, a on trzydzieści sześć. Uczucie to było raczej platoniczne, ale jednak nie czułam się zbyt komfortowo czytając o tym.
May 12, 2020
I read this for Daphne du Maurier Reading week. Here is a link to my review:
https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...
https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...
February 2, 2015
Growing Pains; The Shaping of a Writer. Daphne du Maurier.
This memoir covers du Maurier's life from childhood to early adulthood when she felt herself established as a writer. She was aided in the writing by reference to a diary she kept from age 12 to age 25. When du Maurier feels it appropriate to the narrative she quotes directly from these diaries.
The early portions of the book are less satisfying than the whole. At times in these early sections there is not enough happening in the way of meaningful anecdote, and the narrative at times feels like a catalogue of relatives and of houses the du Mauriers lived in over the years. In these sections Daphne gives the impression her family were well-to-do wanderers.
As du Maurier becomes older the pace increases and the anecdotes become more interesting. She continues to trace the beginnings of her creative life, but in increased detail and relevance. She moves through the years, summarizing general events, pausing artfully on occasion for greater emphasis on a particular incident. Du Maurier selects the details of her past life that she chooses to share both for inherent interest and for relevance to the theme as stated in the title, though Daphne du Maurier the writer comes to mean equally Daphne du Maurier the person.
Du Maurier shows the reader the make-believe games of childhood, her preference for adult conversation even as a teenager, her first sexual experiences, her prodigious reading, the various estates, and eventually her writing. The reader learns that the care shown to mention and evoke in detail the various estates she lived reveal her vital connection to a sense of place. The physical spaces she inhabited are as integral a part of her development as the other factors stated above. This strong identification with physical place formed a part of her identity as a writer and as a person. Fans know of her love for the estate named Menabilly, but Menabilly is only just discovered in the period covered by this book. By far the most important site to her development was the house her family named Ferryside, in Bodinnick. This was the place she felt happiest; this was the place where she was able to focus on her writing and complete her first novels.
After Ferryside, all the strands of her life that go into making her who she is begin to multiply and weave together. Du Maurier not only tells of how she became a writer, she shows how she became a woman, and an adult, and a writer, and making the argument that all those things, including the development of her intellect, creativity, writing, sexuality, and connection to place, are inextricably linked together, and of how she left childhood behind. The diaries end when this process ended, du Maurier insisting this was a conscious decision on her part.
Some argue that when a writer creates a memoir using fiction writing techniques like theme and foreshadowing, that the book should properly be termed a fictional memoir. However, this designation gives the impression that the work is partly or largely an invention. A memoir that contains fictional elements is properly called a fictive biography, and du Maurier’s book contains no fiction. The extensive use of her diary made certain of that.
The memoirs pace moves ever more rapidly as it progresses and becomes ever more engrossing as du Maurier ages into young adulthood, especially the Paris adventures and the events once the family makes the move to Ferryside. With skillful use of selected detail and judicious quotes from the diary written while these events took place, du Maurier succeeds in drawing us into her story. The reader understands those things du Maurier herself felt important to her development as a writer, and feels an understanding of du Maurier as a person. This later is unlikely, really, because there is likely far more that du Maurier felt private about herself than she allows here, but the feeling of coming to know and understand du Maurier as a person persists, which is of course what the writer intended. Moreover, to have the reader feel they know you and understand you, yet keep most of your life and thoughts private, takes a special kind of genius.
This memoir covers du Maurier's life from childhood to early adulthood when she felt herself established as a writer. She was aided in the writing by reference to a diary she kept from age 12 to age 25. When du Maurier feels it appropriate to the narrative she quotes directly from these diaries.
The early portions of the book are less satisfying than the whole. At times in these early sections there is not enough happening in the way of meaningful anecdote, and the narrative at times feels like a catalogue of relatives and of houses the du Mauriers lived in over the years. In these sections Daphne gives the impression her family were well-to-do wanderers.
As du Maurier becomes older the pace increases and the anecdotes become more interesting. She continues to trace the beginnings of her creative life, but in increased detail and relevance. She moves through the years, summarizing general events, pausing artfully on occasion for greater emphasis on a particular incident. Du Maurier selects the details of her past life that she chooses to share both for inherent interest and for relevance to the theme as stated in the title, though Daphne du Maurier the writer comes to mean equally Daphne du Maurier the person.
Du Maurier shows the reader the make-believe games of childhood, her preference for adult conversation even as a teenager, her first sexual experiences, her prodigious reading, the various estates, and eventually her writing. The reader learns that the care shown to mention and evoke in detail the various estates she lived reveal her vital connection to a sense of place. The physical spaces she inhabited are as integral a part of her development as the other factors stated above. This strong identification with physical place formed a part of her identity as a writer and as a person. Fans know of her love for the estate named Menabilly, but Menabilly is only just discovered in the period covered by this book. By far the most important site to her development was the house her family named Ferryside, in Bodinnick. This was the place she felt happiest; this was the place where she was able to focus on her writing and complete her first novels.
After Ferryside, all the strands of her life that go into making her who she is begin to multiply and weave together. Du Maurier not only tells of how she became a writer, she shows how she became a woman, and an adult, and a writer, and making the argument that all those things, including the development of her intellect, creativity, writing, sexuality, and connection to place, are inextricably linked together, and of how she left childhood behind. The diaries end when this process ended, du Maurier insisting this was a conscious decision on her part.
Some argue that when a writer creates a memoir using fiction writing techniques like theme and foreshadowing, that the book should properly be termed a fictional memoir. However, this designation gives the impression that the work is partly or largely an invention. A memoir that contains fictional elements is properly called a fictive biography, and du Maurier’s book contains no fiction. The extensive use of her diary made certain of that.
The memoirs pace moves ever more rapidly as it progresses and becomes ever more engrossing as du Maurier ages into young adulthood, especially the Paris adventures and the events once the family makes the move to Ferryside. With skillful use of selected detail and judicious quotes from the diary written while these events took place, du Maurier succeeds in drawing us into her story. The reader understands those things du Maurier herself felt important to her development as a writer, and feels an understanding of du Maurier as a person. This later is unlikely, really, because there is likely far more that du Maurier felt private about herself than she allows here, but the feeling of coming to know and understand du Maurier as a person persists, which is of course what the writer intended. Moreover, to have the reader feel they know you and understand you, yet keep most of your life and thoughts private, takes a special kind of genius.
Read
May 15, 2021Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
Read for Daphne du Maurier Reading Week 2021 (and finished on her birthday!)
I enjoyed this memoir that covered du Maurier's early life, from childhood through the publication of her first book and ending with her marriage. It was fascinating to learn how she was already a storyteller from age four, wondering about and questioning the things and people around her, already creating her own imaginative world to escape the social mold expected of her. Her fascination with Cornwall and with the house Menabilly that figures so importantly in Rebecca and other novels is also interesting to learn about. But the writing gets sketchier and hastier at the end, as she finds freedom through her writing and then escapes on a boat with her new husband. The reality must have been more complex, but one senses that as in her fiction, she plays with both hiding and revealing information to the reader.
Read for Daphne du Maurier Reading Week 2021 (and finished on her birthday!)
I enjoyed this memoir that covered du Maurier's early life, from childhood through the publication of her first book and ending with her marriage. It was fascinating to learn how she was already a storyteller from age four, wondering about and questioning the things and people around her, already creating her own imaginative world to escape the social mold expected of her. Her fascination with Cornwall and with the house Menabilly that figures so importantly in Rebecca and other novels is also interesting to learn about. But the writing gets sketchier and hastier at the end, as she finds freedom through her writing and then escapes on a boat with her new husband. The reality must have been more complex, but one senses that as in her fiction, she plays with both hiding and revealing information to the reader.
November 29, 2022
The picture on the front of this book does scream - goodness, how dreadfully posh I am. I read a lot (but not all) of her novels years ago, and recently, having listened to Justine Picardie's "Daphne" find myself coming back to her. Although I'm returning via the biographies, having read about Bramwell I've moved on to a young Daphne. I already knew a bit about her, but this tale, which goes from birth to mid twenties and just married, only cements the fact that she was incredibly priviledged. And no one can help where they're born or the circumstances life sets them up with, but I don't know if she realised how lucky she was rolling straight into a writing career in her early twenties, via having enough family money that she never had to work and all that glorious, stress-free leisure time to just sit and write. And then family connections to get publishing houses and editors to look at her work straight away. I'm not saying she wasn't talented, but one wonders if she had been born to a northern working class family and had to go out to work to make ends meet, whether the writing career would have even ever happened.
What if, what if...
It's interesting, and certainly gives a certain slant on things. There's this cousin Geoffry who is twice her age and seems to have some kind of casual, incestuous relationship with her, although she brushes it aside as piffle. Then the odd random, and unsettling comment about her father being jealous and possessive. I will have to read her biography of her father sometime.
As we only see the beginning of her writing career, which she is often underwhelmingly unexcited about, it's perhaps not always the most exciting story. Tales of jollies in London, increasing time spent in Cornwall when the family purchase a second home (the early roots of the Cornish trend for second homes??), and glimpses of where she will end up living later in life. And the finishing school in France and a long friendship with one of the French teachers. As I say, a very priviledged life.
One of my favourite bits was in her early childhood, when she'd play imaginary games based on what she'd been reading. Imagining a very young Daphne standing with a wheelbarrow outside the house, shouting "bring out your dead!" whilst her younger sister threw the teddy bears out of the window.
What if, what if...
It's interesting, and certainly gives a certain slant on things. There's this cousin Geoffry who is twice her age and seems to have some kind of casual, incestuous relationship with her, although she brushes it aside as piffle. Then the odd random, and unsettling comment about her father being jealous and possessive. I will have to read her biography of her father sometime.
As we only see the beginning of her writing career, which she is often underwhelmingly unexcited about, it's perhaps not always the most exciting story. Tales of jollies in London, increasing time spent in Cornwall when the family purchase a second home (the early roots of the Cornish trend for second homes??), and glimpses of where she will end up living later in life. And the finishing school in France and a long friendship with one of the French teachers. As I say, a very priviledged life.
One of my favourite bits was in her early childhood, when she'd play imaginary games based on what she'd been reading. Imagining a very young Daphne standing with a wheelbarrow outside the house, shouting "bring out your dead!" whilst her younger sister threw the teddy bears out of the window.
November 15, 2010
A fantastic read about the younger years of Daphne du Maurier and how she started writing.
This book taught me that all writers have reservations about how good their works are and the first thing to get published is the hardest "labor" so to speak.
I saw how her love of sailing, her rememberance in great details about the houses she lived in growing up, and her independence of not wanting to be tied down, came to play in the writing of Rebecca.
I absolutely loved the pictures that were included with this treasure. It's fun to have a visual representation of the people we only imagine from reading the text.
Now, I'm looking forward to reading Daphne's other novels, especially,Jamaica Inn, and The Loving Spirit
This book taught me that all writers have reservations about how good their works are and the first thing to get published is the hardest "labor" so to speak.
I saw how her love of sailing, her rememberance in great details about the houses she lived in growing up, and her independence of not wanting to be tied down, came to play in the writing of Rebecca.
I absolutely loved the pictures that were included with this treasure. It's fun to have a visual representation of the people we only imagine from reading the text.
Now, I'm looking forward to reading Daphne's other novels, especially,Jamaica Inn, and The Loving Spirit
April 12, 2023
Engrossing (and hilarious at times) .
I loved this so much .
Daphne and her sisters reminded me quite a bit of the Radlett girls from Nancy Mitfords Love in A Cold Climate .
Same era but more than that.
I loved reading about her father , the theatre world .
and her chatting about her early writing .
The best part was her explorations of Cornwall and discovery of the beautiful house, Menabilly , which figured prominently in Rebecca,.
My only dislike was the really inappropriate relationship with her MUCH OLDER cousin(?). (He was ugh.)
Her parents suspected this relationship and disapproved but it was obvious that she wouldn't be told . Headstrong and wilful but brilliant.
Odd times..
I loved this so much .
Daphne and her sisters reminded me quite a bit of the Radlett girls from Nancy Mitfords Love in A Cold Climate .
Same era but more than that.
I loved reading about her father , the theatre world .
and her chatting about her early writing .
The best part was her explorations of Cornwall and discovery of the beautiful house, Menabilly , which figured prominently in Rebecca,.
My only dislike was the really inappropriate relationship with her MUCH OLDER cousin(?). (He was ugh.)
Her parents suspected this relationship and disapproved but it was obvious that she wouldn't be told . Headstrong and wilful but brilliant.
Odd times..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2025
This autobiography was written by Daphne du Maurier, and taken from her childhood diaries. It was intended to be part one of two parts, however, sadly the second part was never published due to the authors death. This first part spans the time from her formative years and earliest memories to when she met her husband when she was 25 years old.
Daphne du Maurier, was an author I had always known about and had always ‘meant’ to read, but it wasn’t until last year (2024) that I actually did just that. The first book I read was the one considered to be her masterpiece, Rebecca and for me it was just that. I then went on to read Jamaica Inn, The Scapegoat, Julius, The House on the Strand, Rule Britannia and the short stories The Breakthrough, and The Birds and other stories (the other stories being Monte Verita, The Apple Tree, Kiss Me Again Stranger and The Old Man). I was surprised, there was a distinct ‘edge’ to all her stories and it was clear this was an author who defied being pigeon holed into a specific genre. This year, (so far) I have read three more of her books, Loving Spirit, I’ll Never be Young Again and My Cousin Rachel. I am yet to read a book by this author I don’t like and I discovered reoccurring themes through her stories, those of women defying the socially acceptable expectations and also uncomfortable and questionable family relationships. That led me on to seeking out more information on this very talented author. It was at this point I went down an internet rabbit hole and discovered a lot of things about Daphne du Maurier and what an incredibly complex person she was, along with the dubious and inappropriate relationship she had with her father and older cousin.
So, when I spotted this particular book, I didn’t think twice about buying it. It was an incredible historical study of life of the wealthy in London in the early part of the twentieth century, through the first world war and into the 1920’s and early 30’s and how a little girl saw that world and the events of that time.
It is clear that Daphne du Maurier had a privileged upbringing, but what is also clear is that she was a troubled complex child, with many mental health issues becoming apparent from a young age. It was clear she suffered from social anxiety and preferred to be alone. She also had difficulty regulating her emotions and fell into periods of what would now be called depressive episodes. It was clear she had confusion about her sexuality from a very young age, as she recalls her constant longing to be a boy, going as far as creating a male alter ego, who she would pretend to be and create a fantasy play world around his adventures and exploits. What isn’t talked about openly is the relationship with her dad, although what she does write says there was more to it than what she was letting on. From what she does write, it is clear he was an incredibly controlling, manipulative and possessive father – and I would suggest, verging on obsessive at times. However, it is also clear she loved him deeply. Then again, she also loved her cousin who also clearly had inappropriate feelings towards her. He was in his 30’s and she was just 14 when he first became interested in her. She makes it clear that nothing sexual ever happened between them, although she does admit to kissing him, and she writes that he admitted years later to having sexual feelings towards her when she was a child even though he never acted upon them. Her relationship with her mother was strained. She admits to wondering if her mother ever really loved her, and as a young child she drew parallels with her mother to a book character of a wicked snow queen who killed a boy by turning his blood to ice.
She was clearly a very intelligent child, and as she preferred solitude she read a lot. She questioned everything and had an astonishingly creative mind. When the story reaches her teenage years, her memories are backed up by diary entries of that time. She admits that the male character she adopted as a young child, became the basis of the lead male characters in her stories, The House on the Strand, I’ll Never Be Young Again, My Cousin Rachel and The Scapegoat. Her time at finishing school and all the places she visited are talked about, but it is when she goes to Cornwall and the family buy a home down there that you see the inspiration forming for a number of her future books as she falls in love with the place. You see the place which became the basis of her first novel Loving Spirit and she details the process of writing that particular story and getting it published. She also repeatedly talks about feeling free in Cornwall – free to be herself, without the perceived judgement of her family. The final part of the book tells of how she met her husband. Her future husband Major Browning read her debut novel Loving Spirit and specifically went to Cornwall to see the places which inspired it and while there he sought her out. The book ends on a high point with her marriage to Major Browning and going on honeymoon.
It was certainly a captivating and compelling story, despite the fact key events were glossed over, or even omitted.
Daphne du Maurier, was an author I had always known about and had always ‘meant’ to read, but it wasn’t until last year (2024) that I actually did just that. The first book I read was the one considered to be her masterpiece, Rebecca and for me it was just that. I then went on to read Jamaica Inn, The Scapegoat, Julius, The House on the Strand, Rule Britannia and the short stories The Breakthrough, and The Birds and other stories (the other stories being Monte Verita, The Apple Tree, Kiss Me Again Stranger and The Old Man). I was surprised, there was a distinct ‘edge’ to all her stories and it was clear this was an author who defied being pigeon holed into a specific genre. This year, (so far) I have read three more of her books, Loving Spirit, I’ll Never be Young Again and My Cousin Rachel. I am yet to read a book by this author I don’t like and I discovered reoccurring themes through her stories, those of women defying the socially acceptable expectations and also uncomfortable and questionable family relationships. That led me on to seeking out more information on this very talented author. It was at this point I went down an internet rabbit hole and discovered a lot of things about Daphne du Maurier and what an incredibly complex person she was, along with the dubious and inappropriate relationship she had with her father and older cousin.
So, when I spotted this particular book, I didn’t think twice about buying it. It was an incredible historical study of life of the wealthy in London in the early part of the twentieth century, through the first world war and into the 1920’s and early 30’s and how a little girl saw that world and the events of that time.
It is clear that Daphne du Maurier had a privileged upbringing, but what is also clear is that she was a troubled complex child, with many mental health issues becoming apparent from a young age. It was clear she suffered from social anxiety and preferred to be alone. She also had difficulty regulating her emotions and fell into periods of what would now be called depressive episodes. It was clear she had confusion about her sexuality from a very young age, as she recalls her constant longing to be a boy, going as far as creating a male alter ego, who she would pretend to be and create a fantasy play world around his adventures and exploits. What isn’t talked about openly is the relationship with her dad, although what she does write says there was more to it than what she was letting on. From what she does write, it is clear he was an incredibly controlling, manipulative and possessive father – and I would suggest, verging on obsessive at times. However, it is also clear she loved him deeply. Then again, she also loved her cousin who also clearly had inappropriate feelings towards her. He was in his 30’s and she was just 14 when he first became interested in her. She makes it clear that nothing sexual ever happened between them, although she does admit to kissing him, and she writes that he admitted years later to having sexual feelings towards her when she was a child even though he never acted upon them. Her relationship with her mother was strained. She admits to wondering if her mother ever really loved her, and as a young child she drew parallels with her mother to a book character of a wicked snow queen who killed a boy by turning his blood to ice.
She was clearly a very intelligent child, and as she preferred solitude she read a lot. She questioned everything and had an astonishingly creative mind. When the story reaches her teenage years, her memories are backed up by diary entries of that time. She admits that the male character she adopted as a young child, became the basis of the lead male characters in her stories, The House on the Strand, I’ll Never Be Young Again, My Cousin Rachel and The Scapegoat. Her time at finishing school and all the places she visited are talked about, but it is when she goes to Cornwall and the family buy a home down there that you see the inspiration forming for a number of her future books as she falls in love with the place. You see the place which became the basis of her first novel Loving Spirit and she details the process of writing that particular story and getting it published. She also repeatedly talks about feeling free in Cornwall – free to be herself, without the perceived judgement of her family. The final part of the book tells of how she met her husband. Her future husband Major Browning read her debut novel Loving Spirit and specifically went to Cornwall to see the places which inspired it and while there he sought her out. The book ends on a high point with her marriage to Major Browning and going on honeymoon.
It was certainly a captivating and compelling story, despite the fact key events were glossed over, or even omitted.
October 5, 2022
A fun and interesting true account of an inspiring female writer in the early 20th century
January 14, 2023
An interesting book, it definitely helped me to understand the mindset in which she wrote her books.
December 24, 2021
I have been enjoying reading about Daphne du Maurier's family, having read "MaryAnne" and "The Glassblowers" in past years, this November I enjoyed her account on her father ("Gerald: A Portrait"), her grandparents and her great grandparents, (The du Mauriers"). In finishing up with her autobiography, "Myself When Young" and I am currently reading on my Fire device, "Enchanted Cornwell: My Pictorial Memoir" which has wonderful color photos, reading that slower, so I don't know how much overlap there is compared to "Myself When Young" but there is a fair amount, worth reading for extra comments given by Daphne. There are pictures in "Myself When Young" but reading on my Kindle, not sure if they are only black and white.
Having read all her works regarding her family and herself, I have a better understanding of her and her novels. She uses her diary to quote from and then expounds on that time of her life. This book ends with her marriage to Browning and I would love if her daughter, Flavia's biography on her mother was available on Kindle. Having read almost all the books she mentions in this autobiography, I found her comments about her books quite interesting. I had known that her first novel, "The Loving Spirit" was about Jane Slade family from Fowley but not how this captured her imagination and seeing other estates had them in mind for her story, "Rebecca". This is a must for any fan of Daphne and this gives her a wonderfully real persona.
Understanding her relationship with her father was explained in "Gerald, A Portrait" but Daphne tells a little more about him and her whole family.
I am glad that Daphne did not get tempted into a film career after a screen test offer was tempting but she knew her mind and would not be swayed.
My heart goes out to this dog lover who had lost many dogs due to tragedies and the du Maurier love of animals which the male line especially showed their concern for them through their actions.
I could go on and tell more but I hope I enticed you enough to read her account of her family herself in her novels. I loved "Rebecca" and her other books but if I had to choose a favorite form, it would be her fictionalized family account. Why? Because the people are real and fascinating, and mostly because you can feel her love shine through. She had mentioned the first time she felt pride for her ancestors, after her father told her stories and this continued to her written word.
I know next time I read Daphne, it will be "Julius", having been mentioned in this book. 💕
Having read all her works regarding her family and herself, I have a better understanding of her and her novels. She uses her diary to quote from and then expounds on that time of her life. This book ends with her marriage to Browning and I would love if her daughter, Flavia's biography on her mother was available on Kindle. Having read almost all the books she mentions in this autobiography, I found her comments about her books quite interesting. I had known that her first novel, "The Loving Spirit" was about Jane Slade family from Fowley but not how this captured her imagination and seeing other estates had them in mind for her story, "Rebecca". This is a must for any fan of Daphne and this gives her a wonderfully real persona.
Understanding her relationship with her father was explained in "Gerald, A Portrait" but Daphne tells a little more about him and her whole family.
I am glad that Daphne did not get tempted into a film career after a screen test offer was tempting but she knew her mind and would not be swayed.
My heart goes out to this dog lover who had lost many dogs due to tragedies and the du Maurier love of animals which the male line especially showed their concern for them through their actions.
I could go on and tell more but I hope I enticed you enough to read her account of her family herself in her novels. I loved "Rebecca" and her other books but if I had to choose a favorite form, it would be her fictionalized family account. Why? Because the people are real and fascinating, and mostly because you can feel her love shine through. She had mentioned the first time she felt pride for her ancestors, after her father told her stories and this continued to her written word.
I know next time I read Daphne, it will be "Julius", having been mentioned in this book. 💕
April 18, 2020
“All autobiography is self-indulgent”; so said Daphne du Maurier, whose books so many of us have read and loved. Who can forget “Rebecca”, “My Cousin Rachel”, “The Loving Spirit”, “Frenchman's Creek”, to name just a few of her novels? Hence, an opportunity to read about this writer in her own words in a book she calls “Myself When Young. The Shaping of A Writer”, is not something lovers of English Literature can let pass.
Autobiography is also a mirror reflecting the writer's mind, soul and spirit. This book, published as a memoir to celebrate du Maurier's seventieth birthday, was not one she was happy about writing. It is the first volume of an autobiography that never got completed. Yet, it helps us understand the complex, elusive Daphne du Maurier to quite an extent.
“Myself When Young” includes a very enlightening introduction by Helena Taylor, a very succinct, modest and honest “Author's Note” (in keeping with her character), and of course, du Maurier's account of her life from the age of three to twenty five (most of which is information gleaned from the diaries she kept from the age of twelve to twenty five). It is a record of her “thoughts, impressions and actions”. She admits that there is nothing profound or wise in it. (However, this 195-page memoir is replete with observations and quotes which are food for thought). She feels that if this book (originally named “Growing Pains: The Shaping of a Writer), causes her contemporaries to recall their own memories and encourages young writers, her writing will have been worthwhile.
du Maurier was a loner from childhood and became a recluse in her old age. A reading of the book shows how she longed for, and was happy with, her own company, the countryside and most notable, the sea. She valued “freedom from all ties” (even at the tender age of twenty two), and sought tranquility above everything. She loved sailing deeply and whole-heartedly, saying that she felt completely at peace and pure when she was at sea, and that everything seemed, “beautiful and eternal”. Her idea for her first novel, “The Loving Spirit”, came from a schooner “Jane Slade', and its title from a poem by Emily Bronte. Quite a few of her works centre around the sea. She also loved to explore the woods and even get lost in it. The seeds of many of her stories were sown when she was out in nature.
This writer had an intriguing personality. She writes frankly about her shortcomings (both in her character and her writing), and makes no excuses for them. Her attachment to her parents was never intense and her relationship with her two sisters was close and companionable, despite the fact that she was so different from them. She writes “Angela and Jeanne were content with their lives. Why did I have to be different?.....They had no desire to break away as I did.”. She did have feelings for a married, 36-year-old cousin, Geoffrey, (whose holding her hand under the rug when she was fourteen, had first awakened an instict in her), a lot of affection for Carol Reed, a “tall, slim-hipped” 22-year -old director, an attraction for Fernandes, her French teacher, and an enduring friendship with Adams, a sailor.
The du Maurier family frequently changed houses; these houses served as sources for some of her stories which were of succeeding generations; each had its own identity and linked the past with the present: “We are all ghosts of yesterday”. People and things pass away, but not places”. Family history was delved into and represented. Abstract concepts of family, generation and continuity played important parts in her fiction, as well as, biography.
She says she “hated being obvious in any form or fashion”. She believed that, regardless of what anyone said, there had to be “Truth, no striving after cleverness, nor cheap and ready-made wit. Sincerity – beauty – purity”. There was an underlying depression in all her themes – which she realized full well, but couldn't get rid of. She also wondered why she felt so sad thinking of a past she had never known and why this past had such a strong hold over her. It was always the past, “just out of reach, waiting to be captured”. She also wonders if “ happiness will always elude her, lying just ahead round the corner”. Other features present in her stories were discontent and a desire to escape, and because many writers look for an “elsewhere” to feel at home, and women readers have a deep craving to be somebody else, somewhere, they could cater to these needs.
This book, considered an autobiographical romance, sketches the writer's development into “creative freedom and independence”. Reading it has made me want to read her novels again, this time with a clearer and wider perception. It is really very interesting to know about how she was feeling as she was growing up, and the confusions, anxieties and aspirations she faced on the way. Her comments about herself and her writing process, are analytical and revelatory.
du Maurier always played heroic manly roles in childhood games and from an early age, identified with male heroes. She had invented a male alter-ego for herself, Eric Avon, who disappeared for a while, but resurfaced as the male narrator of five of her novels. Acting was in her genes and Eric was part of a dramatic role she was only too happy to play. She identified closely with male mentors. Finding her grandfather's old diary, she was charmed by his changing moods and realized how much like him she was. All these things bring out the gender confusion and bisexual feelings (in her words “Victorian tendencies”), and her impatience with feminine roles and responsibilities. She was concerned about the “constraints and sheer dullness of orthodox femininity in early to mid-twentieth century fiction”. She was influenced mainly by women writers who were of the same opinions. She pays a huge tribute to Emily Bronte and acknowledges a big debt to all the Bronte sisters and Katherine Mansfield.
Daphne du Maurier refers to herself as “a spinner of webs, a weaver of imaginary tales”. Her memoir concludes with her sailing away down the Helford River and Frenchman's Creek with her just-wedded husband, Major Browning. This may be taken as a symbol of her always trying to get away from reality through her fancies. It also marks the end of one phase of her life, and the beginning of another.
Autobiography is also a mirror reflecting the writer's mind, soul and spirit. This book, published as a memoir to celebrate du Maurier's seventieth birthday, was not one she was happy about writing. It is the first volume of an autobiography that never got completed. Yet, it helps us understand the complex, elusive Daphne du Maurier to quite an extent.
“Myself When Young” includes a very enlightening introduction by Helena Taylor, a very succinct, modest and honest “Author's Note” (in keeping with her character), and of course, du Maurier's account of her life from the age of three to twenty five (most of which is information gleaned from the diaries she kept from the age of twelve to twenty five). It is a record of her “thoughts, impressions and actions”. She admits that there is nothing profound or wise in it. (However, this 195-page memoir is replete with observations and quotes which are food for thought). She feels that if this book (originally named “Growing Pains: The Shaping of a Writer), causes her contemporaries to recall their own memories and encourages young writers, her writing will have been worthwhile.
du Maurier was a loner from childhood and became a recluse in her old age. A reading of the book shows how she longed for, and was happy with, her own company, the countryside and most notable, the sea. She valued “freedom from all ties” (even at the tender age of twenty two), and sought tranquility above everything. She loved sailing deeply and whole-heartedly, saying that she felt completely at peace and pure when she was at sea, and that everything seemed, “beautiful and eternal”. Her idea for her first novel, “The Loving Spirit”, came from a schooner “Jane Slade', and its title from a poem by Emily Bronte. Quite a few of her works centre around the sea. She also loved to explore the woods and even get lost in it. The seeds of many of her stories were sown when she was out in nature.
This writer had an intriguing personality. She writes frankly about her shortcomings (both in her character and her writing), and makes no excuses for them. Her attachment to her parents was never intense and her relationship with her two sisters was close and companionable, despite the fact that she was so different from them. She writes “Angela and Jeanne were content with their lives. Why did I have to be different?.....They had no desire to break away as I did.”. She did have feelings for a married, 36-year-old cousin, Geoffrey, (whose holding her hand under the rug when she was fourteen, had first awakened an instict in her), a lot of affection for Carol Reed, a “tall, slim-hipped” 22-year -old director, an attraction for Fernandes, her French teacher, and an enduring friendship with Adams, a sailor.
The du Maurier family frequently changed houses; these houses served as sources for some of her stories which were of succeeding generations; each had its own identity and linked the past with the present: “We are all ghosts of yesterday”. People and things pass away, but not places”. Family history was delved into and represented. Abstract concepts of family, generation and continuity played important parts in her fiction, as well as, biography.
She says she “hated being obvious in any form or fashion”. She believed that, regardless of what anyone said, there had to be “Truth, no striving after cleverness, nor cheap and ready-made wit. Sincerity – beauty – purity”. There was an underlying depression in all her themes – which she realized full well, but couldn't get rid of. She also wondered why she felt so sad thinking of a past she had never known and why this past had such a strong hold over her. It was always the past, “just out of reach, waiting to be captured”. She also wonders if “ happiness will always elude her, lying just ahead round the corner”. Other features present in her stories were discontent and a desire to escape, and because many writers look for an “elsewhere” to feel at home, and women readers have a deep craving to be somebody else, somewhere, they could cater to these needs.
This book, considered an autobiographical romance, sketches the writer's development into “creative freedom and independence”. Reading it has made me want to read her novels again, this time with a clearer and wider perception. It is really very interesting to know about how she was feeling as she was growing up, and the confusions, anxieties and aspirations she faced on the way. Her comments about herself and her writing process, are analytical and revelatory.
du Maurier always played heroic manly roles in childhood games and from an early age, identified with male heroes. She had invented a male alter-ego for herself, Eric Avon, who disappeared for a while, but resurfaced as the male narrator of five of her novels. Acting was in her genes and Eric was part of a dramatic role she was only too happy to play. She identified closely with male mentors. Finding her grandfather's old diary, she was charmed by his changing moods and realized how much like him she was. All these things bring out the gender confusion and bisexual feelings (in her words “Victorian tendencies”), and her impatience with feminine roles and responsibilities. She was concerned about the “constraints and sheer dullness of orthodox femininity in early to mid-twentieth century fiction”. She was influenced mainly by women writers who were of the same opinions. She pays a huge tribute to Emily Bronte and acknowledges a big debt to all the Bronte sisters and Katherine Mansfield.
Daphne du Maurier refers to herself as “a spinner of webs, a weaver of imaginary tales”. Her memoir concludes with her sailing away down the Helford River and Frenchman's Creek with her just-wedded husband, Major Browning. This may be taken as a symbol of her always trying to get away from reality through her fancies. It also marks the end of one phase of her life, and the beginning of another.
February 27, 2024
Daphne du Maurier was 70 years old when she wrote this coming of age memoir using the diaries she kept between the ages of thirteen and twenty five (1920-1932).
Starting with her childhood in London and finishing with her marriage to Major Browning in Cornwall there is no doubt, she led an exceptionally idyllic early life - was introduced to all kinds of people, holidayed frequently all over Europe and went to finishing school in Paris.
But she found London restrictive, and when the family bought a second home in Cornwall, it was the freedom this offered that was a massive turning point in her life and gave her the privacy, independence and inspiration to succeed in her writing.
I particularly enjoyed learning about what books she read during these years (R L Stevenson, Katherine Mansfield, Guy de Maupassant, John Goldsworthy) and how the places she went to in Cornwall, later influenced her novels and reading about her discovery of Menabilly (Manderley), was simply superb. I really didn't want it to end.
Starting with her childhood in London and finishing with her marriage to Major Browning in Cornwall there is no doubt, she led an exceptionally idyllic early life - was introduced to all kinds of people, holidayed frequently all over Europe and went to finishing school in Paris.
But she found London restrictive, and when the family bought a second home in Cornwall, it was the freedom this offered that was a massive turning point in her life and gave her the privacy, independence and inspiration to succeed in her writing.
I particularly enjoyed learning about what books she read during these years (R L Stevenson, Katherine Mansfield, Guy de Maupassant, John Goldsworthy) and how the places she went to in Cornwall, later influenced her novels and reading about her discovery of Menabilly (Manderley), was simply superb. I really didn't want it to end.
March 31, 2010
I love Du Maurier's panache. Her clearly very...shall we say "comfortable" lifestyle made me roll my eyes a bit and wonder if I just need to be independently wealthy to be a productive writer. That's probably jealousy speaking. :)
February 23, 2012
One of my favorite author bios, but now out of print. She was a master writer, for sure.
May 26, 2012
"The child destined to be a writer is vulnerable to every wind that blows."
[from "Myself When Young"]
[from "Myself When Young"]
June 2, 2015
Good memoir of her early years as a writer. Beautiful photgraphs as well. Oh -- to be wealthy and talented!
December 9, 2018
I could not put this memoir down! All chores had to wait until I was done with the magic of Ms. Du Maurier's life as a child, teen, and then young woman. This memoir outlines the inner impressions of a young girl on her way to becoming one of the most beloved novelists and short -storyist of the early 20th century. If you don't know the stories Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, Flight of the Falcon, House on the Strand, My Cousin Rachel, and so many more...you are missing out on some of the most addictive reading you'll find. If you haven't read her, you may know her stories from the many film adaptations, including the Hitchcock classics. This memoir shows a young girl craving solitude and the chance to write and dream without worrying about the call of London society, or being too tortured by her complicated and famous family. She immerses herself into the raw Cornish elements of fishing, and wandering the moors like a modern day Tess of the D'Ubervilles, soaking up the local history and legends. I was happy to find this memoir hiding on the shelf as Daphne has been one of my favorite author's since first discovering her in college, and falling in love with the films inspired by her writing.
September 16, 2019
The enigmatic woman who gave us "Rebecca" tells HER version of her early life.
When a book touches or intrigues you, it's natural to want to know more about the author. When you investigate, you may be delighted, disappointed, or puzzled. Daphne du Maurier wrote complex novels about people with secrets. She wrote several books about her life and her family and others have written about her.
Theoretically, we should be able to able to get a clear picture of who she was and the people and events that shaped her. But autobiographies can be written to conceal as well as inform and at least some of what du Maurier wrote about herself and her family is contradicted by other sources. The du Mauriers were complicated people and figuring them out isn't easy.
Daphne's grandfather was a famous novelist and cartoonist. Her father Gerald du Maurier was London's most prominent actor/producer. Her mother was a beautiful former actress. Her older sister became an actress and then a novelist. Her younger sister became an artist. She married one of the most decorated and best-known military men to emerge from WWII.
From birth, she was surrounded by people who had both public and private lives. It was a time when privacy was respected by the press and few "fans" knew much about the real people behind the public personas they admired. Gerald's friend J.M. Barrie ("Peter Pan") had strong incentive to shield his private actions from the public. Did Gerald?
The book traces Daphne's life (as she perceived it) from birth to her marriage. She was the middle of three daughters and was intended to be the son Gerald wanted. She grew up longing to be a boy with the freedom that only males enjoyed at the time. Her father demanded all of his wife's attention and his daughters were raised by a series of nannies and nurses. Angela was out-going and eager to be part of her parents' lives, but Daphne was shy and preferred to live in the shadows and immerse herself in the make-believe world that was more real to her than anything else.
She believed that she wanted to live an active (i.e. male) life but from early on her actions were designed to achieve the solitude she craved. While her family tried to push her into acting, she was determined to be a writer which she could do alone.
A watershed event was the purchase by the family of a second home in Cornwall. Daphne became obsessed by the sea and sailing and was determined to be able to support herself so that she could live there full time. Eventually, she did achieve it and it's no coincidence that she married a man who loved the sea as much as she did. She lived in Cornwall for the rest of her life.
Her picture of herself, her parents and the other people in their world is fascinating, but is it complete or did she leave out facts which would have been too shocking? At 80, many people are able to write more honestly about themselves and their parents than they would have at an earlier age, but there is some evidence that the du Mauriers had secrets which she might not have wanted to make public at any time.
It's certain that her father was obsessed with his daughters, especially Daphne. She writes that he often regaled his daughters with stories of his romantic conquests. The extent to which he was determined to keep her at home and away from other men is suspicious. She lightly attributes it to the over-protectiveness of parents in that era. Some observers claim that Gerald du Maurier was in love with his daughters and determined to keep them for himself. Which is true?
She writes (carefully!) of her romantic relationship with her much-older, married cousin Geoffry du Maurier. It started when she was 14 and she claims it remained non-sexual except for kisses. In her view, it was simply a delightful relationship which awoke her to the romantic possibilities of life and ended in friendship. Today it would be considered grounds for arrest!
This book is, not surprisingly, beautifully written and a charming read. But there's always a sense that the author is telling only that which she wishes to be known. She was not an open-hearted person and her writing reflects that.
I have her book about her father's life and plan to read it as soon as possible. I want to get her book about the du Maurier family and the one by her daughter Flavia, who also suffered from second-daughter-supposed-to-be-a-son syndrome. And I want to read her sister Angela's two autobiographies, neither of which are available in Kindle.
It's likely impossible to pierce the shield of privacy Daphne du Maurier built up around herself. It was honed in her childhood, when she learned by necessity to hide her feelings from her parents. But every book by her or about her adds a small piece to the puzzle of the woman who wrote "Rebecca." I think it's worth the effort.
When a book touches or intrigues you, it's natural to want to know more about the author. When you investigate, you may be delighted, disappointed, or puzzled. Daphne du Maurier wrote complex novels about people with secrets. She wrote several books about her life and her family and others have written about her.
Theoretically, we should be able to able to get a clear picture of who she was and the people and events that shaped her. But autobiographies can be written to conceal as well as inform and at least some of what du Maurier wrote about herself and her family is contradicted by other sources. The du Mauriers were complicated people and figuring them out isn't easy.
Daphne's grandfather was a famous novelist and cartoonist. Her father Gerald du Maurier was London's most prominent actor/producer. Her mother was a beautiful former actress. Her older sister became an actress and then a novelist. Her younger sister became an artist. She married one of the most decorated and best-known military men to emerge from WWII.
From birth, she was surrounded by people who had both public and private lives. It was a time when privacy was respected by the press and few "fans" knew much about the real people behind the public personas they admired. Gerald's friend J.M. Barrie ("Peter Pan") had strong incentive to shield his private actions from the public. Did Gerald?
The book traces Daphne's life (as she perceived it) from birth to her marriage. She was the middle of three daughters and was intended to be the son Gerald wanted. She grew up longing to be a boy with the freedom that only males enjoyed at the time. Her father demanded all of his wife's attention and his daughters were raised by a series of nannies and nurses. Angela was out-going and eager to be part of her parents' lives, but Daphne was shy and preferred to live in the shadows and immerse herself in the make-believe world that was more real to her than anything else.
She believed that she wanted to live an active (i.e. male) life but from early on her actions were designed to achieve the solitude she craved. While her family tried to push her into acting, she was determined to be a writer which she could do alone.
A watershed event was the purchase by the family of a second home in Cornwall. Daphne became obsessed by the sea and sailing and was determined to be able to support herself so that she could live there full time. Eventually, she did achieve it and it's no coincidence that she married a man who loved the sea as much as she did. She lived in Cornwall for the rest of her life.
Her picture of herself, her parents and the other people in their world is fascinating, but is it complete or did she leave out facts which would have been too shocking? At 80, many people are able to write more honestly about themselves and their parents than they would have at an earlier age, but there is some evidence that the du Mauriers had secrets which she might not have wanted to make public at any time.
It's certain that her father was obsessed with his daughters, especially Daphne. She writes that he often regaled his daughters with stories of his romantic conquests. The extent to which he was determined to keep her at home and away from other men is suspicious. She lightly attributes it to the over-protectiveness of parents in that era. Some observers claim that Gerald du Maurier was in love with his daughters and determined to keep them for himself. Which is true?
She writes (carefully!) of her romantic relationship with her much-older, married cousin Geoffry du Maurier. It started when she was 14 and she claims it remained non-sexual except for kisses. In her view, it was simply a delightful relationship which awoke her to the romantic possibilities of life and ended in friendship. Today it would be considered grounds for arrest!
This book is, not surprisingly, beautifully written and a charming read. But there's always a sense that the author is telling only that which she wishes to be known. She was not an open-hearted person and her writing reflects that.
I have her book about her father's life and plan to read it as soon as possible. I want to get her book about the du Maurier family and the one by her daughter Flavia, who also suffered from second-daughter-supposed-to-be-a-son syndrome. And I want to read her sister Angela's two autobiographies, neither of which are available in Kindle.
It's likely impossible to pierce the shield of privacy Daphne du Maurier built up around herself. It was honed in her childhood, when she learned by necessity to hide her feelings from her parents. But every book by her or about her adds a small piece to the puzzle of the woman who wrote "Rebecca." I think it's worth the effort.
December 10, 2020
Informative and entertaining - enhanced, surely, by my love of DuMaurier's books and my interest in the early years of writers whose work I admire. I enjoyed learning about her family, where she grew up, how she thought about stories and where some of her ideas came from. She states that ideas come into her head without her knowledge ..."and begin some weeks later to open and unfold like the leaves on the trees ... Creation is the same in every way."
On revising-after being told a book was 'too long and would have to be cut,' she crossed out "paragraphs of her own choosing which did not contribute either to characterisation (sic) or to the story....it made a terrific difference for the better. I was ruthless, and crossed out passages that had given me exquisite pleasure to write."
Entry on her 21st birthday:
'I can’t see that years make any difference, or days or hours, it’s things that happen to one that matter. I shan’t look back. No guttering candles and dripping wicks for me. When I go let me go quickly, still a bright flame, no flickering!'
A few photos included. Single quote marks used around actual diary entries.
Introduction and Author's Note included.
On revising-after being told a book was 'too long and would have to be cut,' she crossed out "paragraphs of her own choosing which did not contribute either to characterisation (sic) or to the story....it made a terrific difference for the better. I was ruthless, and crossed out passages that had given me exquisite pleasure to write."
Entry on her 21st birthday:
'I can’t see that years make any difference, or days or hours, it’s things that happen to one that matter. I shan’t look back. No guttering candles and dripping wicks for me. When I go let me go quickly, still a bright flame, no flickering!'
A few photos included. Single quote marks used around actual diary entries.
Introduction and Author's Note included.
December 20, 2020
I'm a huge fan of du Maurier's work so when I found this autobiography, written when she was in her 70's, I was really excited to get an insight in to the mind of a writer that I'm so enamoured with.
Well, you both get that and you don't.
I would have loved to have read more about her distant relationship with her mother but it's mostly glossed over with writing about the various trips she went on and her pining to live alone.
I did, however, enjoy the way she spoke about her writing. She was at times brutal about the process and, as a writer myself, I appreciated that. You could see her passion flowing through these parts of the autobiography and also in the parts where she talked about her lack of stereotypical feminity in the 20's and 30's. I'd have loved a bit more insight in that side of her life but what we had was really interesting.
All in all, this is worth reading if you're a fan of du Maurier's. I just wish there had been a little more.
Well, you both get that and you don't.
I would have loved to have read more about her distant relationship with her mother but it's mostly glossed over with writing about the various trips she went on and her pining to live alone.
I did, however, enjoy the way she spoke about her writing. She was at times brutal about the process and, as a writer myself, I appreciated that. You could see her passion flowing through these parts of the autobiography and also in the parts where she talked about her lack of stereotypical feminity in the 20's and 30's. I'd have loved a bit more insight in that side of her life but what we had was really interesting.
All in all, this is worth reading if you're a fan of du Maurier's. I just wish there had been a little more.
April 16, 2025
Very interesting autobiography of her young, privileged life in the early 20th century. In the age of memoir, it was kind of refreshing to read an unapologetic account of her life, with her wealthy parents and the ability to not have to worry about marrying or working to support herself (which gave her time to explore and write). Of course there's something to be said for putting one's life in a larger context, but I think I might have some sort of memoir exhaustion or something. Whether or not she addresses it, I know her situation wasn't normal or available to most people without her having to go into it. As she tells it, hers was a childhood essentially without any sort of trauma, with comfortable, loving parents. True or not, it was an enjoyable read. She's able to trace the seeds of many of her novels to the experiences in this period of her life, which I found super interesting.
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