Rosamond Lehmann books

Rosamond Lehmann was a British novelist active from the 1920s to the 1970s, known for psychologically acute fiction about women's emotional lives and social constraints.

Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Gipsy’s Baby And Other Stories 1946 Buy
Rosamond Lehmann’s Album 1986 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Letter to a Sister 1932 Buy
A Man Seen Afar 1965 Buy
The Swan in the Evening 1967 Buy
Letters from Our Daughters: Patricia 1971 Buy
Letters from Our Daughters: Sally 1971 Buy
My Dear Alexias 1979 Buy

Olivia Curtis Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Invitation to the Waltz 1932 Buy
The Weather in the Streets 1936 Buy

Rebecca Landon Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Ballad and the Source 1944 Buy
A Sea-Grape Tree 1976 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Dusty Answer 1927 Buy
A Note in Music 1930 Buy
TheGipsy’s Baby 1946 Buy
The Echoing Grove 1953 Buy

Rosamond Lehmann was one of the most admired British novelists of the mid-twentieth century, known for her sensitive, psychologically detailed portrayals of women’s inner lives. Her debut, Dusty Answer (1927), caused a sensation for its frank treatment of female sexuality and same-sex desire. She followed it with A Note in Music (1930) and then the two Olivia Curtis novels, Invitation to the Waltz (1932) and The Weather in the Streets (1936), which trace a young woman from her first dance to a difficult affair.

Lehmann’s later novels, The Ballad and the Source (1944) and The Echoing Grove (1953), are considered among her finest work, dealing with complex family relationships and emotional betrayal. She wrote relatively little after the 1950s, though A Sea-Grape Tree (1976) returned to the character of Rebecca Landon from The Ballad and the Source. Her non-fiction includes The Swan in the Evening (1967), a memoir focused on the death of her daughter and her interest in spiritualism.

Lehmann fell out of fashion for a period but was championed by the Virago Modern Classics reprint series in the 1980s, which brought her work back to a new readership.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Rosamond Lehmann written?

Rosamond Lehmann has written sixteen books across five series.

What was Rosamond Lehmann's first book?

Rosamond Lehmann’s first book is Dusty Answer, published in 1927.

When was Rosamond Lehmann active as a writer?

Rosamond Lehmann published her first novel, Dusty Answer, in 1927 and her last novel, A Sea-Grape Tree, in 1976. She was most active and acclaimed in the 1930s and 1940s, though her work was rediscovered by later generations.

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