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18-461: Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 – November 8, 1990), born Ann Seton , was an American author of historical fiction, or as she preferred they be called, " biographical novels ". Anya Seton was born Ann Seton on January 23, 1904, at her parents' Bryant Park apartment in New York City . Her father, Ernest Thompson Seton , was Boy Scouts of America co-founder, naturalist, and author. Ernest,

36-717: A British immigrant, has notable Scottish lineage in Northumberland . Ernest and his family immigrated to Canada in 1866, later moving to America. Her mother was Grace Gallatin Seton Thompson , an author, suffragist , two-time president of the National League of American Pen Women , and founder of the Campfire Girls. Seton grew up in the Connecticut towns of Cos Cob and Greenwich. Seton

54-557: A popular and critically accepted genre. Some biographical novels bearing only superficial resemblance to the historical novels or introducing elements of other genres that supersede the retelling of the historical narrative, for example Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter follows the plot devices of a vampire fiction closely. Biographical fiction often also falls within the genres of historical fiction or alternative history . Some novels that are known best for their fictional prowess, but include extensive biographical information that

72-585: A substantial sum of money to the infirmary. At the end of Anya Seton 's 1962 novel Devil Water (featuring James , the Earl of Derwentwater and his involvement with the Jacobite rising of 1715 ) she thanks Flagg: "My greatest debt of all is to Miss Amy C. Flagg of Westoe, South Shields, Durham, in England. She is my dear friend and kinswoman: she is above all an indefatigable sleuth. For her researchers through

90-428: Is less obvious to readers. A very good example of this kind is Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield , believed to be the biography of a person the author had known and observed very closely. Biographical novels are frequently the foundation for film adaptations into the filmographic genre of biographical film . In such novels and films, there are main stories and real characters, but changes are made in order to make

108-490: The modern British royal family ; Green Darkness (1973), the story of a modern couple plagued by their past life incarnations; and The Winthrop Woman about the notorious Elizabeth Fones , niece and daughter-in-law of John Winthrop , the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony . Most of her novels have been recently republished, several with forewords by Philippa Gregory . In 2003, Katherine

126-550: The book developed out of her love for Northumberland. She certainly visited her Snowdon cousins at Felton . Billy Pigg , the celebrated Northumbrian piper played "Derwentwater's Farewell" especially for her. The novel shows her typical thorough research of events and places, though the accents are a little wayward. Seton said that her greatest debt of all was to Amy Flagg of Westoe Village in South Shields , her father's birthplace. Seton married twice. Her first marriage

144-639: The early years of their marriage at her childhood home in Greenwich, Connecticut, Little Peequo, with Seton's mother. They later built a home called Sea Rune in Old Greenwich, Connecticut . In 1930, Seton gave birth to the couple's only daughter, Clemency. They divorced in 1968, though Seton continued to live at Sea Rune until her death. Seton died of heart failure at the age of 86 on November 8, 1990, at Sea Rune in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, and

162-479: The historical facts, and some of them were best-sellers: Dragonwyck (1944) and Foxfire (1950) were both made into Hollywood films. Three of her books are classics in their genre and continue in their popularity to the present: Katherine (1954) , the story of Katherine Swynford , the mistress and eventual wife of John of Gaunt , and their children, who were the direct ancestors of the Tudors , Stuarts , and

180-484: The story and film more interesting. Of course, sometimes these changes become too much and, for example, a negative character is reversed and some kind of historical distortion occurs. For this reason, such novels should give the necessary information to the reader in advance. For more reflection on the different types of biographical information used in literature, see biography in literature . Amy Flagg Amy Cecilia Flagg (30 September 1893 – 22 February 1965)

198-602: The town. She even reported on the destruction of her own home during an air raid on April 16, 1941. Flagg photographed with a Box Brownie camera and processed all the images herself. Some of her photographs were published by the Shields Gazette during the war. Flagg later became a volunteer at Ingham Infirmary and South Shields Public Library. Her collection was donated to the South Tyneside Library after her death on 22 February 1965. She also left

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216-468: The years, for the masses of specialised material which she has patiently copied for me, for her constant encouragement when I've been with her, and by letter when I haven't - for all this my fervent gratitude is but sparse return". A watercolour painting of Flagg, by Albert E. Black in 1955, shows her in a long brown coat and carrying a basket of flowers and an easel; it is in the collection of Tyne and Wear Museums . An exhibition of her photography works

234-669: Was a British historian and photographer. Flagg was born in South Shields (then part of County Durham ) on 30 September 1893 and lived in Westoe . She was the town historian of South Shields and spent years of her life researching and documenting the town. She was a member of the South Shields Photographic Society, joining in 1930 and was the official photographer of the town during the Second World War: she captured images of air raid damage to

252-544: Was chosen as Britain’s 95th best-loved novel of all time in a nationwide poll conducted by the BBC . Her 1962 novel Devil Water concerns James , the luckless Earl of Derwentwater and his involvement with the Jacobite rising of 1715 . She also narrates the story of his brother Charles , beheaded after the 1745 rebellion , the last man to die for the cause. The action of the novel moves back and forth between Northumberland , Tyneside , London , and Virginia. Seton stated that

270-480: Was often away, and even when he was around, he frequently criticized his daughter. Since her parents were often busy with their careers, Seton spent much time with her governess. Seton's parents did not have any other children. They separated in the late 1920s and divorced in 1934. Following the divorce, her father moved to New Mexico . Seton published her first novel, My Theodosia , in 1941. Seton's historical novels were noted for how extensively she researched

288-464: Was primarily educated by private tutors and graduated from Spence School . She graduated on May 17, 1921, with a diploma in English but she never attended college. The Setons were wealthy, and Seton often traveled with her parents. Despite her family's money, Seton very often moved homes. Because of this, Seton was unable to think of any place as her true home, nor any school as her true school. Ernest

306-460: Was survived by Pamela and Clemency, five grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. She is interred at Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich. Biographical novel The genre rose to prominence in the 1930s with best-selling works by authors such as Robert Graves , Thomas Mann , Irving Stone and Lion Feuchtwanger . These books became best-sellers, but the genre was dismissed by literary critics. In later years it became more accepted and has become both

324-473: Was to Hamilton "Ham" Cottier, a Rhodes scholar, whom she married when she was 19 years old. In 1925, Seton gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Pamela. Their second child, Seton, was born in 1928 and died of an overdose in 1979. Seton and Cottier divorced in 1930 following several extramarital affairs on Seton's part. Two weeks later, Seton married investment counselor Hamilton "Chan" M. Chase, whom she had an affair with, in 1930. Seton and Chase spent

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