Elizabeth Bowen
An Anglo-Irish novelist who masterfully captured the psychological disquiet of individuals caught in the crumbling grandeur of old worlds.
1899–1973 (age 74)·Irish writer·Birthday: June 7·The Lost Generation
Biography
Elizabeth Bowen’s fiction is haunted by houses. Born into the Anglo-Irish ascendancy at the end of its era, she split her life between the family seat, Bowen’s Court in County Cork, and the literary circles of London. Her novels, like 'The Last September' and 'The Heat of the Day,' are exquisite studies of displacement and unease, where personal betrayals mirror larger historical collapses—the end of the Big House in Ireland, the eerie suspense of the London Blitz. Her prose is sharp, atmospheric, and psychologically penetrating. During World War II, she wrote brilliant reports on Irish public opinion for the British Ministry of Information while crafting some of her best short stories about life under bombardment. Though she eventually had to sell the beloved Bowen’s Court, her literary legacy remains a towering exploration of how people navigate the tense space between private desire and public upheaval.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Elizabeth was born in 1899, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Elizabeth Was Born
The biggest hits of 1899
Elizabeth's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1899Born
President: William McKinley
1904Started school
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Became a teenager
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1915Could drive
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Could vote
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1920Turned 21
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1929Turned 30
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 40
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 50
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 60
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 70
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1973Died at 74
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
Key Achievements
- Authored the acclaimed novel 'The Heat of the Day' (1949), a seminal work about espionage and personal morality in wartime London.
- Wrote 'The Last September' (1929), a definitive novel about the decline of the Anglo-Irish gentry during the Irish War of Independence.
- Awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1948 for her contributions to literature.
- Served as a cultural ambassador, holding a lectureship in American studies at Oxford University later in her life.
Did You Know?
During the London Blitz, she refused to leave the city and famously said she felt a 'species of happiness' during the air raids.
She was a close friend of the novelist Eudora Welty and the philosopher Isaiah Berlin.
Her London home at 2 Clarence Terrace, Regent's Park, was damaged by a bomb in 1944.
She wrote many of her novels in longhand while lying on her bed.
“No object is mysterious. The mystery is your eye.”
