Eliza Humphreys


Eliza Margaret Jane Humphreys was an English novelist.

Biography

Eliza Margaret Jane Gollan was born at Gollanfield in Inverness-shire, the daughter of John Gollan, a Scottish businessman. Her father travelled extensively, visiting India and Australia and Eliza received little formal education, however she was able to use her experience of Australia to write a semi-autobiographical novel ‘Sheba’ in 1889, using the pen-name ‘Rita’. Another novel, 'Episodes,' was originally published using the pen-name 'E. Jayne Gilbert.'
Eliza was married twice: first to the Anglo-German musician Karl Booth, with whom she had three sons; second to Anglo-Irish singer William Humphreys, with whom she had a daughter. The unhappy first marriage provided Eliza with material for 4 novels ‘Saba Macdonald’ ‘The Grandmothers’, ‘The Wand’ring Darling’ and ‘Jean and Jeanette’. Eliza spent her married life in Cork, Ireland, Bournemouth and Bath, Somerset. In 1910, she was listed as one of the celebrities of Bournemouth, with books published in French, German and Italian; at the time she was undertaking a tour of America.
The dedication in the first edition of 'Saba Macdonald' reads: To "THE EMANACIPATED WOMAN" who owes her present freedom of mind, morals, and pastimes, to such repression and tyranny as formed the discipline of youth in days such as this book commemorates.
Writing as ‘Rita’, Eliza was prolific and popular. Her stories often featured aristocratic characters, and exotic settings. Eliza was a woman earning by her own success, and she helped to found the Lyceum Club Writers’ Club for Women. She was critical of ideas being imported from America.
After meeting Madame Blavatsky she became interested in Theosophy and wrote ‘Calvary: A Tragedy of Sects’ exploring religious themes. This was one of her books that was made into a film. After the First World War Eliza struggled financially, as her husband became an invalid and her style of writing went out of fashion. However Queen Mary liked her books and ordered a complete set.
Eliza’s final book was an autobiography ‘Recollections of a Literary Life’.

Literature

A Man of no Importance is set in Salwych, which "Rita" based strongly on Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire, after visiting the town for treatment at its brine baths, in 1906.

Biography

A biography, "Rita" The Forgotten Author. has been written by Paul Jones.

Novels and Short Stories

  1. The Millionaire Girl
  2. The Other Woman
  3. The Boots at No. 40
  4. The Passing of Miss Flint
  5. The Crank
  6. Riviera studies: The brave Mariana, The Tremblement at Bussana, The Haunted Bedroom, The Sealed Door
  7. The treacherous mountain
  8. The valley of desolation
  9. A Test of Endurance