Daphne du Maurier

  Dame Daphne du Maurier (May 13, 1907 - April 19, 1989) was one of the most successful Cornish novelists of all time. Her best-known work, Rebecca (1938), is a literary classic and was the inspiration for an Oscar-winning film. She was born in London in 1907, the daughter of the actor-manager Gerald du Maurier, and granddaughter of the author George Du Maurier. These gave a head start to her literary career, and her first novel, 'The Loving Spirit', was published in 1931. Her writing went from strength to strength.

She is most noted for the novel 'Rebecca' which has been filmed on several occasions. Besides Rebecca, several of her other novels were made into films, including 'Jamaica Inn' (1936), 'Frenchman's Creek' (1942), and 'My Cousin Rachel' (1951). The Alfred Hitchcock film 'The Birds' (1963) is based on a treatment of one of her short stories, as is the film 'Don't Look Now' (1973).

She also wrote non-fiction. One of her most imaginative works, 'The Glass-Blowers', traces her French ancestry. She was named a Dame of the British Empire, and died in 1989, at her home in Cornwall, in a region which had been the setting for many of her books. As per her desire, Dame Daphne's body was cremated and her ashes were scattered on the cliffs near her home.