Ethel Mannin
Ethel Mannin was a British author born in Clapham, London, in 1900. She was the daughter of a postal worker and received her education at a boarding school before starting her career as a stenographer and later a copywriter. Mannin's literary journey began when her first novel, *Martha*, was published after winning a competition for first-time novelists in 1923. Throughout her prolific career, she authored ninety-five works, including novels, autobiographies, biographies, and travel writings. Mannin's notable works often reflected her engagement with social issues, particularly women's and workers' rights, as well as her socialist beliefs. Among her significant novels is *Sounding Brass* (1925), a satirical take on the advertising industry. She also produced travel memoirs like *Forever Wandering* (1934) and was influenced by her interests in child psychology, evident in her nonfiction writings. Despite her contributions, Mannin's legacy has faded over time, but her work remains a testament to the social activism of her era. She passed away in 1984 following an accident at her home.
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Ethel Mannin
- Born: October 11, 1900
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: December 5, 1984
Biography
Ethel Mannin was born in the London suburb of Clapham, to Robert Mannin, a postal worker, and Edith Gray Mannin. Ethel was educated at boarding school, and then enrolled in a business course. She left school at the age of fifteen to work as a stenographer for an advertising agency in London, working her way up to copywriter. Two years later she became associate editor of The Pelican, a theatrical magazine. She was married at eighteen to John Alexander Porteus, a copywriter at the agency, and gave birth to their daughter, Jean, within a year of her marriage. After this marriage ended in 1938, she married writer Reginald Reynolds.
In 1923 Mannin entered a competition for first-time novelists, and her entry, Martha, was selected as a runner-up and subsequently published, marking the beginning of an extremely productive career, consisting of ninety-five books, including novels, autobiographies, biographies, and travel books. She achieved her first real success with a satirical novel about the advertising business, Sounding Brass (1925), which has often been compared to Sinclair Lewis’s Babbitt (1922).
Mannin’s interest in social issues and socialist politics informed much of her work. She supported the republican forces during the Spanish-American War and was a great admirer of Emma Goldman, publishing Red Rose: A Novel Based on the Life of Emma Goldman in 1941. Her interest in child psychology produced the nonfiction work Common-Sense and the Child: A Plea for Freedom in 1931 and influenced much of her fiction, including Linda Shawn (1932) a novel about a farming family. Along with these interests, Mannin was an avid traveler and produced well-regarded travel memoirs, such as Forever Wandering (1934) and German Journey (1948)
Mannin wrote the last installment of her memoir and her final book, Sunset over Dartmoor: A Final Chapter of Autobiography, in 1977. She died in 1984 of injuries sustained in a fall at her home. Her best work, written in the 1930’s, bears witness to her passionate interest in such social problems as women’s and workers’ rights and, although largely forgotten as a literary figure, Mannin’s work is a testament to the social activism of the 1930’s and 1940’s.