Rona Jaffe
Rona Jaffe was a prominent American author known for her best-selling novels that explored women's experiences in the workforce during the 20th century. Born in New York City, she graduated from Radcliffe College in 1951 and initially worked in publishing before turning to writing. Her debut novel, *The Best of Everything*, published in 1958, was groundbreaking for its portrayal of liberated women navigating their careers and relationships in New York. This novel achieved best-seller status and significantly influenced Jaffe's literary career, leading her to write more novels that tackled the complexities of women's lives, such as *Class Reunion*.
In addition to her fiction, Jaffe contributed to *Cosmopolitan Magazine* as a columnist, further solidifying her role as a voice for women in literature. Her works have also been adapted into films, including *The Best of Everything*, which featured Joan Crawford. Beyond her writing, Jaffe established the Rona Jaffe Foundation, dedicated to supporting emerging female writers through an annual literary award. She passed away from cancer while on vacation in London, leaving behind a legacy of literature that resonates with themes of female empowerment and resilience.
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Subject Terms
Rona Jaffe
Writer
- Born: June 12, 1932
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: December 30, 2005
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Rona Jaffe, a twentieth century best-selling romance author, was born in New York City to Samuel Jaffe and Diana Ginsberg Jaffe. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Radcliffe College in 1951. After college, Jaffe worked for a while as a file clerk and secretary in New York City.
In the mid-1950’s, Jaffe worked as an associate editor at Fawcett Publications. While there, she began to write her first novel, The Best of Everything. This work, published in 1958, depicted the dating lives of three ambitious career girls in New York City. It was touted as being one of the first books to present liberated women in the working world. The Best of Everything became one of The New York Times’ best-sellers and launched Jaffe’s career as a writer. Jaffe continued to write novels about women’s lives in the working world. Her later novels, such as Class Reunion, describe the dilemmas of married and single women in the United States during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Class Reunion, published in 1979, has been described as an updated version of Mary McCarthy’s coming of age novel The Group, which traces the careers of eight college graduates in the 1930’s.
In addition to publishing several more successful novels, Jaffe was hired in the 1960’s to write a monthly woman’s culture piece for Cosmopolitan Magazine. Two of Jaffe’s novels were made into motion pictures. The Best of Everything became a 1959 blockbuster staring Joan Crawford; Mazes and Monsters was made into a movie for television staring Tom Hanks. Jaffe founded the Rona Jaffe Foundation which presented an annual national literary award to promising female writers. Jaffe died of cancer while vacationing in London.