Catharine Amy Dawson Scott
Catharine Amy Dawson Scott was an English poet, novelist, and influential literary figure born in August 1865 in Dulwich, England. She experienced a challenging childhood marked by family turmoil, including the death of her alcoholic mother and her father's descent into alcoholism. Despite these hardships, Scott pursued education and began her literary career by writing poetry, with her first significant work titled "Hypatia." She became known for her strong themes of women's independence, particularly in her book "Sappho."
In 1892, she published "Idylls of Womanhood," which garnered wider recognition, though her views on marriage were complex, as she later married and had children. Scott's literary contributions continued to evolve, and she founded the To-Morrow Club in 1917, which later became PEN International, advocating for writers' rights and fostering connections between established and emerging authors. Her later years were marked by a shift towards spiritualism, culminating in her controversial book claiming messages from former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. Catharine Amy Dawson Scott passed away on November 4, 1934, leaving behind a legacy as a significant figure in early twentieth-century literature and a pioneer for writers' communities.
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Catharine Amy Dawson Scott
Writer
- Born: August 1, 1865
- Birthplace: Dulwich, England
- Died: November 4, 1934
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Catharine Amy Dawson Scott was born in Dulwich, England, in August, 1865. Her parents were Ebenezer and Catherine Mason Armstrong Dawson. Her father managed a pottery studio.
Scott’s childhood was largely unhappy; her mother was an abusive alcoholic who died when Scott was eleven years old. In addition, she disliked the woman whom her father married soon after her mother’s death. Scott was educated at a boarding school until she left to study at the Anglo-German College in Camberville in 1880, only to leave to attend a finishing school. She wrote her first poem, “Hypatia,” while there. It was an antimarriage tract that earned limited praise from noted Victorian poet Robert Browning.
Scott’s father also fell into alcoholism and ruined the family financially. Consequently, Scott was forced to take a job as a companion to a professor and his daughter until 1889. While working her way through the professor’s library, she wrote her first book-length poem, Sappho. From this point on, she identified with the Greek woman poet, and was often referred to as Sappho herself. Scott’s theme of woman’s independence found expression in this book. After meeting publisher William Heinemann, Scott published a more widely read book, Idylls of Womanhood, in 1892.
Although Scott was outspoken about her antipathy toward marriage, she nevertheless married Horatio Francis Ninian Scott and started a family, with her first child born in 1898 and her last born in 1904. She returned to her writing career in 1907 with the publication of her first novel, The Story of Anna Beames. She followed this novel with six more in the next five years in order to earn money. All were strongly antimarriage.
By 1913, Scott was entertaining many of the leading writers of the day in her home. However, the family moved to Cornwall at the start of World War I. Perhaps Scott’s most important literary accomplishment began in 1917, when she founded the To- Morrow Club. The purpose of the organization was to connect new writers with more established writers, giving both sets a chance to converse with each other. During the following years, Scott published several more novels, receiving good reviews. Scott’s personal life, however, did not fare as well, and she divorced her husband.
In 1921, the To-Morrow Club was reorganized as PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Editors, and Novelists). Johns Galsworthy, the famous English novelist, was elected president. Now an international organization, PEN worked for the freedom of writers worldwide. Joseph Conrad and George Bernard Shaw were also members. By 2006, the organization had grown to approximately 130 chapters around the world and 15,000 members.
Scott’s later books of poetry also received strong critical praise, although this praise dimmed somewhat when she turned to spiritualism during her later years. She claimed in the book Is This Wilson? Messages Accredited to Woodrow Wilson that the spirit of former United States President Woodrow Wilson sent her messages. Scott died on November 4, 1934, in London. As a writer of distinction, and as the founder of PEN International, Scott holds an important place in early twentieth century literary history.