Elizabeth von Arnim
Elizabeth von Arnim, born Mary Annette Beauchamp on August 31, 1866, in Sydney, Australia, was an accomplished author known for her whimsical and semi-autobiographical novels. After moving to London in her youth, she received an education typical of upper-class women of her time, including attendance at the Royal College of Music. In 1891, she married Count Henning August von Arnim-Schlagenthin and lived in Germany until financial difficulties prompted a move to England in 1908. Following her husband's death in 1910, she built a chateau in Switzerland, where she wrote and mingled with notable literary figures. Arnim gained prominence with her debut book, *Elizabeth and Her German Garden*, published anonymously in 1898, which reflects her own experiences. She is also known for the novel *The Enchanted April* (1922), which inspired the 1992 film adaptation. Throughout her life, Arnim's works captured aspects of the European upper class, resonating with readers for their romantic and satirical elements. She passed away on February 9, 1941, in Charleston, South Carolina, leaving behind a legacy of beloved literature.
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Elizabeth von Arnim
Writer
- Born: August 31, 1866
- Birthplace: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Died: February 9, 1941
- Place of death: Charleston, South Carolina
Biography
Elizabeth von Arnim was born Mary Annette Beauchamp on August 31, 1866, in Sydney, Australia. Her family moved to London when she was very young and she grew up there. She was educated in private schools along with other girls from wealthy families and attended the Royal College of Music in London. Relatives included her cousin, the writer Katherine Mansfield. In 1891 she married Count Henning August von Arnim-Schlagenthin, a member of the German nobility. The couple lived in Germany from the time of their marriage until 1908, when they moved to England after having financial troubles. The Arnims had five children whose tutors included writers E. M. Forster and Hugh Walpole.
After her husband died in 1910, Armin built a chateau in Switzerland where she lived with her children and wrote and entertained friends, including her lover H. G. Wells. She fled to England when World War I began. In 1916 she married John Francis Stanley Russell, an earl and the brother of philosopher Bertrand Russell. However, within a year she went to the United States to escape the marriage, and the couple divorced in 1919. Arnim later lived in London, Switzerland, and the French Riviera, and returned to the United States at the beginning of World War II. She died of influenza on February 9, 1941, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Arnim published her first book, Elizabeth and Her German Garden, in 1898. The novel is set in the Arnims’ German estate and tells the story of a British woman living there. Published anonymously, the semiautobiographical novel was very successful. Her later books were published “by the author of Elizabeth and Her German Garden” and later “by Elizabeth,” the name of the protagonist of her first novel. Among Arnim’s later novels was The Enchanted April (1922), on which the film Enchanted April (1992) was based. Arnim also wrote an autobiography titled All the Dogs of My Life.
Arnim’s novels were extremely popular at the time they were published and continue to attract readers and critics. They are distinctive in their whimsical style, romantic plots, and slightly satirical edge. Containing many autobiographical elements, they provide insights into the lives of members of the European upper classes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.