According to her biographer Pam Hirsh, Phyllis Bottome is “a literary insider’s tip, a gem waiting to be discovered by chance or through recommendation” (xv). From her childhood on, Phyllis Bottome was an avid reader, but soon she would also become a writer: she was an author of novels, novellas, short stories, biographies and an autobiography, but was also politically involved and interested in psychology.

Phyllis Bottome was born in Kent in 1882 to an American father, a clergyman, and an English mother, who was sickly throughout her life. Her childhood was marked by constant changes of their place of living: The family moved to New York when she was eight, only to return to England in 1896. This pattern of rootlessness, established early in her life, would remain symptomatic

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Citation: Zirker, Angelika. "Phyllis Bottome". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 October 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12971, accessed 19 March 2024.]

12971 Phyllis Bottome 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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