Rumer Godden

One of the most widely-read of authors of the twentieth-century, Rumer Godden was always more of a popular success than a critical one, although her skills as a storyteller have always been much admired. In recent years, however, increasing attention is being paid to her vivid portrayals, in novels such as Black Narcissus (1939), Breakfast with the Nikolides (1942), The River (1946) and Kingfishers Catch Fire (1953), of the last years of British rule in India. Writings such as these betray a passionate but ambivalent relationship with India and with the Indian people.

Margaret Rumer (Peggie) Godden was born in Eastbourne on 10 December 1907, the second of four daughters. Her father, Arthur Leigh Godd