Anna Kavan

Dr. Jennifer Daphne Sturm (University of Auckland)
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Anna Kavan is the assumed name of Helen Emily Woods, an English writer who was born in Cannes, France, on April 10th, 1901. Her father, Claude Charles Edward Woods, described as a “Gentleman”, was independently wealthy and something of an entrepreneur, spending several of the first few years of Kavan's childhood travelling between England, Europe, and the United States. Her mother, Helen Eliza Woods was the granddaughter of Dr. Richard Bright [1789-1858], the so-called “Father of Nephrology” and member of the “great men of Guy's”, the group of notable medical researchers [which included Thomas Addison and Thomas Hodgkin] based at Guy's Hospital in London. In 1837 Bright was appointed Physician Extraordinary to Queen Victoria. Kavan's mother was thirty-two at the time of her…

2349 words

Citation: Sturm, Dr. Jennifer Daphne. "Anna Kavan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 October 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2441, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2441 Anna Kavan 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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