Vernon Lee (17 August, 1856 –1935) was a British writer of supernatural fiction. Ms. Lee was also a prolific essayist who wrote on art, music, and travel.
1 ) Vernon Lee is actually a p[pseudonym, the writer’s real name is Violet Paget.
2 ) One of her childhood friends was artist John Singer Sargent (who painted the portrait above).
3 ) Even though the author mainly wrote in English, she spent the majority of her life in Italy.
4 ) Ms. Lee was an early feminist and dressed like a man.
5 ) She was a lesbian and had long, passionate relationship with two women.
6 ) During her life, Lee was considered an authority on Italian Renaissance and wrote two works on the subject.
7 ) When writing travel essays, Lee tried to capture the psychological effects of places rather than conveying information.
8 ) Another favorite topic for Vernon Lee was the relationship between authors and readers.
9 ) She also pioneered the idea of critically assessing art in relation to the audience’s personal response.
10) After her death, Lee’s library was left to the British Institute of Florence and can still be visited today.
Zohar – Man of la Book
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