Daphne du Maurier. His three most important classics.

Daphne de Maurier classics

Daphne du Maurier classics

The British writer Daphne du maurier (1907-1989) was the descendant of a very important family of writers and artists, beginning with his parents, the actors Gerald du Maurier and Muriel Beaumont. So the cultural environment that surrounded her could not be more auspicious to develop a career oriented to literature from his youth. In time it became one of the great ladies of XNUMXth century British literature.

Many of his novels were indisputable successes, despite also having unfavorable criticism. These days off are ideal to remember or get closer to your stories of suspense, intrigue, romance and mystery. Three of his most famous works are those, which surely we have all read or seen in his also highly applauded film adaptations.

Daphne du Maurier was educated in England and Paris and it started as a writer in 1928. . He did it by showing a lot of talent with intrigue, the gothic-romantic novel and mystery. Always expressed great admiration and influence of the Brönte sistersThis influence is clearly seen in his work.

Besides novels, Du Maurier also wrote stories, theater and fantasy fiction. And he received awards and recognitions such as National book award  in the United States and Order of the British Empire. However, his most famous and universal titles were these.

The Jamaica Inn (1937)

It is the story of Mary yellan that, after the death of their parents, is going to live with his uncles, whom you hardly know. His uncle owns La posada de Jamaica in Cornwall. When Mary arrives, she is faced with a very harsh reality. His uncle is a drunk who mistreats his aunt and the inn is a seedy den to which customers of the worst kind flock: drunks, smugglers and criminals.

Mary begins to suspect that her uncle has cloudy business In hands. Turn appears Jem merlyn, a Naval officer investigating who may be behind the continuous shipwrecks of boats whose loot is stolen. His inquiries will soon put his life in danger. Mary will be the only one who can help you.

Was the first novel of Du Maurier and was a great success. Has been The subject of many adaptations to film and television series with the same good reception by readers and the general public. But undoubtedly the most famous had the direction of Alfred Hitchcock, self-confessed admirer of Du Maurier. It would not be the only time that the legendary British director adapted one of his works. Counted on an extraordinary cast headed by Charles Laughton, Robert Newton or Maureen O'Hara in their first role. It was released in 1939.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGnr6iDu4cc

Cardigan (1938)

Du Maurier possibly reached the literary immortality with Cardigan (1938), a title that he adapted again Hitchcock to make it also immortal at the cinema. And sir Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and the unforgettable Judith Anderson they were the best faces that could have been Mr. Maxim de Winter, the second Mrs. de Winter and narrator of the story, and Mrs. Danvers, the haunting housekeeper of the Manderley mansion, owned by Mr. de Winter.

During a stay in Monte Carlo the protagonist meets Maxim de WinterAttractive, widowed aristocrat whose wife died under strange circumstances. She falls in love with him, who, although much older, proposes to her. They marry without hardly knowing each other and they move to live in Manderley.

But there lin the presence of the late Rebecca (Maxim's first wife) the relationship between the spouses begins to deteriorate. Young and insecure the second Mrs. de Winter feels continuously compared with Rebecca, especially by Mrs. Danvers, who considers her an intruder and makes her life impossible.

Suspense, romance, psychological drama, action and intrigue in equal measure they intertwine to catch the reader and of course also the cinephile.

Birds (1962)

Short story with an abrupt ending That Du Maurier was able to leave like this for the reader's imagination, this terrifying story was captured in everyone's retina thanks to the film masterpiece that, once again, Hitchcock signed. With Tippi Hedren and Australian Rod Taylor protagonists.

A statement of a question: What would we do if one day those seemingly harmless creatures that are the birds alter their behavior for no reason and start attacking human beings? Well, here all of them, small, medium or large, they become lethal. The protagonist of the story will try to save his family, protecting himself as best he can from the attacks of thousands of birds that arrive from everywhere.

The restlessness, the disturbance and the anguish before an incomprehensible fact reaches the insurmountable heights that the British master of suspense and terror knew how to reflect exactly.

Why read Du Maurier

For the prolific and varied of his novels, that they equally convince lovers of genres such as romance, horror, mystery or fantasy fiction. You find much more information about this writer here (And by the way, you keep practicing English).


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  1.   nurilau said

    Ay Mariola, I don't know how you do it but it makes me want to read everything you say, my to-do list keeps getting fat 😉

    1.    Mariola Diaz-Cano Arevalo said

      But surely you have seen the movies. Nothing, more for your list.