Anna Kavan

Anna Kavan (10 April 1901 – 5 December 1968; born Helen Emily Woods) was a British novelist, short story writer and painter. Anna Kavan was born in France to British parents. The only child of cold, wealthy parents, she grew up emotionally rootless, leading to lifelong depression and bouts of mental illness. She grew up in Europe and the United States, and lived in Burma for a time after her first marriage. She married and divorced twice. Her one son, Bryan, died in World War II. Her daughter, Margaret, born during Kavan's marriage to Stuart Edmonds, died soon after childbirth. The couple adopted a daughter whom they named Susanna. Her initial six works were published under the name of Helen Ferguson, her first married name. She...