Kathleen Elsie "Kay" Dick (29 July 1915 – 19 October 2001) was an English journalist, writer, novelist and autobiographer, who sometimes wrote under the name Edward Lane[1] and Jeremy Scott. She was called "the first woman director in English publishing" and she is celebated for her dystopian "lost" novel, They.
Dick was born Kathleen Elsie at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, London; her father was never known. She was raised in Switzerland by her mother, Kate Frances Dick, being educated in Geneva, as well as at the Lycée Français in London.[1] Her mother married a man named Paul Erick Dick when she was seven and he adopted her and she took his surname.[2] In early life, Kay Dick worked at Foyle's bookshop in London's Charing Cross Road and, at 26, became the first woman director in English publishing at P.S. King & Son. She later became a journalist, working at the New Statesman. For many years, she edited the literary magazine The Windmill, under the pen name Edward Lane.
Dick wrote five novels between 1949 and 1962, including the famous An Affair of Love (1953) and Solitaire (1958). She also wrote literary biography, researching the lives of Colette and Carlyle. In 1960 she published Pierrot, about the commedia dell'arte.
Dick was a regular reviewer for The Times, The Spectator and Punch, but the work dropped off as she failed to meet deadlines.[2] Dick also edited several anthologies of stories and interviews with writers, including Ivy and Stevie (1971) and Friends and Friendship (1974).[2] She was known for campaigning tirelessly and successfully for the introduction of the Public Lending Right, which pays royalties to authors when their books are borrowed from public libraries.[3]
In 1977, Dick published They,[4] a series of dream sequences that won the South-East Arts literature prize, and was described in The Paris Review in 2020 as "a lost dystopian masterpiece".[5] It had remained out of print due to poor sales and Dick experiencing harsh and sexist reviews in the press at the time of the award win. They was re-discovered by chance in an Oxfam charity bookshop in Bath, Somerset, in the summer of 2020 by a literary agent. It was then acquired by Faber and Faber for re-release on 3 February 2022 in the United Kingdom and MacNally Editions in the United States. In 1984 she followed the publication of They with an acclaimed autobiographical novel, The Shelf, in which she examined a lesbian affair.[2]
Dick lived for some two decades with the novelist Kathleen Farrell, from 1940 to 1962.[5]
She died from lung cancer at a nursing home in Brighton in 2001. She had a bitter and abusive obituary by Michael De-la-Noy who she had helped early in his career.[2]
Legacy
Dick's dystopian novel They was "rediscovered" in 2022 and it was celebrated with an event at the British Library as part of LGBT History Month. She was credited as "the first woman director in English publishing".[3]
^ abcdeMatthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (23 September 2004), "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. ref:odnb/76365, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/76365, retrieved 1 December 2022
^ abc"RSL Vital Discussions Remembering Kay Dick". The British Library. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
^Hall, Duncan (21 November 2014), "Writer Graham Duff on Kay Dick's work of science fiction", The Argus.
^ abScholes, Lucy (13 August 2020). "A Lost Dystopian Masterpiece". The Paris Review. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
External links
Michael De-la-Noy, "Kay Dick" (obituary), The Guardian, 24 October 2001. Michael Ratcliffe, Roy Greenslade, "Letters", The Guardian, 25 October 2001.
Jeremy Scott at LC Authorities, with 3 records, and at WorldCat
"Kay Dick: A Preliminary Inventory of an Addition to Her Papers at the Harry Ransom Center"
March 10, 2023
dick, kathleen, elsie, dick, july, 1915, october, 2001, english, journalist, writer, novelist, autobiographer, sometimes, wrote, under, name, edward, lane, jeremy, scott, called, first, woman, director, english, publishing, celebated, dystopian, lost, novel, t. Kathleen Elsie Kay Dick 29 July 1915 19 October 2001 was an English journalist writer novelist and autobiographer who sometimes wrote under the name Edward Lane 1 and Jeremy Scott She was called the first woman director in English publishing and she is celebated for her dystopian lost novel They Kay DickBornKathleen Elsie29 July 1915London EnglandDied19 October 2001 2001 10 19 aged 86 BrightonOther namesEdward LaneEducationLycee FrancaisOccupation s Journalist writer novelist biographerNotable workThey Contents 1 Life 2 Legacy 3 Bibliography 4 References 5 External linksLife EditDick was born Kathleen Elsie at Queen Charlotte s Hospital London her father was never known She was raised in Switzerland by her mother Kate Frances Dick being educated in Geneva as well as at the Lycee Francais in London 1 Her mother married a man named Paul Erick Dick when she was seven and he adopted her and she took his surname 2 In early life Kay Dick worked at Foyle s bookshop in London s Charing Cross Road and at 26 became the first woman director in English publishing at P S King amp Son She later became a journalist working at the New Statesman For many years she edited the literary magazine The Windmill under the pen name Edward Lane Dick wrote five novels between 1949 and 1962 including the famous An Affair of Love 1953 and Solitaire 1958 She also wrote literary biography researching the lives of Colette and Carlyle In 1960 she published Pierrot about the commedia dell arte Dick was a regular reviewer for The Times The Spectator and Punch but the work dropped off as she failed to meet deadlines 2 Dick also edited several anthologies of stories and interviews with writers including Ivy and Stevie 1971 and Friends and Friendship 1974 2 She was known for campaigning tirelessly and successfully for the introduction of the Public Lending Right which pays royalties to authors when their books are borrowed from public libraries 3 In 1977 Dick published They 4 a series of dream sequences that won the South East Arts literature prize and was described in The Paris Review in 2020 as a lost dystopian masterpiece 5 It had remained out of print due to poor sales and Dick experiencing harsh and sexist reviews in the press at the time of the award win They was re discovered by chance in an Oxfam charity bookshop in Bath Somerset in the summer of 2020 by a literary agent It was then acquired by Faber and Faber for re release on 3 February 2022 in the United Kingdom and MacNally Editions in the United States In 1984 she followed the publication of They with an acclaimed autobiographical novel The Shelf in which she examined a lesbian affair 2 Dick lived for some two decades with the novelist Kathleen Farrell from 1940 to 1962 5 She died from lung cancer at a nursing home in Brighton in 2001 She had a bitter and abusive obituary by Michael De la Noy who she had helped early in his career 2 Legacy EditDick s dystopian novel They was rediscovered in 2022 and it was celebrated with an event at the British Library as part of LGBT History Month She was credited as the first woman director in English publishing 3 Bibliography EditBy The Lake 1949 Young Man 1951 An Affair of Love 1953 Solitaire 1958 Pierrot 1960 Sunday 1962 Ivy amp Stevie 1971 Friends amp Friendship 1974 They 1977 3 The Shelf 1984 References Edit a b De la Noy Michael 24 October 2001 Kay Dick obituary The Guardian a b c d e Matthew H C G Harrison B eds 23 September 2004 The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford Oxford University Press pp ref odnb 76365 doi 10 1093 ref odnb 76365 retrieved 1 December 2022 a b c RSL Vital Discussions Remembering Kay Dick The British Library Retrieved 1 December 2022 Hall Duncan 21 November 2014 Writer Graham Duff on Kay Dick s work of science fiction The Argus a b Scholes Lucy 13 August 2020 A Lost Dystopian Masterpiece The Paris Review Retrieved 11 January 2022 External links EditMichael De la Noy Kay Dick obituary The Guardian 24 October 2001 Michael Ratcliffe Roy Greenslade Letters The Guardian 25 October 2001 Kay Dick s executors website Kay Dick photograph by John Vere Brown National Portrait Gallery London Kay Dick at Library of Congress Authorities with 14 catalogue records Jeremy Scott at LC Authorities with 3 records and at WorldCat Kay Dick A Preliminary Inventory of an Addition to Her Papers at the Harry Ransom Center Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kay Dick amp oldid 1131069951, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
