Rachel Ames, née Stainer (London, 1 October 1915 – Petronell, Austria, 24 November 1999) was a British novelist and journalist who wrote under the pseudonym Sarah Gainham. She is perhaps best known for her 1967 novel Night Falls on the City, the first of a trilogy about life in Vienna under Nazi rule.[1]
Born
Rachel Stainer (1915-10-01)1 October 1915 London, England, UK
Died
24 November 1999(1999-11-24) (aged 84) Petronell, Austria
After an "impulsive and unsuccessful wartime liaison", in 1947 she moved to Vienna to work with the Four Power Commission, and married the journalist Antony Terry. Terry was German correspondent for the Sunday Times,[1] and the marriage "fell victim to his workload".[2]
Stainer never returned to England, living in Berlin, Bonn and Trieste before returning to Vienna. In 1956 Cyril Ray helped secure her a job as Central and Eastern Europe Correspondent for The Spectator, making a plea that she needed the money. Writing as Sarah Gainham (the name of her maternal great-grandmother), she reported on Germany and the German-speaking parts of Central Europe until 1966. She soon published her first novel, Time Right Deadly (1956), a semi-autobiographical account of an unsuccessful affair.[1] The novel was followed by several other spy thrillers set in Europe.[3] Here Gainham drew on her own knowledge of Cold War spies and intrigues: Terry, hired to the Sunday Times by Ian Fleming, may have been an MI6 agent, and Gainham herself apparently researched a document 'East-West Routes for Agents', commissioned by Fleming, on how to gain access to West Berlin from East Berlin.[4]
In 1964 her marriage to Terry was dissolved, and she married Kenneth Ames, Central European correspondent of The Economist. Night Falls on the City (1967), a tale of love and betrayal set in wartime Vienna, achieved significant commercial success: it topped the New York Times bestseller list for several months, and was widely translated. It was the first novel of a trilogy, completed by A Place in the Country (1969) and Private Worlds (1971), and gave her financial security.[1]
In 1975 Ames committed suicide, leaving Gainham alone in later life. In 1976 she moved from Vienna to a small house in Petronell-Carnuntum, on the banks of the Danube, and became a somewhat eccentric recluse. Her last novel was the heavily autobiographical but unsuccessful The Tiger, Life (1983). In 1984 she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. A Discursive Essay on the Presentation of Recent History in England was privately published in 1999.[1]
(tr.) The Voice of Fear: ten poems by E. G. Molnár. Translated from the German of Illa Kovarik and Tibor Simányi, with drawings by Hugo Matzenauer. Vienna: Ars Hungarica, 1959.
The Habsburg Twilight: tales from Vienna. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1979.
The Tiger, Life. London: Methuen, 1983.
A Discursive Essay on the Presentation of Recent History in England. New Millennium, 1999.
Referencesedit
^ abcdeJonathan Ray; Robert Elphick (23 October 2011). "Obituary: Sarah Gainham". The Independent. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
^Cal McCrystal (2 October 1992). "Obituary: Antony Terry". The Independent. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
^Reilly, John M., ed. (1980). "Gainham, Sarah". Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers. Springer. pp. 624–5. ISBN978-1-349-81366-7.
^Alan Burton (2016). "Gainham, Sarah". Historical Dictionary of British Spy Fiction. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 171–2. ISBN978-1-4422-5587-6.
External linksedit
Women Writers Revisited: Kate Mosse on Sarah Gainham
December 15, 2023
sarah, gainham, rachel, ames, née, stainer, london, october, 1915, petronell, austria, november, 1999, british, novelist, journalist, wrote, under, pseudonym, perhaps, best, known, 1967, novel, night, falls, city, first, trilogy, about, life, vienna, under, na. Rachel Ames nee Stainer London 1 October 1915 Petronell Austria 24 November 1999 was a British novelist and journalist who wrote under the pseudonym Sarah Gainham She is perhaps best known for her 1967 novel Night Falls on the City the first of a trilogy about life in Vienna under Nazi rule 1 BornRachel Stainer 1915 10 01 1 October 1915London England UKDied24 November 1999 1999 11 24 aged 84 Petronell AustriaPen nameSarah GainhamOccupationWriter journalist novelistYears active1956 1999SpouseAntony Terry Kenneth Ames Contents 1 Life 2 Works 3 References 4 External linksLife editRachel Stainer was born in Islington After her father Tom died in World War I the family moved to Newbury Berkshire After an impulsive and unsuccessful wartime liaison in 1947 she moved to Vienna to work with the Four Power Commission and married the journalist Antony Terry Terry was German correspondent for the Sunday Times 1 and the marriage fell victim to his workload 2 Stainer never returned to England living in Berlin Bonn and Trieste before returning to Vienna In 1956 Cyril Ray helped secure her a job as Central and Eastern Europe Correspondent for The Spectator making a plea that she needed the money Writing as Sarah Gainham the name of her maternal great grandmother she reported on Germany and the German speaking parts of Central Europe until 1966 She soon published her first novel Time Right Deadly 1956 a semi autobiographical account of an unsuccessful affair 1 The novel was followed by several other spy thrillers set in Europe 3 Here Gainham drew on her own knowledge of Cold War spies and intrigues Terry hired to the Sunday Times by Ian Fleming may have been an MI6 agent and Gainham herself apparently researched a document East West Routes for Agents commissioned by Fleming on how to gain access to West Berlin from East Berlin 4 In 1964 her marriage to Terry was dissolved and she married Kenneth Ames Central European correspondent of The Economist Night Falls on the City 1967 a tale of love and betrayal set in wartime Vienna achieved significant commercial success it topped the New York Times bestseller list for several months and was widely translated It was the first novel of a trilogy completed by A Place in the Country 1969 and Private Worlds 1971 and gave her financial security 1 In 1975 Ames committed suicide leaving Gainham alone in later life In 1976 she moved from Vienna to a small house in Petronell Carnuntum on the banks of the Danube and became a somewhat eccentric recluse Her last novel was the heavily autobiographical but unsuccessful The Tiger Life 1983 In 1984 she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature A Discursive Essay on the Presentation of Recent History in England was privately published in 1999 1 Works editTime Right Deadly London Arthur Barker 1956 The Cold Dark Night London Arthur Barker 1957 The Mythmaker London Arthur Barker 1957 The Stone Roses London Eyre amp Spottiswoode 1958 tr The Voice of Fear ten poems by E G Molnar Translated from the German of Illa Kovarik and Tibor Simanyi with drawings by Hugo Matzenauer Vienna Ars Hungarica 1959 The Silent Hostage London Eyre amp Spottiswoode 1960 Night Falls on the City London Collins 1967 A Place in the Country London Weidenfeld amp Nicolson 1969 Takeover Bid a tale London Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1970 Private Worlds London Weidenfeld amp Nicolson 1971 Maculan s Daughter London Macmillan 1973 To the Opera Ball London Macmillan 1975 The Habsburg Twilight tales from Vienna London Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1979 The Tiger Life London Methuen 1983 A Discursive Essay on the Presentation of Recent History in England New Millennium 1999 References edit a b c d e Jonathan Ray Robert Elphick 23 October 2011 Obituary Sarah Gainham The Independent Retrieved 9 May 2021 Cal McCrystal 2 October 1992 Obituary Antony Terry The Independent Retrieved 9 May 2011 Reilly John M ed 1980 Gainham Sarah Twentieth Century Crime amp Mystery Writers Springer pp 624 5 ISBN 978 1 349 81366 7 Alan Burton 2016 Gainham Sarah Historical Dictionary of British Spy Fiction Rowman amp Littlefield Publishers pp 171 2 ISBN 978 1 4422 5587 6 External links editWomen Writers Revisited Kate Mosse on Sarah Gainham Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sarah Gainham amp oldid 1143700532, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
