Joan Wyndham
Encyclopedia
Joan Olivia Wyndham was a British writer and memoirist who rose to literary prominence late in life through the diaries she had kept more than 40 years earlier, which were an account of her romantic adventures during the Second World War, when she was an attractive teenager who had strayed into London's Bohemian set. Her literary reputation rests on Love Lessons (1985) and Love Is Blue (1986), two selections from her diaries which led one critic to call her "a latterday Pepys
in camiknickers."
, the 18th-century Irish revolutionary. Her parents' marriage was failing by the time Joan was born in 1922.
Her early years were spent in the Wiltshire countryside. The family estate, Clouds, later became a rehabilitation clinic for alcoholics and drug addicts. Caught "in flagrante" with the Marchioness of Queensbury, Wyndham's father followed the custom of the period by registering at a hotel in Brighton
where he arranged for a private detective to photograph him in bed with a prostitute, rather than embarrass his lover. Her father, Dick Wyndham, would be shot dead by a sniper while covering the 1948 Arab-Israeli war for the Sunday Times. After the divorce, mother and daughter went to live in west London, at # 22 Evelyn Gardens, off Fulham Road
, and sought solace in devout Roman Catholicism. Together, they attended Mass every day and confession once a week. Joan was sent to a Catholic boarding school where she developed a passion for the theatre.
In 1938 Joan won a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), but the impending war forced RADA to close down for the duration. The 17-year-old Wyndham soon volunteered to train as a nurse. Towards the end of 1941, she was drafted into the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
(WAAF) and sent to a base in Suffolk
. From there, she made trips to London, where she got to know Dylan Thomas
, Julian Maclaren-Ross, M.J. Tambimuttu and other such bohemians.
Shortly after the war she married Maurice Rowdon, with whom she had a daughter, Clare. When her husband landed a lecturership in Baghdad
, Wyndham accompanied him and remained in Iraq for two years. An affair with their London lodger, Shura Shivarg, a Jewish academic of Russian descent who had grown up in pre-Communist China, led to an amicable divorce and second marriage, which also produced a daughter, Camilla.
Following a stint as a restaurant critic for What's On? (a precursor of Time Out), she moved to Oxford
, where she set up the city's first espresso bar. Gravitating back to London, she worked as a sub-editor for The Housewife magazine. In the 1960s she ran a hippie restaurant on Portobello Road
and catered for many of the major pop festivals. She went on to work at the Royal Court Theatre
, cooking for the actors. Eventually one of her daughters found her wartime diaries and encouraged her mother to edit and publish them. They were eventually acquired by William Heinemann, Ltd. and released in 1985 under the title Love Lessons, followed by a sequel, Love Is Blue. 'Love Lessons' was adapted for BBC Radio 4 in 2003, with Emilia Fox as Joan.
in 2007, aged 85, survived by her two daughters. Her first and second husbands were still alive as well at the time of her death.
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
in camiknickers."
Life
Wyndham's mother, Iris Bennett, was an ex-débutante, and her father, Guy Richard Charles ("Dick") Wyndham (1896–1948), son of Guy Percy Wyndham, was an aristocrat whose ancestors included Lord Edward FitzGeraldLord Edward FitzGerald
Lord Edward FitzGerald was an Irish aristocrat and revolutionary. He was the fifth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster , he was born at Carton House, near Dublin, and died of wounds received in resisting arrest on charge of treason.-Early years:FitzGerald spent most of his...
, the 18th-century Irish revolutionary. Her parents' marriage was failing by the time Joan was born in 1922.
Her early years were spent in the Wiltshire countryside. The family estate, Clouds, later became a rehabilitation clinic for alcoholics and drug addicts. Caught "in flagrante" with the Marchioness of Queensbury, Wyndham's father followed the custom of the period by registering at a hotel in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
where he arranged for a private detective to photograph him in bed with a prostitute, rather than embarrass his lover. Her father, Dick Wyndham, would be shot dead by a sniper while covering the 1948 Arab-Israeli war for the Sunday Times. After the divorce, mother and daughter went to live in west London, at # 22 Evelyn Gardens, off Fulham Road
Fulham Road
Fulham Road is a street in London, England, that runs from the A219 road in right in the centre of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, through Chelsea to Brompton Road Knightsbridge and the A4 in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.Fulham Road runs parallel...
, and sought solace in devout Roman Catholicism. Together, they attended Mass every day and confession once a week. Joan was sent to a Catholic boarding school where she developed a passion for the theatre.
In 1938 Joan won a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), but the impending war forced RADA to close down for the duration. The 17-year-old Wyndham soon volunteered to train as a nurse. Towards the end of 1941, she was drafted into the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
(WAAF) and sent to a base in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. From there, she made trips to London, where she got to know Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
, Julian Maclaren-Ross, M.J. Tambimuttu and other such bohemians.
Shortly after the war she married Maurice Rowdon, with whom she had a daughter, Clare. When her husband landed a lecturership in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Wyndham accompanied him and remained in Iraq for two years. An affair with their London lodger, Shura Shivarg, a Jewish academic of Russian descent who had grown up in pre-Communist China, led to an amicable divorce and second marriage, which also produced a daughter, Camilla.
Following a stint as a restaurant critic for What's On? (a precursor of Time Out), she moved to Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, where she set up the city's first espresso bar. Gravitating back to London, she worked as a sub-editor for The Housewife magazine. In the 1960s she ran a hippie restaurant on Portobello Road
Portobello Road
Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is home to Portobello Road Market, one of London's...
and catered for many of the major pop festivals. She went on to work at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, cooking for the actors. Eventually one of her daughters found her wartime diaries and encouraged her mother to edit and publish them. They were eventually acquired by William Heinemann, Ltd. and released in 1985 under the title Love Lessons, followed by a sequel, Love Is Blue. 'Love Lessons' was adapted for BBC Radio 4 in 2003, with Emilia Fox as Joan.
Death
Joan Wyndham died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 2007, aged 85, survived by her two daughters. Her first and second husbands were still alive as well at the time of her death.