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![]() ![]() ![]() And one of her bon mots – “maybe, the only way to get on is to be ruthless” – has even found its way on to a T-shirt. Luckily, she is in a revival phase now – Daunt and Turnpike Books are currently republishing some of her “forgotten” novels. This appears to be the pattern of her career – acclaim, followed by neglect, followed by revival. ![]() It was only when Virago started republishing her in the 1980s that she found a new audience, and produced three more novels. But then she seemed to be forgotten and didn’t publish anything for 18 years. She made her debut in 1947 with Sisters by a River, and enjoyed her greatest success with her fourth novel, The Vet’s Daughter (1959). And the innocence.”Ĭomyns’s literary reputation has also swung between wild extremes. ![]() Jane Gardam, who knew her in old age, says she seems to have experienced the same adventures as her heroines – “the adolescent marriages and escapes, the curious jobs, the poverty, the rescues, the bundled-up babies, the messy art-school Bohemianism, the fecklessness and the bravery. Artist’s model, dog breeder, painter, writer, wife of a spy – Barbara Comyns (1909-92) certainly lived a wild life, which is reflected in her novels. ![]()
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