Georgette Heyer is an English writer known for her historical novels. In total, she wrote 32 romance novels of the Regency era, 6 historical works, 4 contemporary novels and 12 in the genre of detective fiction.
Regency-era novels
Georgette Heyer's first novel, Black Moth, published in 1921, came from a story she wrote at the age of nine for her younger brother Boris. The novel, in which the lord becomes a criminal, defined a pattern for many of her future stories - the historical setting, celebrities, romantics, and adventurers. The novel became popular, and Heyer continues to write historical love affairs all the way to The Charming Adventurer, published in 1941.
The real popularity came to the writer with novels of the Regency era. The book Dangerous Wealth, published in 1935, became a bestseller. In it, the author talks about a rich heiress from an English village, whose sense of independence makes her face the social norms of London. Ultimately, the heroine is forced to conform to them. Heyer gradually developed her style, and carefree novels grew into works reflecting all the little things of the Regency era - culinary, style, social components. In total, from 1940 to 1974 she wrote 24 works in this genre. All books by Heyer Georgette in order:
- 1940â1950 - The Spanish Bride, âFatal Passionâ, âNurturing the Sensesâ, âWillingly Willedâ, âFoundlingâ, âArabellaâ, âMagnificent Sophieâ.
- 1951-1960 - âCall of Heartsâ, âCotillonâ, âPrisoner of Passionâ, âPrice of Inheritanceâ, âMuslin with Twigsâ, âForbidden Desiresâ, âSylvesterâ, âUnexpected Loveâ, âMysterious Heirâ.
- 1961-1972 - âThe price of happinessâ, âIdeal manâ, âColors of liesâ, âFrederickâ, âBeyond the threshold of dreamsâ, âThe omnipotence of loveâ, âLittle Cheritiâ, âWorthy ladyâ.
Having published her first novel, Black Moth, at the age of 17, Heyer has created more than 50 novels, most of which tell about the beautiful heroines and their thorny path to true love. The novel "Child of the Devil", published in 1932, became a bestseller. Other hits by Georgette Heyer include Secret Engagement, Friday Baby (1944), Great Sophie (1950), and Frederick (1965).
Historical works
The work of Georgette Heyer in this genre, unlike its predecessors, is distinguished by historical details. She examined every available fact that is part of the plot of the novel. Heyer literally enlivened the historical past for her readers. She did not consider herself a great writer and had ambivalent feelings for a historical novel, considering the events of those years too bloody. Heyer Historical Novels:
- 1931 - the novel "The Conqueror", which depicts the early years of the reign of William I.
- 1937 - An Infamous Army, a historical detail found by the author when creating the novel, attracted the attention of critics, and the work received recognition.
Her other novels in the historical genre, The Great Roxhythe, Simon the Coldheart, Beauvallet, written earlier, did not reach such a level. Heyer had wanted to write a trilogy about the Lancaster House for many years. But she could not complete her idea, because she ran into impatient editors who asked to continue the series of romance novels. The only novel from the Lancaster trilogy, My Lord John, remained incomplete and was published after the writer's death in 1925.
Other works
At the beginning of her career, Georgette Heyer experimented with other literary genres. So modern novels appeared, covering events of the beginning of the XX century, - Instead of the Thorn, Helen, Pastel, Barren Corn. They were not as successful as the historical novels of Heyer, and therefore remained almost unnoticed.
Georgette's husband told her the plot of a detective novel, and Heyer tried herself in this genre. In total, she published 12 detective novels, the last of them Detection Unlimited.
Writer's Legacy
Writer biographers explore her work. Son Georgette gave them free access to the archives of his mother. There is a rather interesting list of her short stories, some of which are unknown to modern readers. A few years ago, three of them were published, which have not appeared in print since 1930. Heyer did not give a single interview during her work. And never, under any circumstances, did not advertise their books.
But by the time she died in 1974, she was selling over a million copies a year in the UK. And currently, Georgette Heyer's books are in demand; over the past five years, more than 500 thousand books have been sold. Historical romance novels sold like hot cakes.
Heyer wrote her novels for fifty years, which is remarkable, not a single episode is repeated in any of her works. Absolutely different characters, different looks, different characters. Perhaps the only thing that unites them is that they came out of the pen of one author - Georgette Heyer.