Jean Rhys

“All of writing is a huge lake. There are great rivers that feed the lake, like Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky. And then there are mere trickles, like Jean Rhys.”

— Jean Rhys

Life & Background:

Born in 1890 in Dominica (a former British colony), Rhys moved to England as a teenager and felt alienated for most of her life. She disappeared from public view for decades before her work was revived in the 1960s.

Inspirations:

Her writing was shaped by her colonial upbringing, experiences as a woman in exile, and a deep sense of cultural dislocation. She was also influenced by modernist writers like Ford Madox Ford (who was briefly her mentor).

Themes in Her Work:

• Colonialism and racial identity

• Female vulnerability and exploitation

• Isolation, exile, and emotional disintegration

• Critique of patriarchy and economic dependence

• Rewriting literary canons from a marginalized perspective

Notable Works:

• Wide Sargasso Sea (1966)

• Good Morning, Midnight (1939)

• Voyage in the Dark (1934)

• After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie (1930)