O. Douglas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Anna Masterton Buchan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1877 |
| Died | 1948 |
| Pen name | O. Douglas |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Writing period | 1912 - 1948 |
| Genres | Fiction |
| Relative(s) | John Buchan (brother) |
O. Douglas is the pen name of Anna Masterton Buchan (1877-1948), a Scottish novelist.[1] She was born in Perth, Scotland, the daughter of the Reverend John Buchan and Helen Masterton, and the younger sister of John Buchan, the renowned statesman and author. She attended Hutchesons' Grammar School in Glasgow, but lived most of her later life in Broughton, Peeblesshire, where her parents first met.[2]
Her first novel Olivia in India was published in 1912 by Hodder & Stoughton. A contemporary review describes it as a "happy book" and another commented: "To have read this book is to have met an extremely likeable personality in the author". [3] This was to be the hallmark of all her fiction, gently humorous domestic dramas with little if any reference to political events or social change.[4] Most portray small town or village life in southern Scotland, reflecting her own life.
Unforgettable, Unforgotten (1945) is a memoir of her brother John and of the Buchan family, while Farewell to Priorsford is her autobiography, published posthumously in 1950.
Her work is displayed alongside her brother's at the John Buchan Centre in Broughton. [5]
[edit] Bibliography
- Olivia in India (1912)
- The Setons (1917)
- Penny Plain (1920)
- Ann and her Mother (1922)
- Pink Sugar (1924)
- The Proper Place (1926)
- Eliza For Common (1928)
- The Day of Small Things (1930)
- Priorsford (1932)
- Taken By The Hand (1935)
- Jane's Parlour (1937)
- People Like Ourselves (1938)
- The House that is Our Own (1940)
- Unforgettable, Unforgotten (1945)
- Farewell to Priorsford (1950)
[edit] References
- ^ Oxford Biography Index Number 101061010
- ^ Gazetteer for Scotland
- ^ Introduction to Olivia in India
- ^ British Women Novelists, 1910s-1960s
- ^ John Buchan Centre
[edit] Further reading
- Works by O. Douglas at Project Gutenberg
- Olivia in India
- Penny Plain
- Wendy Forrester, Anna Buchan and O. Douglas (London: The Maitland Press, 1995).
- Debbie Sly, "Pink Sugary Pleasures: Reading the Novels of O. Douglas", The Journal of Popular Culture 2001 35:1 5
