Githa Sowerby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Portrait of Githa Sowerby by George Percy Jacomb-Hood, circa 1912
Katherine Githa Sowerby (October 6, 1876 – June 30, 1970), also known under her penname K. G. Sowerby, was an English playwright, children's writer, and member of the Fabian Society. A feminist, she was well-known during the early twentieth century for her 1912 hit play Rutherford & Son, but lapsed into obscurity in later decades.[1] Rutherford & Son was first revived in 1980, and since then there have been several productions, including one at the Royal National Theatre in 1994 and, most recently, by Northern Broadsides. A biography of Sowerby by Pat Riley, Looking for Githa, appeared in 2009.

Sowerby was born in 1876 in Gateshead, England, into the Sowerbys, a glass-making family.[1]

Rutherford & Son was a "sensation"[2] and a "massive success"[3] in its 1912 London debut, running for 133 performances in London and 63 performances in New York.[1] It was also produced in Canada and Australia, and translated into numerous other languages,[1] including German, French, Italian, Russian, and Bohemian.[2] Originally produced under the penname "G. K. Sowerby", it was only later revealed that the author of the hit play was a woman; Sowerby then achieved instant celebrity.[3] Sowerby's writing was compared to Henrik Ibsen's at that point, while known only by the gender-neutral initials "G. K."[4]

Sowerby's papers and memorabilia are in the collections at the Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums.[2] Her daughter, Joan Smith (b. circa 1919), lives in London.[1]

Bibliography

  • The Wise Book (children's poetry book, illustrated by her sister Millicent Sowerby)
  • Rutherford and Son (1912, realist drama)
  • Before Breakfast (1912)
  • The Stepmother (1924)
  • Direct Action (1937–78) (Sowerby's last play)

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Barbara Hodgson, "Author Is Brought Back to Life", The Journal, Sept. 17, 2009.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mark Brown, "Githa Sowerby, the forgotten playwright, returns to the stage", Guardian, Aug. 14, 2009
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 BBC, "Tyneside honours forgotten writer" (Aug. 26, 2009).
  4. ↑ Rose Drew, "Patricia Riley on Playwright Githa Sowerby", One&Other: York, Dec. 11, 2011.

Further research

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.