July 2, 2010

We know Beryl Bainbridge (November 21, 1932 to July 2, 2010) as a prize-winning novelist, whose life could reflect an independent thinking and beautiful woman. Her novel Injury Time (1977) won the Whitbread Prize. Bold jumps to mind as a description for Bainbridge.

Her paintings as well reveal an extraordinary talent; like her novels, they often are part of a story. Her painting of Captain Oates, part of a small crew trying to get back to safety after the failure of Scott's expedition, is an example. You can see it here. She painted his death of freezing, and, then kept it in the center of her own mantelpiece.

Of course she had cats. One of her novels dealt with Johnson's relations with Mrs. Thrale,
According to Queeney (2001) and she painted Johnson and Hodge.




Her home was described as "a house rammed full of paintings, books, stuffed animals, tacky religious icons and bric-a-brac. The interiors are almost overwhelming." She lived there 50 years.