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Article: Austen heaven; Critics choice.
- Article from:
- Daily Mail (London)
- Article date:
- February 9, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: VAL HENNESSY
JANE AUSTEN
by Carol Shields (Weidenfeld, [pounds sterling]12.99)
THE novels of Jane Austen sit proudly on the bookshelves alongside the classics of Shakespeare and Chaucer.
She is one of the most popular English writers of all time, yet little is known about her life other than the fact that it was short, dutiful and vastly enriched by pen and ink.
No diary has ever come to light, no family portrait and, of course, she was a few decades too early for a photograph or a voice recording.
One hundred and sixty of her letters survive, however, but none written before she was 20.