“God forbid that any book should be
banned. The practice is as
indefensible as infanticide.” - Rebecca West
Cicely Isabel Fairfield, who wrote as Rebecca West, championed other writers, particularly
those who were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era, and probably would be appalled that books are still being banned in today's society.
Born on
this date in 1892, she grew up in a home full of intellectual stimulation,
political debate, lively company, books and music and turned into
a world-renowned author and reporter. By the time she was 50 she was a leading
spokesperson for feminism and feminist causes, and by the time of her death in
1983 she had published many hundreds of stimulating articles, short stories and books.
She
was called by Time Magazine "indisputably the world's number one woman writer,” and by U.S. President Harry S. Truman “the world’s best
reporter.”
In addition to her dozens of books,
West also was 
feted for her essays and as a leading reviewer and travel writer
for many of the world’s top newspapers and magazines.
Among her
best-selling books were Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, on the history and
culture of Yugoslavia; A Train of Powder – based on her magazine coverage
of the Nuremberg trials; and the novels The Birds Fall Down and the autobiographical Aubrey Trilogy: The Fountain Overflows, This Real Night, and Cousin
Rosamund.
"I
write books," she noted, "to find out about things.”
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