Amy Levy – författare

Amy Levy was a talented Anglo-Jewish writer who committed suicide in 1889 at the age of 28. During her brief career she published essays, short stories, three novels and three collections of poetry, but none of them is in print today. To correct this situation and set the stage for a generous selection of her work, Melvyn New introduces Amy Levy as an unmarried Victorian woman and an urban intellectual, disillusioned by the mores of her culture, yet unable to abandon her identification with the English Jews who embodied so much of what she scorned. He reconstructs her world in 1880s England - a time when the president of the British Medical Association warned his colleagues that educated women would become ""more or less sexless"" - raising questions that lead to the tortured heart and mind of this ""found"" writer. Of the novels, ""Reuben Sachs"", which generated strong negative feelings in London's Jewish community, is considered one of the first realistic examinations of assimilated Jewry in 19th century England. ""The Romance of a Shop"" looks at working women in late Victorian society and offers a glimpse of the bohemian world of artists. The shorter fiction ranges from a story about an Anglo-Jewish Cambridge student (who commits suicide) to the portrait of a women turned bitter and cynical by the courtship rituals of the age. The selection of nearly 50 poems includes a dramatic monologue in which Socrates' ""shrewish"" wife explains the world from her own perspective. The essays include sketches on Jewish life in London and a blistering attack on the pomposities of Henry James and his circle.

The Romance of a Shop (1888) is a novel by Amy Levy. Published the year before her tragic death, The Romance of a Shop is the debut novel of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. “The air of desolation which hung about the house had communicated itself in some vague manner to the garden, where the trees were bright with blossom, or misty with the tender green of the young leaves. Perhaps the effect of sadness was produced, or at least heightened, by the pathetic figure that paced slowly up and down the gravel path immediately before the house; the figure of a young woman, slight, not tall, bare-headed, and clothed in deep mourning.” Following the unexpected death of their father, sisters Fanny, Gertrude, Lucy, and Phyllis are left with little inheritance and even less hope for the future. On the brink of despair, they join together to launch a photography business, each contributing to the best of their abilities in order to survive. As Lucy begins an apprenticeship with a local photographer, her sisters purchase and prepare their own studio for her return. Despite their efforts, they struggle to convince customers that a shop owned by women can demand the same prices as those run by men. Through perseverance and luck, however, the Lorimers find success as funeral photographers and through their connection to a prominent artist. As romance, illness, and war interrupt their plans, the sisters find solace in their mutual resolve to not only survive, but provide and care for one another. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition Amy Levy’s The Romance of a Shop is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Romance of a Shop (1888) is a novel by Amy Levy. Published the year before her tragic death, The Romance of a Shop is the debut novel of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. “The air of desolation which hung about the house had communicated itself in some vague manner to the garden, where the trees were bright with blossom, or misty with the tender green of the young leaves. Perhaps the effect of sadness was produced, or at least heightened, by the pathetic figure that paced slowly up and down the gravel path immediately before the house; the figure of a young woman, slight, not tall, bare-headed, and clothed in deep mourning.” Following the unexpected death of their father, sisters Fanny, Gertrude, Lucy, and Phyllis are left with little inheritance and even less hope for the future. On the brink of despair, they join together to launch a photography business, each contributing to the best of their abilities in order to survive. As Lucy begins an apprenticeship with a local photographer, her sisters purchase and prepare their own studio for her return. Despite their efforts, they struggle to convince customers that a shop owned by women can demand the same prices as those run by men. Through perseverance and luck, however, the Lorimers find success as funeral photographers and through their connection to a prominent artist. As romance, illness, and war interrupt their plans, the sisters find solace in their mutual resolve to not only survive, but provide and care for one another. This edition Amy Levy’s The Romance of a Shop is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Miss Meredith (1889) is a novel by Amy Levy. Published the year of her tragic death, Miss Meredith is the final novel of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. “A hard fight with fortune had been my mother''s from the day when, a girl of eighteen, she had left a comfortable home to marry my father for love. Poverty and sickness—those two redoubtable dragons—had stood ever in the path. Now, even the love which had been by her side for so many years, and helped to comfort them, had vanished into the unknown.” Elsie Meredith is keenly aware of her mother’s fate in life, and although she wants to be there for her in her time of greatest need, she fears more than anything the prospect of following in her footsteps. “[N]either literary nor artistic, neither picturesque like Jenny nor clever like Rosalind,” Elsie is a textbook middle child, destined to go through life on her own terms, yet unequipped with the drive or willingness to conform possessed by her sisters. On a whim, she decides to embark for Italy to work as a governess for the Marchesa Brogi. This edition Amy Levy’s Miss Meredith is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

A London Plane-Tree and Other Verse (1889) is a poetry collection by Amy Levy. Published in the year of her death at the age of 27, A London Plane-Tree and Other Verse is the work of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. “Green is the plane-tree in the square, / The other trees are brown; / They droop and pine for country air; / The plane-tree loves the town.” In these lyric poems exploring the sights and sounds of Victorian London, Amy Levy identifies herself with a modern, urban setting, refusing to rely on tradition in poetry or in life: “Others the country take for choice, / And hold the town in scorn; / But she has listened to the voice / On city breezes borne.” Attuned to the urban bustle of work and play, Levy presages the malaise and discontent more often associated with Modernist writers of the early twentieth century: “Dead-tired, dog tired, as the vivid day / Fails and slackens and fades away.— / The sky that was so blue before / With sudden clouds is shrouded o’er.” Having struggled with depression her whole life, Levy was keenly aware of poetry’s ability to capture the depths of human emotion. “To Vernon Lee,” addressed to her lover, herself a famous writer, Levy provides a self-portrait in the throes of heartache, recalling with sorrow a love consigned to the past: “A snowy blackthorn flowered beyond my reach; / You broke a branch and gave it to me there; / […] / And of the gifts the gods had given to each— / Hope unto you, and unto me Despair.” This edition Amy Levy’s A London Plane-Tree and Other Verse is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

“A London Plane-Tree - And Other Verse” is an 1889 collection of poetry by Amy Levy. Amy Judith Levy (1861–1889) was a British poet, novelist, and essayist. She was notably the first Jewish woman to study at Cambridge university, and she became well-known for her feminist positions as well as relationships with both male and female political and literature figures. Contents include: “A London Plane-Tree”, “Love, Dreams, & Death”, “Moods and Thoughts”, and “Odds and Ends”. Her other works include: “Xantippe and Other Verse” (1881), “The Romance of a Shop” (1888), “Reuben Sachs” (1888), and “Miss Meredith” (1889). As part of our poetry imprint "Ragged Hand" Read & Co. is proudly publishing this brand new collection of classic poetry complete with an introductory biography of the author by Richard Garnett.

“I Thought My Spirit & My Heart Were Tamed” is a wonderful collection of poetry by British poet Amy Levy connected through the common themes of thoughts and emotions. Levy suffered with major depression, growing worse as she got closer to her 30s and becoming aware of her growing deafness. Although showing such talents at a young age, Levy took her own life 2 months before her 28th birthday. This collection looks into the mind of this struggling poet and perhaps her final poetic thoughts and struggles with depression. Contents include: “The Old House”, “Lohengrin”, “Alma Mater”, “In the Black Forest”, “Captivity”, “The Two Terrors”, “The Promise of Sleep”, “The Last Judgment”, “The Lost Friend”, “Cambridge in the Long”, “To Vernon Lee”, “The Old Poet”, “On the Wye in May”, “Oh, Is It Love?”, “In the Nower”, and “The End of the Day”. Amy Judith Levy (1861–1889) was a British poet, novelist, and essayist. She was notably the first Jewish woman to study at Cambridge university, and she became well-known for her feminist positions as well as her romantic relationships with both male and female political and literature figures. Other works by this author include: “Xantippe and Other Verse” (1881), “The Romance of a Shop” (1888), “Reuben Sachs” (1888), and “Miss Meredith” (1889). As part of our poetry imprint "Ragged Hand" Read & Co. is proudly publishing this brand new collection of classic poetry complete with an introductory biography of the author by Richard Garnett.

“In the Night I Dreamed of You” is a collection of poetry by British poet Amy Levy connected through the common themes of love, dreams, and death. Levy suffered with major depression, growing worse as she got closer to her 30s and becoming aware of her growing deafness. Although showing such talents at a young age, Levy took her own life 2 months before her 28th birthday. This collection looks into the mind of this struggling poet and perhaps her final poetic thoughts and struggles with depression. Contents include: “New Love, New Life”, “Impotens”, “Youth and Love”, “The Dream”, “On the Threshold”, “The Birch-Tree at Loschwitz”, “In the Night”, “Borderland”, “At Dawn”, “Last Words”, “June”, “Reminiscence”, “The Sequel to ''A Reminiscence''”, “In the Mile End Road”, “Contradictions”, “Twilight”, and “In September”. Amy Judith Levy (1861–1889) was a British poet, novelist, and essayist. She was notably the first Jewish woman to study at Cambridge university, and she became well-known for her feminist positions as well as her romantic relationships with both male and female political and literature figures. Other works by this author include: “Xantippe and Other Verse” (1881), “The Romance of a Shop” (1888), and “Miss Meredith” (1889). As part of our poetry imprint "Ragged Hand" Read & Co. is proudly publishing this brand new collection of classic poetry complete with an introductory biography of the author by Richard Garnett.

“Miss Meredith” is an 1889 novel by Amy Levy. A romantic novel set in Pisa, Italy, "Miss Meredith" is a must read for classic romantic fiction fans. Amy Judith Levy (1861–1889) was a British poet, novelist, and essayist. She was notably the first Jewish woman to study at Cambridge university, and she became well-known for her feminist positions as well as her romantic relationships with both male and female political and literature figures. Contents include: “A Family of Four”, “A Great Event”, “New and Strange Experiences”, “The New Governess and Her Pupil”, “Making Friends”, “Chapter Vimarchetti”, “The Home-Coming of the Rebel”, “An Italian Ball”, “''What Has Happened to Me?''”, “''As Good as Gold''”, “''Will You Make Me Very Happy?''”, “The Breaking of the Storm”, etc. Other works by this author include: “Xantippe and Other Verse” (1881), “The Romance of a Shop” (1888), and “Reuben Sachs” (1888). Read & Co. Classics is proudly republishing this classic novel now in a new edition complete with an introductory biography of the author by Richard Garnett.