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Anna Kavan (Cyclopedia of World Authors)

Even after publication of a well-researched biography in 1992, there remain many mysteries about the turbulent, troubled life of Anna Kavan (KAH-vahn), increasingly recognized as a major twentieth century writer. She was born Helen Woods to a well-to-do English family in 1901, and she spent most of her childhood and adolescence unhappily living in various boarding schools. Some scholars believe that she inherited a lifelong tendency to depression from her father, who apparently committed suicide when Helen was fourteen, a devastating blow to her developing personality. Despite her...

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