Born on a sunlit spring day, May 13, 1907, in the heart of London, England, Daphne du Maurier came into a family steeped in the arts. Her father, Gerald, was an actor and manager, while her mother, Muriel, graced the stage as an actress. Her lineage boasted the creative genius of her grandfather, George du Maurier, artist and author of works such as Peter Ibbetson and Trilby. As a young girl, Daphne’s imagination was her playground, where she lost herself in books and crafted whimsical fantasies, laying the foundation for her future as a literary luminary.

The rugged beauty of Cornwall became her lifelong companion, first as the backdrop of her parents' summer abode near Plymouth, and later, the majestic seventeenth-century estate of Menabilly. Enveloped in the mystique of Cornwall—a land rich with King Arthur legends, tales of Tristan and Iseult, and pirate adventures—Du Maurier drew inspiration for her novels. These enchanting landscapes vividly came alive in her works, including Jamaica Inn, Frenchman's Creek, The House on the Strand, and the haunting short story "The Birds." Her affinity for Cornwall also led to her penning a historical account of the region in 1967.

In Wayne Templeton's article for the Dictionary of Literary Biography, he highlights the internal awakenings of a young Daphne during her adolescence, a time when she yearned to be a boy. Templeton suggests these feelings mirrored the "awakening of lesbian tendencies," at a time when societal norms dictated rigid gender roles within homosexual relationships. Embracing a complex identity, she sometimes adopted the persona of Eric Avon, a fictional boy she imagined. Despite social stigmas surrounding homosexuality, du Maurier candidly spoke of keeping a "boy in a box," a metaphor for her concealed masculine inclinations—a theme that resonated throughout her male-narrated stories and novels.

Her literary journey commenced in 1925, when she began to weave tales of somber hues and brooding verse, her style reminiscent of the shadows cast by Katherine Mansfield, Guy de Maupassant, and Somerset Maugham. The world first glimpsed her talent through the short stories "And Now to God the Father" and "A Difference in Temperament," published by The Bystander, a periodical under her uncle William Beaumont's editorial guardianship, in 1929.

During a tranquil sojourn at her parents' Cornish retreat, a 24-year-old Daphne crafted her debut novel, The Loving Spirit. This historical romance not only captivated readers, turning into a bestseller, but also caught the attention of Major Frederick "Boy" Browning of the Grenadier Guards, who sought out the enchanting author, leading to their eventual marriage.

Templeton further remarks on Daphne’s complex emotional landscape, noting that while she acknowledged her deep affections for several women, she never fully embraced the label of bisexuality, not even to herself.

Her burgeoning literary prowess crystallized with her fourth novel, Jamaica Inn, published in 1936, drawing comparisons to the gothic narratives woven by the Brontë sisters in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Yet, it was with the release of Rebecca in 1938 that Daphne du Maurier firmly established her distinctive voice, a voice uniquely her own.

Her short stories, too, garnered acclaim, particularly collections like The Apple Tree: A Short Novel and Some Stories (1952), released in the U.S. as Kiss Me Again, Stranger (1953) and later as The Birds and Other Stories (1963). Another notable collection, Not After Midnight, and Other Stories (1971), was republished as Don't Look Now. Several of her works, including Rebecca, "The Birds," and "Don't Look Now," have been immortalized on film. Her literary achievements were celebrated with the National Book Award for Rebecca in 1938, and her contributions to literature were honored when she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1969. Daphne du Maurier's storied life came to a close on April 19, 1989, in the cherished landscapes of Cornwall she so adored.