Elizabeth Taylor

1912–1975

English novelist and short-story writer, born Betty Coles in Reading and educated at the Abbey School there. She worked as a governess, tutor and librarian before marrying John Taylor in 1936, and spent most of her married life in Penn, Buckinghamshire. Her first novel, At Mrs Lippincote’s, appeared in 1945 and was followed by eleven more, including A View of the Harbour, Angel and In a Summer Season, as well as four volumes of stories. Her fiction closely observes everyday middle-class life. She died in 1975. Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont was shortlisted for the 1971 Booker Prize.

Timeline of Elizabeth Taylor’s life

Works

• Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (1971)

Prizes

• Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont — The Booker Prize 1971: Shortlist