Angela Thirkell was a well-known author, born as Angela Margaret Mackail on January 30, 1890, in Kensington Square, London. She was born into a family of scholars and artists, including her grandfather, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, a Pre-Raphaelite painter, and her grandmother, Georgiana Macdonald, who was part of a precocious family that included Stanley Baldwin, the Prime Minister, and Rudyard Kipling. Thirkell's father, John William Mackail, was a Scottish civil servant and scholar from Isle of Bute, who served as a poetry professor at Oxford University between 1906 and 1911. Her mother, Margaret Burne Joes, was the daughter of Edward Burne Jones. Thirkell had two siblings, Denis Mackail and Clare.
Thirkell's brother, Denis, was also a novelist, and the siblings were treated to first-hand stories of Mary de Morgan's fairy tales during their youth. In 1911, Angela married James Campbell McInnes, a professional Baritone who performed at concert halls throughout the UK. They had three children, Graham, Colin, and Mary, before getting divorced in 1917. Following her divorce, Thirkell and her children moved in with her parents in Pembroke Gardens in London. In 1918, she married George Lancelot Thirkell and traveled to Australia, where her youngest son, Lancelot George, was born in 1921. Thirkell left Australia in 1929 with her eight-year-old son and never returned.
After returning to London, Thirkell began her writing career, publishing her first book, "Three Houses," a memoir of her happy childhood, in 1931. The book was an immediate success, and she went on to write 28 novels set in Trollope's mythical county of Barsetshire, one each year. Thirkell also wrote a book of children's stories, "The Grateful Sparrow," using Ludwig Richter's illustrations, a biography of Harriette Wilson, "The Fortunes of Harriette," an historical novel, "Coronation Summer," an account of the events in London during Queen Victoria's Coronation in 1838, and three semi-autobiographical novels, "Ankle Deep," "Oh, These Men, These Men," and "Trooper to the Southern Cross." When Angela died on the 29th of January 1961, she left unfinished the last of her books, "Three Score and Ten," which was completed by her friend, Caroline LeJeune. Angela is buried in Rottingdean alongside her daughter Mary and her Burne-Jones grandparents.
Thirkell's writing career was marked by her ability to create memorable characters and her keen observations of human nature. Her novels, particularly the Barsetshire series, remain popular among readers who enjoy her wit, humor, and social commentary. Thirkell's life was as interesting as her writing, and she experienced love, loss, and adventure, which no doubt influenced her work. Her legacy as a writer continues to inspire new generations of readers and writers alike.