American writer Shirley Jackson is rightfully considered the master of the Gothic novel. Horrors, puzzles, ghosts, living houses, murders and predictions of ghosts - all this can be found in her novels and short stories. During her short life, Shirley managed to create a whole world where characters experience mental torment, fear and suffer from internal demons.
Biography
Shirley Hardy Jackson was born on January 14, 1916 in the United States, San Francisco. Together with her parents - Leslie and Geraldine Jackson - she lived in Burlingame, California. The family was middle-class and lived in a small suburb. Later, the town will be reflected in the work of Shirley. Shirley attended high school already in the state of New York, as her family moved to Rochester. In 1934, Jackson graduated from Brighton High School and entered the University of Rochester. Having dropped out there, Shirley chose the faculty of journalism at the University of Syracuse. She received the diploma in 1940.
As a student, Shirley led the campus literary magazine. During this period, she met her future husband, Stanley Edgar Heymanoma. Subsequently, Jackson's husband became a famous literary critic. Shirley shared little information about his private life. However, from her biography it is known that together with her husband they settled in the countryside, in Vermont. Remoteness from the noisy city and solitude contributed to the creative work of the spouses. They had four children: Lawrence, Joanna, Sarah and Barry. Shirley did not like the fact that her husband was younger. Therefore, in some sources appears a later date of her birth - 1919. However, biographer Judy Oppenheimer proved that Shirley Jackson was born in 1916.
Shirley, Stanley and their children later moved to North Bennington, a city in Vermont. The wife of a famous writer received a professorship at Bennington College. The Hayman family was hospitable and surrounded themselves with talented writers. Shirley and Stanley were very fond of reading and had an impressive library, which totaled many thousands of books.
Shirley Jackson died on August 8, 1965 due to cardiac arrest. She was only 49 years old. During her life she has experienced many neuroses and psychosomatic diseases. In the end, her delicate, creative, sensitive nature could not stand it.
Novels
Shirley Jackson is the author of many novels, short stories, works for children, memoirs. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, was written in 1948. The work was created on the basis of childhood memories of a famous writer. Shirley admits that in part through the book she wanted to take revenge on her parents for their limitedness and greed. The book tells about life in a suburban area of California. The action takes place in 1936. The characters of the first Jackson novel have a narrow worldview and consider themselves respectable citizens. Residents of the suburbs ignore the Jewish family and single mother. Once their solitude and habitual order of things is violated, and the life of society changes. Critics have noted that Shirley’s talent is interesting in describing everyday things.
The next book, the novel "The Hanger", was published in 1951. The action takes place in a higher humanitarian school, the main character is a beginner among students. The work turned out to be deeply psychological. It got its name from one of the ancient ballads. The third novel, Bird's Nest, was written by Jackson in 1954. The book was not easy for her. During its creation, Shirley suffered from insomnia and various pains, as well as paranoia. The set of symptoms coincided with those observed in one of the characters. Jackson even had to take a break from his work on the book. She conceived an interesting composition of the novel - each chapter is dedicated to a specific hero. Among them, a shy girl suffering from a split personality and a hypnotist doctor.
The novel "Sundial" was released in 1958. He talks about a family whose head was killed. Different inhabitants of a rich estate have their own versions of what happened to the owner. One of the suspects is the house itself. The novel is full of mysticism, ghosts and mysteries. The gothic horror novel "The Phantom of the House on the Hill", written in 1959, is based on the relationship between the mysterious events in the house and the mental state of its inhabitants. For him, Jackson received the "National Literary Prize." The plot of the novel was taken as the basis of several adaptations. The book was translated into many languages of the world and brought the writer wide fame.
The 1962 book "We Always Lived in the Castle" was the writer’s latest novel. Jackson devoted her work to the publisher Pascal Kovichi. The story goes on behalf of the girl Mary Catherine Blackwood. She lives with her sister and uncle on a Vermont estate. A tragedy breaks into the life of the family, which separates them from the inhabitants of the surrounding area. The novel is rightfully considered a masterpiece and has been filmed.
