Rachel Kelly's book You'll Never Walk Alone: Poems for life's ups and downs (which I'm reading at the moment) has as entry no. 24 a four word "all-embracing philosophy of life": 'The password is fortitude' is "the key to dealing with whatever may trouble you", and comes from The Black Riders by Violet Needham, a book and author I'd not come across before.
Rachel goes on to explain the significance of the quotation to her own family, as, put simply, "strength in the face of adversity ... is the answer to all of life's challenges." She helpfully provides brief biographical notes on all the writers whose work is included in the book, and from this I learn that The Black Riders was Violet Needham's first novel, published when she was 63. She went on to write a further 18 novels and inspired Antonia Fraser and AS Byatt, among others.
If you want to know more, there is an article by Katie Grant in Issue 53 of Slightly Foxed, and an Oxford podcast episode by Jane Bliss.
I remember The Woods of Windri and The House of the Paladin from childhood.
One doesn’t hear her mentioned often theses days, except by my friend who was searching for The Bell of the Four Evangelists.
Posted by: Jane from Dorset | 20 January 2023 at 04:32 PM
Jane, she sounds very much as though she might deserve a revival! I'm going to look out for her books.
Posted by: Cornflower | 20 January 2023 at 04:53 PM
I have not read her but I have somewhere in my house The Horns of Merlyns and must go and dig it out!
Posted by: diana | 20 January 2023 at 04:57 PM
Exciting, Diana!
Posted by: Cornflower | 20 January 2023 at 05:06 PM
What a fascinating discovery. A new-to -you author who wrote prolifically sounds just the thing to explore on cold winter afternoons.
Posted by: Fran H-B | 23 January 2023 at 07:12 AM
It does indeed, Fran.
Posted by: Cornflower | 23 January 2023 at 10:35 AM
I have read most of the titles which are quite easy to get (The White Peacock is a scarce one). Three I think were published in the Collins Seagull Library and so were widely available. Most of the books have a Ruritanian setting, which is hard to date. She is a collectable author and I believe there is a Violet Needham Society. I'm not a fan and sold on most of the titles I picked up over the years.
Posted by: callmemadam | 24 January 2023 at 11:28 AM
Interesting to hear that; thank you, Barbara.
Posted by: Cornflower | 24 January 2023 at 01:04 PM
What joy to first discover Violet Needham, even as as adult. My sister and I lived on VN's oaks, as young girls, and I still revisit them frequently
Her Ruritanian-style books are much the best, running from thr Middle Ages to modern times.
We were introduced to them by the BBC children's hour running The Emerald Crown as a serial.--one of her best.
Posted by: Erika W. | 05 February 2023 at 11:07 PM
Thank you, Erika - wonderful that the books made such an impression!
Posted by: Cornflower | 06 February 2023 at 01:29 PM