William - an Englishman

Written by Cicely Hamilton

Narrated by Stephanie Racine

A satirical view of the suffragette movement and an unblinking yet compassionate story that chronicles the impact of the First World War on an ordinary young couple, William – an Englishman by Cicely Hamilton won the first Prix Femina-Vie Heureuse prize in 1919.

Written in a hospital tent to the sound of gunfire and shells falling, Cicely Hamilton drew on her experiences working in France during WW1 to tell the story of William Tully and his new bride Griselda, who are wrenched away from their all-consuming interests – socialism and votes for women – and plunged into the almost dream-like horror of war. As brutal tragedy strikes, their attitude to both pacifism and patriotism is altered and their lives are changed forever.

William - An Englishman is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics that includes neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. First published in 1919, this edition includes a preface by writer and MD of Persephone Books, Nicola Beauman.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: Apr 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9781035047284

Cicely Hamilton

Cicely Hamilton (1872-1952) was born as Cicely Hammill in 1872 in Paddington, London. She was taken in by foster parents after her mother disappeared. After becoming an actress, Cicely changed her last name to Hamilton to protect her family’s privacy. Not only was Hamilton an actress, she was also a writer, journalist and feminist who aided in the struggle for women’s suffrage in the United Kingdom. She founded the Women Writers Suffrage League with Bessie Hatton in 1908, which hosted many other famous women of literature, all in effort of obtaining rights for women and making their plight known. Hamilton wrote the famous suffrage song The March of the Women. Hamilton also wrote for magazines and freelanced as a journalist, informing the public about birth control and other rights women deserved. During World War I, she aided as a nurse and then as a performer to keep up morale amongst troops. Cicely Hamilton died in 1952 as an accomplished writer, actress and prominent figure for women’s rights.