Myself When Young：The Shaping of a Writer

Bothinhernovelsandhermemoirs,DaphneduMaurierrevealedanardentdesiretoexploreherfamily’shistory.InMyselfWhenYoung,basedondiariesshekeptbetween1920and1932,duMaurierprobesherownpast,beginningwithherearliestmemoriesandencompassingthepublicationofherfirstbookandhermarriage.Oftenpainfullyhonest,sherecountsherdifficultrelationshipwithherfather,hereducationinParis,herearlyloveaffairs,herantipathytowardsLondonlife,andherdesperateambitiontosucceedasawriter.Theresultingself-portraitisofacomplex,utterlycaptivatingyoungwoman.