Mitford, Jessica

Mitford, Jessica

▪ American writer
in full  Jessica Lucy Mitford  
born Sept. 11, 1917, Gloucestershire, England
died July 23, 1996, Oakland, Calif., U.S.
 English-born writer and journalist noted for her witty and irreverent investigations of various aspects of American society.

      The fifth daughter of the 2nd Baron Redesdale, Mitford grew up in England with her brother and five sisters, one of whom was the novelist Nancy Mitford (Mitford, Nancy). She moved to the United States in 1939, became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1944, and began to write in the late 1950s. Her first published book, the autobiography Hons and Rebels (1960; U.S. title Daughters and Rebels), is an entertaining account of her childhood, her eccentric family, and her early adult life. Mitford's second book, The American Way of Death (1963), a caustic examination of unscrupulous practices in the American funeral industry, became a best-seller. Her long-standing interest in civil-rights cases found expression in the book The Trial of Dr. Spock (1969), an account of the famous pediatrician's trial on conspiracy charges for antiwar activities during the Vietnam War. Kind and Usual Punishment: The Prison Business (1973) is Mitford's critical examination of the American prison system. In 1992 she published The American Way of Birth about the state of American obstetrical care. A Fine Old Conflict (1977) is mainly an account of her experiences as a member of the U.S. Communist Party in the 1940s and '50s.

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  • Mitford, Jessica Lucy — ▪ 1997       British born U.S. writer and journalist (b. Sept. 11, 1917, Gloucester, Eng. d. July 23, 1996, Oakland, Calif.), was known as queen of the muckrakers for her investigative works on such aspects of U.S. life as the funeral industry,… …   Universalium

  • Jessica Mitford — Born September 11, 1917(1917 09 11) Gloucestershire, England, UK Died July 22, 1996(1996 07 22) (aged 78) Oakland, California, United States Cause of …   Wikipedia

  • Mitford family — The Mitford family The Mitford family is a minor aristocratic English family that traces its origins in Northumberland back to the time of the Norman conquest. In the Middle Ages they had been Border Reivers based in Redesdale. The main family… …   Wikipedia

  • Mitford — noun 1. United States writer (born in England) who wrote on American culture (1917 1996) • Syn: ↑Jessica Mitford, ↑Jessica Lucy Mitford • Instance Hypernyms: ↑writer, ↑author 2. English writer of comic novels (1904 1973) • …   Useful english dictionary

  • Jessica Lucy Mitford — noun United States writer (born in England) who wrote on American culture (1917 1996) • Syn: ↑Mitford, ↑Jessica Mitford • Instance Hypernyms: ↑writer, ↑author …   Useful english dictionary

  • Jessica Mitford — noun United States writer (born in England) who wrote on American culture (1917 1996) • Syn: ↑Mitford, ↑Jessica Lucy Mitford • Instance Hypernyms: ↑writer, ↑author …   Useful english dictionary

  • Jessica Mitford — Nacimiento 11 de septiembre de 1917 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Jessica Mitford — Jessica Lucy Mitford (* 1917 in Burford, Oxfordshire; † 1996) war eine britische Schriftstellerin. Biografie Jessica Lucy Mitford, fünfte von sechs Töchtern von David Bertram Ogilvy Freeman Mitford, 2. Baron Redesdale und Schwester von Nancy,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mitford — may refer to: Places Mitford, South Carolina, located in Fairfield County, South Carolina Mitford and Launditch, hundred in Norfolk, England Mitford, Northumberland, England Mitford Castle Mitford Hall Mitford Old Manor House Mitford Middle… …   Wikipedia

  • Mitford — ist der Name eines englischen Adelsgeschlechts: Deborah Mitford (* 1920), Herzogin von Devonshire, britische Schriftstellerin Diana Mitford (1910−2003), britische Schriftstellerin Jessica Mitford (1917–1996), Anglo Amerikanische Schriftstellerin… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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