The wives of many male authors have had a rough time, regardless of how much they supported their husbands in emotional and practical ways. Charles Dickens’ attempt to have his wife Catherine, mother of his ten children, committed to an asylum lost him several friends and supporters at the time, even though in the 19th century it was a known resort of rich men who had tired of their domestic lives. Today, we see it as monstrously cruel. Was the 20th century any better? Not really. I was devastated to read in Anna Funder’s “Wifedom” that my literary hero George Orwell was a rotten husband to his devoted wife, Eileen Blair. She gave up her own prospects as an author to drive his career as his secretary and editor, as well as running the small business that kept them financially afloat and the household. Not all authors’ partnerships have been abusive, but it seems that the risks for an author’s partner are higher than average, especially if that author is particularly talented and successful.
And who was the most particularly talented and successful? Yes, the world’s favourite grammar school Brummie – Will Shakespeare. And we all know that he had a wife called Anne or Agnes Hathaway, who stayed with the kids in her famous cottage in Stratford-on-Avon while he went to London to achieve fame and fortune. Until fairly recently, she was portrayed as an illiterate milkmaid whose pregnancy forced him into an early, unwanted marriage. Thanks to books like Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, and even Lisa Tarbuck’s comic portrayal of her in “Upstart Crow”, we see Anne in a much more positive light today. We know that Will and Anne lived and loved together long enough to produce three lovely children before the great separation when he was working in London. There is some evidence of visits to and fro, and they were reunited after his retirement. So, how might St Valentine’s Day have been marked by them? Well, let’s ask ourselves what might be special about loving an author or playwright. Experts disagree over whether or not any of Shakespeare’s love sonnets were for Anne, and about whether or not they yearned for each other throughout the separation. Well – I side with those who assert that some of his public poems reflected their private yearning – and I’ve written a haiku poem to sum it up from Anne’s point of view –
She loved him for words
That he wrote for all to read
But spoke just to her.
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This piece was broadcast on BBC Upload, March 5th 2026
