279:(University entrance) in 1935 at the age of 16 her formal education ended. According to her semi-autobiographical novel, Esmé was enjoying life in London with a friend's family and refused to return to school for her final year of English Honours. The son of the family proposed marriage but his mother did not approve so they broke up. At the age of 17 she was on her own, living and working in London, and through necessity living a frugal life. She volunteered to serve in the Army in 1939 and after the war, as a single mother, was unable to take up her university place.
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and his repressive regime. After an outspoken friend of hers disappeared, Esmé resigned her post a few months early and with her eldest son's fiancée set off on a six-week tour of
Southern Africa, smuggling a Jehovah's Witness to safety over the border on the way. Her
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near
Reading and spent several years exploring languages and playing squash and chess with the Russian monitors there. She had another two children, by a Yugoslav journalist, but never wanted to live with him. In 1956 she arranged a mortgage, bought a house in
310:(ATS) during World War II, teaching typing and shorthand. While grateful that her typing prowess kept her in work, she was irritated by employers who ignored her other skills. For example, she regularly completed difficult crosswords like
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was an international rugby player. He emigrated to the US in 1923 but Esme's mother declined his invitation to follow later. Esme was brought up by her maternal grandparents
Charles Henry George and Annie George (née Langley) in
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where he writes: I had a formidable secretary once, Esme
Langley-Ross, with a formidable IQ, who was so on top of the job that she would hector me as to the logic and the grammar of what she was taking down almost before I said
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At school Esmé took an interest in languages, English in particular; she learned Latin, French and German and wanted to study
Ancient Greek too but there were no classes available to her at the time.
528:: Esme Langley was the powerhouse behind the Minority Research Group and accepted sole responsibility for publishing the magazine so that accusations of a "Lesbian Conspiracy" could not be made.
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and took in lodgers. There she met an
African called Tchum and they considered marriage; Esmé decided against it on the grounds of likely prejudices against her existing and future children.
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while working in Malawi, Spanish during her retirement in Spain and, just before her final illness at the age of 72, she was studying
Russian.
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Esmé was a strong supporter of minorities of all kinds, and not afraid to speak her mind. In 1963 after learning new skills working for
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After her release from the
British Army in November 1945 ("Military Conduct: Exemplary") Esmé was penniless, homeless and pregnant.
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Suicide doctor faced seven complaints: Councillor in
Westminster housing scandal also had professional worries
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and took a two-year secretarial assignment in the Office of the
President. While there she learned basic
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Esme was the only child of Ivy George, who named her Esmé after a character in a book.
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broke down early in the journey but they continued on foot and hitchhiking through
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Why Should I Be Dismayed? – Written by Esme Langley under the 'Ann Bruce' pseudonym
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493:(1958) – Ann Bruce (aka Esme Langley) – Faber and Faber – NO ISBN Available
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226:, England), was a British writer, best known as the founder of the
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City Hospital; of complications following a stroke.
440:and South Africa before returning home to England.
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51:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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403:had accomplished most of its aims, she moved to
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526:The Lesbian Archive and Information Centre
423:as a derogatory but deniable reference to
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111:Learn how and when to remove this message
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464:, Spain, and pursued her hobbies of
282:Later Esmé studied Italian for fun,
49:adding citations to reliable sources
448:After decades of smoking, Esmé had
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610:20th-century British women writers
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615:20th-century English LGBTQ people
537:Wolmar, Christian (19 Feb 1994).
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36:needs additional citations for
600:British LGBTQ rights activists
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605:British expatriates in Malawi
308:Auxiliary Territorial Service
383:, from her basement flat in
322:team working on the German
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399:When Esmé considered that
381:Minorities Research Group
334:Why should I be dismayed?
228:Minorities Research Group
491:Why should I be dismayed
344:Esmé got a job with the
595:British lesbian writers
210:(née George, pseudonym
561:Obituary: Esme Langley
523:Timeline 1966: Arena 3
503:Sylvester Stein's blog
389:Arena Three (magazine)
376:London Property Letter
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556:Family photos of Esmé
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222:– 20 August 1991, in
214:; 26 August 1919, in
419:. She named her dog
45:improve this article
306:Esmé served in the
254:Preston, Lancashire
249:William Gwyn Thomas
508:2008-07-05 at the
450:chronic bronchitis
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275:After passing her
258:Johnny Weissmuller
571:on 28 August 1992
444:Music and letters
208:Esme Ross-Langley
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425:Hastings Banda
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164:(1991-08-20)
127:Esme Langley
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101:January 2015
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43:Please help
38:verification
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590:1992 deaths
585:1919 births
565:Antony Grey
421:St Leonards
401:Arena Three
365:Arena Three
247:Her father
233:Arena Three
216:Guisborough
182:Nationality
147:Guisborough
579:Categories
476:References
462:Torrevieja
434:Mozambique
332:Her book,
240:Early life
198:Occupation
139:1919-08-26
71:newspapers
470:St Albans
454:emphysema
385:Hampstead
268:Education
220:Yorkshire
212:Ann Bruce
193:Ann Bruce
170:St Albans
151:Yorkshire
506:Archived
438:Zimbabwe
413:Chichewa
348:unit at
288:Chichewa
417:Swahili
373:on the
355:Bromley
312:Ximenes
284:Swahili
264:films.
260:in the
185:British
85:scholar
466:Mozart
405:Malawi
395:Malawi
324:Enigma
262:Tarzan
201:Writer
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92:JSTOR
78:books
452:and
415:and
359:Kent
316:Azed
314:and
286:and
230:and
159:Died
133:Born
64:news
563:by
513:it.
460:to
340:BBC
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