Edith Simon
| Edith Simon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
18 May 1917 Berlin, Germany |
| Died | 7 January 2003 (aged 85) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Education | Slade School of Fine Art, Central School of Art and Design |
| Organization | Artists' International Association (founding member) |
| Known for | Artist, author, translator |
| Spouse(s) | Dr Eric Reeve |
| Children | Antonia, Simon, Jay |
Edith Simon (18 May 1917 – 7 January 2003) was a German-born, British artist, author, sculptor and historian active mainly in Edinburgh.
Simon was born on 18 May 1917 in Charlottenburg, Berlin the eldest daughter of Grete and Walter Simon. Her father was a decorated artillery officer in the German army during in World War I. Simon attended the Fürstin-Bismarck Gymnasium where she excelled at art and history. From the age of 10 a Berlin newspaper published her art and writing.
Her parents were agnostic Jews, and recognising the threat from the Nazis, left Germany in 1931 to avoid further persecution, and settled in London. Simon followed them to London in 1931. Rather than complete her studies in England (she had yet to fully master the English language), Simon returned briefly to Germany to complete her Reifezeugnis (the German equivalent of English A-levels). While staying with relatives in Düsseldorf her cousin took her to visit the renowned Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Experiencing the atmosphere at the Akademie, the seriousness of the art teaching, and the progressiveness of the modern art being created made an impression on the young Simon.
Over the years Simon wrote 17 novels, historical fiction and non-fiction books on a range of topics, and contributed to many others. In 1937 she wrote and illustrated a children's story 'Somersaults and Strange Company' published under the nom de plume 'Edith'. Her second publication in 1939 was a translation, from German into English, of Arthur Koestler's first novel The Gladiators. In 1940 she published her own first novel 'The Chosen' , which received good reviews. She went on to write several more novels, including The Piebald Standard (1959), based on the history of the Knights Templar. She then turned her attention to two biographies - 'Luther Alive' (1962) about Martin Luther and his role and influence in the Reformation, and 'The Making of Frederick The Great' (1961). Her biography of Frederick the Great was translated in to German, and is still in use today.
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