Jean Rhys

Jean Rhys CBE was a British Creole novelist born and raised in Dominica. She is best known for her novel 'Wide Sargasso Sea,' a prequel to Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre.' Her work often explores themes of identity, displacement, race, gender, and the struggles of marginalized women. Rhys moved to England at 16 for her education and later worked as an actress and chorus girl before becoming a writer. Her early novels, set in Europe during the 1920s and 30s, gained some acclaim, but it was 'Wide Sargasso Sea' in 1966 that brought her significant recognition and a resurgence in popularity. She received a CBE in 1978.