One of the most intriguing and mysterious writers of the 20th century, Bernice Rubens remains relatively unrecognized despite her impressive contributions to literature. She became the second recipient and the first woman to win the Booker Prize in 1970 with her novel “The Elected Member.” She is also the only Welsh winner in the prize’s history, which may highlight how Welsh writing in English is viewed and acknowledged outside Wales. Born in Cardiff’s working-class area of Adamsdown in 1923 to Polish and Lithuanian Jewish immigrants, Rubens attended the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, Cardiff (now Cardiff University), earning a BA in English in 1947. Initially teaching English and working on documentary films, she began her writing career at the age of 30.
Throughout her life, Rubens published over 20 novels and a non-fiction work before her passing in 2004, yet she modestly described her writing as “better than most, not as good as some.” This understated view belies the diversity of her style and themes. Although Rubens was celebrated during her lifetime, her works, like those of many other Welsh women, are often not well-known beyond Welsh university settings, some English literature programs, and adventurous book clubs. This might partly be because she never quite fit into the Cardiff literary scene and was sometimes overshadowed by peers such as Welsh poet Dannie Abse. However, as a writer from a working-class Welsh-Jewish background, her fearless exploration of her cultural heritage’s traumas and legacies makes her writing notably compelling and haunting.
In “The Elected Member,” she examines how the respectable image of a Jewish family disintegrates when their adored son falls into drug addiction. Her 1983 novel “Brothers” delves into the experiences of four family generations as they confront the Tsarist army in Russia in the 1830s, the 1871 Odessa pogrom in Ukraine, emigration to both Wales and Germany, and concentration camps. This novel portrays humanity’s worst behaviors toward marginalized and persecuted groups while emphasizing the importance of human connection and hope. “Brothers” leaves a lasting impact on its readers.
From a Welsh viewpoint, her 1975 novel “I Sent A Letter to My Love” is one of Rubens’ most unsettling yet strangely touching works. Set in the seaside town of Porthcawl, the story follows unmarried, middle-aged Amy and her disabled brother Stan, along with their close friend Gwyneth, as they lead monotonous lives. The plot’s tension escalates when Amy places a personal ad in the local paper under the pseudonym “Blodwyn Pugh.” However, instead of numerous responses from potential suitors, she gets a single reply—from her brother, Stan. As their correspondence turns increasingly sexual, Stan develops romantic feelings for Gwyneth. This willingness to tackle the quasi-incestuous relationship between siblings (albeit unwitting on Stan’s part) contributes to the discomfort of Rubens’ work. Her writing resists neat classification within any particular genre or style. The novel was adapted into a French film, “Chère Inconnue,” in 1982, featuring Simone Signoret and Jean Rochefort, which also highlights the story’s troubling theme.
Overall, Rubens’ works are a fusion of cultural identities and are not easily classified. Critics like Hana Sambrook mention the “maddening” way her writing doesn’t conform to a single category. Yet, it’s this very refusal to fit that makes Rubens significant. Why should writers conform to strict categories? Why do we value genre and style so much?
Today, much of Rubens’ earlier works can be found secondhand. However, only “I Sent A Letter to My Love” has been included in the Library of Wales series by Parthian Books, which seeks to republish important classic Welsh literature in English. Rubens joins a few other women writers in the collection, such as Rachel Trezise, Dorothy Edwards, Hilda Vaughan, and Margiad Evans. Perhaps the way Welsh cultural history is preserved contributes to why working-class women writers like Rubens have yet to gain a broader audience beyond their contemporary popularity.