Author Description

Ruth Isabelle King was born in Barnes London in 1914, third daughter of James King, a master at Latymer Upper School. She was educated at St Paul's Girls' School and Lady Margaret Hall Oxford. After working on a history of The Times newspaper she went to Poland as translator and secretary at the Institute of International Law and Relations, Lwow University. Lwow (now Lviv) has been part of Ukraine since 1945. The letters (augmented by more intimate diaries) were written to her mother during the fifteen months she lived in Lwow, as Hitler's ambitions in Europe became increasingly apparent. As well as indicating awareness of growing international tensions and the much-disputed Polish Question, the letters also provide a vivid picture of life in Lwow before the war: of academic life (financed by the Rockefeller Foundation) of cultural, social and domestic history, of wealth and poverty and the difficulties faced by minority groups..."