Anna Kavan

This article is about the British novelist. For the English actress, see Helen Atkinson-Wood. For the jazz musician, see Helen Jones Woods.

Anna Kavan
An abstract head and shoulders painting
Portrait from the 1950s
BornHelen Emily Woods
(1901-04-10)10 April 1901
Cannes, France
Died5 December 1968(1968-12-05) (aged 67)
London, England
Pen name
  • Anna Kavan
  • Helen Ferguson
Occupation
Notable worksIce
Spouse
  • Donald Ferguson
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1919; div. 1928)​
  • Stuart Edmonds
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1931; div. 1938)​
Children2

Anna Kavan (born Helen Emily Woods; 10 April 1901 – 5 December 1968) was a British novelist, short story writer and painter. Originally publishing under her first married name, Helen Ferguson, she adopted the name Anna Kavan in 1939, not only as a pen name but as her legal identity.