Sylvia Pankhurst: The Rebellious Suffragette

2012 | Biography

The next few years mark the centenary of some of the biggest events which changed women's right to vote, including the death of Emily Davison at the 1913 Derby. Sylvia was the daughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and younger sister of Christabel. She was also the rebel in the family and stood alongside Keir Hardie when he formed the Labour Party. When he died, she started travelling - in Moscow, she reprimanded Lenin about his view of Communism, became lovers with an Italian revolutionary and bore his son when she was 45. She fought for Ethiopian independence and was given a state funeral after her death in 1960, in recognition of her importance to the Ethiopian cause. Fifty-one years later, a member of the House of Lords is campaigning for a statue of Sylvia Pankhurst to be erected opposite the Houses of Parliament, a long-deserved recognition of the importance of this rebellious Suffragette. This is an updated version of a previous book with a new foreword by Sylvia's son, Professor Richard Pankhurst, updated text, entirely new design and new images, including interview with Sylvia's family.

This is a fascinating, rebellious woman whose story has been told in captivating detail by Shirley Harrison.

Shirley Harrison (Author)