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For decades, precious little has been understood about the author, a member of Victorian literature's most distinctive voices, previously hailed as a genius by Oscar Wilde.

Today, the public will have the opportunity to become more deeply acquainted with a author whose pioneering work explored the emancipation of women, Jewish identity, and queer love.

“It is uncommon nowadays for a organized set of a Victorian-era author’s papers to be discovered,” remarked a senior archivist. “We were determined to act on this to make her archive open in the place where she studied and where she visited even in the final days of her life.”

An Illustrious Life

The author was born in 1861 into a Jewish middle-class family in London and enrolled at Newnham College in 1879, becoming only the next Jewish woman among Cambridge’s pioneering group of women scholars.

She produced three volumes of poetry, three novels – such as Reuben Sachs and The Romance of a Shop – numerous essays and a series of articles for the Jewish Chronicle. When she died by suicide in 1889, aged 27, she was regarded by her fellow writers as an remarkable ability, with Wilde penning her eulogy and commending the “authenticity, straightforwardness, and pensiveness” of her work.

A Complex Identity

A leading scholar developing a literary analysis about Levy said that she felt the archival materials would not only transform scholarly research but also be of fascination to a wider public.

“I read Amy’s poetry long ago and they have haunted me ever since,” the professor said. “Not only was she a fine and evocative writer, but she was also so multifaceted. She embraced her Jewish identity, but she was also an atheist. She seemed to interact positively with men, but she was a homosexual woman.”

The expert noted that Levy had cultivated a social network at Newnham and also in her adult life, notably through Violet Paget “who was extremely networked to a wide circle including Wilde. Levy became part of Lee’s circle, in fact she became enamored with her, a love that regrettably was never returned.

“When Wilde received a brief piece from Levy for his magazine the Woman’s World, he was bowled over by the story and called Levy a prodigious talent.”

An Enduring Impact

Scholars contend Levy’s work connects meaningfully to modern discussions around women's rights, queer writing and the Jewish plight and say she predated debate that would come well after her death.

“She was progressive, which was possibly one of the reasons she never entirely found her role,” the expert said. “She grappled with her same-sex attraction and how she belonged in a traditional society. Matrimony was not an option for her, but neither was having a profession like a instructor, which she gave up to become a professional writer.

“She has long been of interest to people who study women of Jewish heritage and their history. And today, when we have in the wake of the worldwide health crisis so many young people struggling with depression, anxiety, psychological distress, even suicidal thoughts, studying her life might be of value and comfort to a broader audience too,” the professor said.

The Closing Chapter

The assemblage includes Levy’s 1889 datebook, in which gradually dwindling entries trace the final months before her death from inhaling carbon monoxide. A ultimate, touching entry, written the day before she died, said: “Home by myself the entire day.” But the scholar said Levy in many ways had “a dynamic, fulfilling, stimulating existence” too.

“She could be amusing at times, which can be seen in her writings. She did experience a trifecta of challenges, including facial pain. She was becoming more and more hearing-impaired, which results in isolation from others and loneliness. And she also suffered from depression.

“Though she did not ultimately achieve happiness, it was always something she insisted on: the right to be happy, even overjoyed.”