Rona Jaffe
United StatesAbout
Rona Jaffe (1931–2005) was an American novelist known for her insightful portrayals of women’s lives, ambitions, relationships, and the pressures of social expectations. Born in New York City, she graduated from Radcliffe College in 1951 and began her publishing career as an editor before turning to fiction. Her breakthrough novel, The Best of Everything (1958), follows five young women working in New York’s publishing industry as they navigate careers, romance, marriage, and the limitations placed on women in mid-twentieth-century America. The novel became a landmark of women’s fiction for its frank portrayal of professional ambition and the compromises women were expected to make. Jaffe went on to publish numerous novels exploring family relationships, social change, and personal independence, including Class Reunion (1979) and Mazes and Monsters (1981). She also established the Rona Jaffe Foundation in 1995 to support emerging women writers. Her work remains notable for documenting women’s aspirations and frustrations during periods of changing social expectations.
