Writer celebrated in time for 75th anniversary and new BBC drama
Highlights include the manuscript of her most famous novel, South Riding – containing the writer's own corrections – and a table cloth she was embroidering but had not finished when she died at the age of 38. The book, considered a classic of 20th century literature, was published a year later, in 1936, and has been filmed as a BBC drama this year – the third screen version.
It is based in Holtby's native East Riding and is a love story set against the backdrop of the economic depression.
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Hide AdHoltby, born in Rudston, near Driffield, became famous as a journalist in the 1920s and 30s, writing about post-war Britain and feminist issues.
David Smith, senior local studies librarian at Hull Council, said: "Throughout her life and writings she was a great champion of the underdog."
He said she wrote at a time when women were enjoying greater freedom than ever before, and confronted the difficulties of a generation beset by war, social upheaval and the rise of fascism.
The centre contains the world's largest collection of original Holtby material.