Winifred James worked as a journalist and at the age of 29 left Australia for London. She married American Henry De Jan in London on 30 April 1913. James lived in Jamaica, Panama, the United States and England, managing an antique shop in London for a time.
After her divorce in 1927, James was considered an alien under English law. She subsequently became a vocal opponent of the Married Women's Property Act, which refused to permit women to retain their own nationality after marriage. There was considerable interest from the media and James was naturalised in 1935.
In 1939, her health failing, James returned to Australia, arriving back in Sydney on December 26. She died less than two years later.
In addition to her novels, James wrote essays, travel books and children's fiction.
