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The Countess from Kirribilli
by Joyce Morgan
Published by Allen and Unwin
ISBN 9781760875176
This the second biography I have read about Elizabeth von Arnim within a couple of months. Co-incidental that two biographies have been published within months of each other?
This biography of the Australian born, International best selling author takes a more factual and in-depth approach. Clearly Joyce Morgan's research has been meticulous. Although factual the story flows and it is a pleasure to read and quite easy to get lost in the story of this extraordinary author who lived an exciting life from the late 19th and part of the 20th century. Given the popularity of her books and her incredible international life, It wondrous how Elizabeth faded from view.
Elizabeth von Arnim, or Mary as she was previously known when named by her parents, was from Kirribilli, the Sydney suburb on the banks of the north shore. Once she left Sydney with her parents as a 3 year old she never returned to the country of her birth.
In Victorian England she was presented into society at Buckingham Palace in front of Queen Victoria. She met a Prussian Count whom she married and became part of the Junker. It wasn't a happy marriage and as a Countess in an established aristocratic family, she was expected to produce an heir. Elizabeth gave birth to four daughters and finally, a son, at last an heirs.
In these social circles it was not seemingly fit for it to be known that she was an author. In her early writing years she insisted that her books were published anonymously. This caused great speculation amongst literary circles and her readers.
We gather her husband was not an easy man to get on with and In her books and private writings she often referred to her husband as "the man of wrath". After he died, Elizabeth married again, to an English Earl who was Bertrand Russell's brother. This marriage was a disaster and she was pleased to be rid of him.
By this time she had captivated the great literary and intellectual circles of London and Europe whom she would frequently host at her various homes. Elizabeth's circle of friends included Nancy Astor, Lady Maud Cunard, her cousin Katherine Mansfield, E.M. Forster, whom she had engaged to tutor to her young daughters at their family schloss (castle) Nassenheide in Pomerania, Prussia, when he was a recent graduate from Cambridge,, Somerset Maugham and H.G. Wells, with whom it was said she had a tempestuous affair.
Elizabeth was a talented,, much loved author, usually drawing on her own life experiences and people she knew. She became a wealthy woman in her own right, living in many fabulous places in Europe, England and America. She was an extraodinary, petite woman and thankfully readers have rediscovered her books. Her last book, Mr SKeffington was made into a movie in 1944, starring Bette Davis and Claude Rains
This biography uncovers the many layers of Elizabeth's and her family life, making it a most enjoyable book to read. One an imagine her life and experiences, leading up to and through World War I and World War II, with her family spread across Germany, England and America. Although she had several romantic liaisons she was at her happiest when unattached and free to do as she pleased.
If you like to become lost in a good true story, you'll love this book.
This is independent review, I am not paid by the publishers, so.If you
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