183:, a reference both to her childhood nickname and to her sex life as a young woman, when she had many lovers. The biography holds nothing back. As Wesley stated: "It was a flighty generation.... e had been brought up so repressed. War freed us. We felt if we didn't do it now, we might never get another chance." "It got to the state where one woke up in the morning, reached across the pillow and thought, 'Let's see. Who is it this time?'"
251:, the uncertain paternity, the affirmation of illegitimacy, can also be linked to her own life. In addition, thanks to her flighty youth, sex would become her trademark in her books though she wrote about what went on in the head rather than a user's manual. Incest also plays a part in several of her novels, but Wesley never mentioned this as a feature of her own life. She may however have gained her insight from her years working as a
179:, on the condition that nothing would be published before her death. She provided her reminiscences from her sick bed, and commented: "Have you any idea of the pleasure of lying in bed for six months, talking about yourself to a very intelligent man? My deepest regret was that I was too old and ill to take him into bed with me." The authorised biography (published in 2006) is entitled
44:
186:
But Wesley finally did get tired of her wartime lifestyle, realizing that her way of life had become too excessive: "too many lovers, too much to drink...I was on my way to become a very nasty person". When her son Toby Eady read the book, he was so amazed at how much he did not know about his mother
238:
plus sex", a description Wesley herself thought ridiculous. As a woman who was liberated before her time Mary Wesley challenged social assumptions about the old, confessed to bad behaviour and recommended sex. In doing so she smashed the stereotype of the disapproving, judgmental, past-it, old
233:
Her take on life reveals a sharp and critical eye which neatly dissects the idiosyncrasies of genteel
England with humour, compassion and irony, detailing in particular sexual and emotional values. Her style has been described as "arsenic without the old lace". Others have described it as
104:
Wesley had a lifelong complicated relationship with her family and especially with her mother, who had a sharp tongue. Following the death of her father in 1961, her mother said: "I'm not going to let that lingering death happen to me. When the time comes I'm going to crawl to the
242:
In Wesley's books there are some references to her own life, although she denied that her novels were autobiographical. Her books usually take place in or around the everlasting house, the idyllic refuge, recalling her time with
Siepmann, living in a remote cottage in the
190:
Late in life Wesley ordered her own coffin from a local craftswoman and asked it be finished in red
Chinese lacquer. She kept it as a coffee table for some time in her sitting room. She suggested that she be photographed sitting up in it for a feature in the magazine
290:
in 1983 was the beginning of an intensely creative period of Wesley's life. From 1982 to 1991, she wrote and delivered seven novels. While she aged from 70 to 79 she still showed the focus and drive of a young person.
65:, was an English novelist. During her career, she was one of Britain's most successful novelists, selling three million copies of her books, including ten bestsellers in the last twenty years of her life.
101:. As a child, she had a succession of 16 foreign governesses. When she asked her mother why they kept on leaving, her mother reportedly told her: "Because none of them like you, darling."
1122:
769:
112:
Her family did not approve of her books. Her brother called what she wrote "filth" and her sister, with whom she was no longer on speaking terms, strongly objected to
167:
In 1970 Wesley was left impoverished by the death of
Siepmann, and it was only then that she became an author, turning to writing as a way to restore her finances.
202:
55:
1157:
522:
374:, was published in 2001. Asked why she had stopped writing fiction at the age of 84, she replied: "If you haven't got anything to say, don't say it."
1152:
1127:
1132:
938:
863:
818:
149:
156:, born in 1941, was initially known as the son of Lord Swinfen, Wesley subsequently admitted his father to be the Czech political scientist
280:(1983), before publishing adult fiction. Since her first adult novel was published only in 1983, when she was 71, she may be regarded as a
903:
777:
86:
558:
1147:
1022:
451:
328:
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Burke's
Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 3, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 3868
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118:, claiming that some of the characters were based on their parents. Wesley identified the appalling grandparents in
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Only in the last year of her life did she agree to have her biography written. She cooperated fully with
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124:, who bully the pregnant Hebe, as the nearest she came to a portrait of her own parents in old age.
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205:(CBE) in 1995. Due to her association with the town Wesley was chosen in 2007 to appear on the 1
157:
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381:-headquartered company, International Literary Properties (ILP), for an undisclosed sum.
312:, and is an account of the intertwining lives of three families in rural England during
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In March 2024, it was announced Wesley's literary estate had been acquired by the
164:. She next married Eric Siepmann and with him had a third son, William Siepmann.
17:
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132:
567:
94:
881:
873:
153:
819:"International Literary Properties acquires Mary Wesley's literary estate"
97:, Somerset, and his wife Violet Hyacinth, née Dalby, granddaughter of Sir
59:
916:
43:
300:, set in the West Penwith area near St Buryan, although filmed on the
523:
Darling Pol : Letters of Mary Wesley and Eric
Siepmann 1944-1967
378:
221:, Devon and was buried beside her second husband in the graveyard of
218:
217:
Wesley died from cancer on 30 December 2002, aged 90, at her home in
106:
743:
Sullivan, Jane (3 September 2006). "There is nothing like a dame".
368:(1997). A book about the West Country with photographer Kim Sayer,
141:, the character Oliver Ansty is a fictionalised version of Clive.
160:. Toby Eady was eventually the literary agent of her biographer
920:
58:(24 June 1912 – 30 December 2002), known by the
109:
and swim out." Wesley replied with feeling: "I'll help you".
85:, Surrey, the third child of Colonel Harold Mynors Farmar,
680:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. January 2006
239:
person. This delighted the old and intrigued the young.
135:
fell in love with Wesley and asked her to marry him. In
596:
594:
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990:
955:
34:
706:dated 18 June 2006. Retrieved 28 November 2018
1123:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
932:
8:
562:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
203:Commander of the Order of the British Empire
187:that he did not speak to anyone for a week.
939:
925:
917:
42:
31:
678:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
559:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
536:
146:Charles Swinfen Eady, 2nd Baron Swinfen
770:"Meet the new faces of local currency"
700:She knew how to grow old disgracefully
649:"Toby Eady, literary agent – obituary"
548:
546:
544:
542:
540:
664:
662:
247:. Other recurring themes such as the
150:Roger Swinfen Eady, 3rd Baron Swinfen
7:
198:but the idea was politely declined.
852:Wild Mary: The Life of Mary Wesley
268:She wrote three children's books,
25:
1158:20th-century pseudonymous writers
326:(1985 and as a TV film in 1992),
1023:The Vacillations of Poppy Carew
452:The Vacillations of Poppy Carew
329:The Vacillations of Poppy Carew
1153:20th-century English novelists
1:
1128:Converts to Roman Catholicism
896:"Author Mary Wesley dies" at
776:. 28 May 2014. Archived from
1133:People from Englefield Green
909:Obituary for Mary Wesley in
576:UK public library membership
556:. "Siepmann , Mary Aline ".
332:(1986 and filmed in 1995),
148:, with whom she had a son,
144:Wesley's first husband was
1179:
27:English writer (1912–2002)
1063:An Imaginative Experience
629:"Obituaries: Mary Wesley"
492:An Imaginative Experience
359:An Imaginative Experience
41:
674:Farmar], Mary Aline"
229:Writing style and themes
79:Mary Aline Mynors Farmar
259:Career and bibliography
1148:Roman Catholic writers
1082:Autobiographical novel
568:10.1093/ref:odnb/88714
99:William Bartlett Dalby
1071:Part of the Furniture
1031:Not That Sort of Girl
799:Marnham 2006, p. 243.
790:Marnham 2006, p. 234.
759:Marnham 2006, p. 223.
733:Marnham 2006, p. 104.
609:Marnham 2006, p. 252.
600:Marnham 2006, p. 246.
500:Part of the Furniture
460:Not That Sort of Girl
365:Part of the Furniture
335:Not That Sort of Girl
294:Her best-known book,
284:. The publication of
774:Western Morning News
724:Marnham 2006, p. 89.
715:Marnham 2006, p. 86.
618:Marnham 2006, p. 52.
308:, was turned into a
249:dysfunctional family
201:She was appointed a
1138:Writers from Totnes
1090:Part of the Scenery
1015:Harnessing Peacocks
904:Mary Wesley biodata
856:Chatto & Windus
808:Marnham 2006, p. 8.
655:. 19 February 2018.
637:. 31 December 2002.
515:Part of the Scenery
444:Harnessing Peacocks
390:Novels for Children
371:Part of the Scenery
323:Harnessing Peacocks
152:; although her son
121:Harnessing Peacocks
53:Mary Aline Siepmann
1163:British baronesses
1143:People from Totnes
780:on 10 August 2014.
302:Roseland Peninsula
158:Heinz Otto Ziegler
1100:
1099:
1007:The Camomile Lawn
999:Jumping the Queue
956:Children's novels
865:978-0-7011-7991-5
634:Independent.co.uk
574:(Subscription or
436:The Camomile Lawn
428:Jumping the Queue
421:Novels for Adults
318:The Camomile Lawn
310:television series
297:The Camomile Lawn
287:Jumping the Queue
138:The Camomile Lawn
115:The Camomile Lawn
50:
49:
18:Jumping the Queue
16:(Redirected from
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1055:A Dubious Legacy
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508:Autobiographical
484:A Dubious Legacy
353:A Dubious Legacy
276:(both 1969) and
83:Englefield Green
74:Birth and family
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554:Patrick Marnham
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476:A Sensible Life
413:Haphazard House
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347:A Sensible Life
278:Haphazard House
266:
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177:Patrick Marnham
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162:Patrick Marnham
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93:, of Orchards,
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12:
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972:The Sixth Seal
968:
964:Speaking Terms
959:
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953:
952:
946:
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936:
929:
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914:
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891:
890:External links
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887:
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842:
839:
836:
835:
823:The Bookseller
810:
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792:
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746:The Sunday Age
735:
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698:Rebecca Seal,
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1039:Second Fiddle
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653:The Telegraph
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468:Second Fiddle
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385:List of works
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349:
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342:
341:Second Fiddle
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991:Adult novels
978:
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911:The Guardian
910:
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851:
826:. Retrieved
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813:
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795:
786:
778:the original
773:
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755:
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704:The Observer
694:
682:. Retrieved
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327:
321:
320:(1984) came
317:
314:World War II
295:
293:
285:
282:late bloomer
277:
273:
269:
267:
245:West Country
241:
232:
216:
207:Totnes pound
200:
192:
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119:
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81:was born in
78:
77:
62:
52:
51:
29:
1118:2002 deaths
1113:1912 births
949:Mary Wesley
362:(1994) and
236:Jane Austen
171:Final years
133:Lewis Clive
63:Mary Wesley
36:Mary Wesley
1107:Categories
947:Novels by
882:Q101923007
841:References
578:required.)
128:Adult life
95:Bicknoller
874:22730817M
253:Samaritan
181:Wild Mary
154:Toby Eady
69:Biography
898:BBC News
878:Wikidata
850:(2006).
356:(1992),
350:(1990),
344:(1988),
338:(1987),
316:. After
306:Cornwall
60:pen name
828:7 March
684:25 June
1093:(2001)
1074:(1997)
1066:(1994)
1058:(1992)
1050:(1990)
1042:(1988)
1034:(1987)
1026:(1986)
1018:(1985)
1010:(1984)
1002:(1983)
983:(1983)
975:(1969)
967:(1969)
880:
872:
862:
572:
526:(2017)
518:(2001)
503:(1997)
495:(1994)
487:(1992)
479:(1990)
471:(1988)
463:(1987)
455:(1986)
447:(1985)
439:(1984)
431:(1983)
416:(1983)
408:(1969)
400:(1969)
379:London
264:Novels
219:Totnes
209:note.
107:Solent
531:Notes
213:Death
860:ISBN
830:2024
686:2006
272:and
702:in
672:née
564:doi
304:in
91:DSO
87:CMG
56:CBE
1109::
876:.
870:OL
868:.
858:.
854:.
821:.
772:.
676:.
661:^
651:.
631:.
593:^
539:^
255:.
225:.
89:,
940:e
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926:v
884:.
832:.
749:.
688:.
570:.
566::
234:"
196:,
20:)
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