Mary Burchell remains one of the most successful romance writers, ever. Over 110 Mills and Boon books to her name.
Less well known is that much of her early writing was done for one purpose:
Funding her efforts to get Jews out of Nazi Germany, with her sister.
Mary is a Righteous Gentile. /1 🧵
Less well known is that much of her early writing was done for one purpose:
Funding her efforts to get Jews out of Nazi Germany, with her sister.
Mary is a Righteous Gentile. /1 🧵
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Also: what a gloriously 'alive' photograph. She has joy in those eyes.
https://share.libbyapp.com/title/5641294
Brought up to be independent, as adults, they lived together and got admin jobs. /2
It blew her mind.
Their parents hadn't been musical, so this was a new world to her. Obviously she immediately wanted to share it with Ida.
They immediately pooled their money and bought a gramophone player. /3
They wrote to her and said they planned to save for 2yrs so they could come see her in New York.
To their amazement she wrote back: Do it. I'll make sure you get tickets. /4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5nveWBzFdU /4
This is a thing to remember about Ida and Louise. If they were determined to do something they did it.
Galli-Curci was so tickled by it, they became friends. Through her they began meeting other opera stars /5
It started with a piece on the dress she sewed for New York. An incurable romantic, it soon graduated to bodice-ripping short stories.
Then, finally, Charles Boon asked her to write for Mills and Boon. /6
Money that was spent funding trips to Europe with Louise - particularly Germany - to watch Opera. /7