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Millions of people around the world know Margaret Wise Brown through her classic works of children's literature. But few know that she was equally remarkable for her business savvy, her thirst for adventure, and her vital role in a children's book publishing revolution.
Margaret used her whimsey and imagination to create stories that allowed girls to see themselves as equal to boys. And she spent days researching subjects, picking daisies, and observing nature, all in an effort to precisely capture a child's sense of wonder as they discovered the world.
Living extravagantly off her royalties, Margaret embraced life with passion and engaged in tempestuous love affairs with both men and women. Among her great loves was the gender-bending poet and ex-wife of John Barrymore who went by the pen name Michael Strange. She later became engaged to a younger man who was the son of a Rockefeller and a Carnegie.
When she died unexpectedly at the age of forty-two, Margaret left behind a cache of unpublished work and a timeless collection of books. Drawing on newly-discovered personal letters and diaries, author Amy Gary reveals an intimate portrait of this creative genius whose unrivaled talent breathed new life in to the literary world.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 1, 2024 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781250065377
- File size: 725 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781250065377
- File size: 37462 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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August 1, 2016
Gary has been researching Goodnight Moon author Margaret Wise Brown since 1990, when she discovered a trove of unpublished manuscripts, songs, letters, and diaries from Brown.
Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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February 1, 2017
A prolific writer of children's books, including Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, Margaret Wise Brown (1910-52) led the unsettled, eccentric life one might expect of a poet. Gary, who has studied Brown since 1990, captures the author's madcap refusal to grow up that endeared her to friends and may have helped her writing. While Gary does trace her subject's professional accomplishments, she focuses on the personal. Raised in a privileged but troubled family, Brown was adventurous and imaginative at a young age, preferring sports, animals, and her friends to school. After graduating from Hollins College in Roanoke, VA, she moved to New York and took a job editing children's books. Influenced by Gertrude Stein, she tried writing herself, embracing real-world stories for children, and found she had considerable talent, even though she didn't particularly like children. After that, her reputation and success grew, although she never wrote any "grown-up" literature of consequence. Brown's complicated personal life included numerous romantic adventures, most notably a ten-year relationship with poet/playwright/actress Blanche Oelrichs, former wife of John Barrymore. VERDICT Recommended for readers interested in children's literature and author biographies. [See Prepub Alert, 7/18/16.]--Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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