Gillian Freeman (5 December 1929 – 23 February 2019) was an English writer. Her first book, ''The Liberty Man'', appeared while she was working as a secretary to the novelist

Louis Golding Louis Golding (19 November 1895 – 9 August 1958) was an English writer, very famous in his time especially for his novels, though he is now largely neglected; he wrote also short stories, essays, fantasies, travel books, and poetry. Life Bor ...

. Her fictional diary, ''Nazi Lady: The Diaries of Elisabeth von Stahlenberg, 1938–48'', was assumed by many to be real.

Early life

Born to Jewish parents, Dr Jack Freeman, a dentist who had been a physician, and his wife Freda (née Davids) in North London,'Marriages', ''The Times'', 13 September 1955. she attended

Francis Holland School Francis Holland School is the name of two separate private day schools for girls in central London, England, governed by the Francis Holland (Church of England) Schools Trust. The schools are located at Clarence Gate (near Regent's Park NW1) ...

in London and Lynton House school in Maidenhead during the Second World War. She graduated in English and philosophy from the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

in 1951. She then taught at a school in the

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

and worked as a copywriter and a newspaper reporter.

Career

''The Liberty Man'' (1955) was Freeman's first book, written while working as a literary secretary to the novelist

; it was about a love affair between a schoolteacher and a sailor doomed by the class system.Harrison Smith
"Gillian Freeman, whose novel 'Leather Boys' was a gay landmark, dies at 89"
''The Washington Post'', 11 March 2019. Freeman's time with Golding was said to have inspired some of her later works. One of her best known books was the novel ''

The Leather Boys ''The Leather Boys'' is a 1964 British drama film about the rocker subculture in London featuring a gay motorcyclist. This film is notable as an early example of a film that violated the Hollywood production code, yet was still shown in the Unit ...

'' (1961), published under the pseudonym Eliot George, after the novelist

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wro ...

, a story of a gay relationship between two young working-class men, one married and the other a biker, which was later turned into a film for which she wrote the screenplay, this time under her own name. The novel was commissioned by the publisher

Anthony Blond Anthony Bernard Blond (20 March 1928 – 27 February 2008) was a British publisher and author, who was involved with several publishing companies over his career, including several he established himself, or in partnerships, from 1952. Biograph ...

, her literary agent, who wanted a story about a "Romeo and Romeo in the South London suburbs". Her non-fiction book '' The Undergrowth of Literature'' (1967), was a pioneering study of pornography. ''The Alabaster Egg'' (1970) is a tragic romance about a Jewish woman set in Nazi Germany. In 1978, on another commission from Blond, she wrote a fictional diary, ''Nazi Lady: The Diaries of Elisabeth von Stahlenberg, 1938–48''. Freeman's authorship was not at first revealed and many readers assumed it was genuine; it was included in a 2004 anthology of war diaries. In addition to novels, Freeman wrote screenplays including ''

That Cold Day in the Park ''That Cold Day in the Park'' is a 1969 psychological thriller film directed by Robert Altman and starring Sandy Dennis. Based on the novel of the same name by Richard Miles and adapted for the screen by Gillian Freeman, it was filmed on locati ...

'', a 1969 film directed by

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

, the scenarios for two ballets by

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Ea ...

, ''

Isadora Isidora or Isadora is a female given name of Greek origin, derived from Ἰσίδωρος, ''Isídōros'' (a compound of Ἶσις, ''Ísis'', and δῶρον, ''dōron'': "gift of he goddessIsis"). The male equivalent is Isidore. The name surviv ...

'' and ''

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), southwest of Vienna. From 1550, it was in the ...

'', and with her husband, ''Ballet Genius'' (1988), portraits of 20 outstanding ballet dancers. Her final book was ''But Nobody Lives in Bloomsbury'' (2006), a fictional study of the

Bloomsbury Group The Bloomsbury Group—or Bloomsbury Set—was a group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the first half of the 20th century, including Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Strac ...

Private life

Freeman married Edward Thorpe, a novelist and the ballet critic of the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'', in 1955. The couple had two daughters, the actresses

Harriet Thorpe Harriet Amelia Thorpe (born 8 June 1957) is an English actress. Thorpe trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. She is known for her roles in the British sitcoms, ''The Brittas Empire'' (1991–97) and ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (19 ...

and

Matilda Thorpe Matilda Helen Rachel Thorpe is a British actress. Matilda Thorpe was born on May 1, 1960 in Wood Green, London, England. Thorpe trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. She is known for her roles in the British sitcoms, Mandy in th ...

. She died on 23 February 2019 from complications of

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

.Neil Genzlinger
"Gillian Freeman, Groundbreaking Novelist on a Gay Theme, Dies at 89"
''The New York Times'', 8 March 2019.

Works

*''The Liberty Man'', 1955 *''Fall of Innocence'', 1956 *''Jack Would be a Gentleman'', 1959 *''The Story of Albert Einstein'', 1960 *''The Leather Boys'', 1961 *''The Campaign'', 1963 *''

'' (screenplay), 1964 *''

Only Lovers Left Alive ''Only Lovers Left Alive'' is a 2013 fantasy comedy-drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, Slimane Dazi and John Hurt. An international co-producti ...

'' (screenplay), 1965 *''The Leader'', 1965 *'' The Undergrowth of Literature'', 1967 *''

'' (screenplay), 1969 *''An Evasion of Women'' (short play, alongside pieces by

Shena Mackay Shena Mackay FRSL (born 1944) is a Scottish novelist born in Edinburgh. She was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1996 for '' The Orchard on Fire'', and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and the Orange Prize for Fiction in ...

Margaret Drabble Dame Margaret Drabble, Lady Holroyd, (born 5 June 1939) is an English biographer, novelist and short story writer. Drabble's books include '' The Millstone'' (1965), which won the following year's John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, and ''Jer ...

, and

Maureen Duffy Maureen Patricia Duffy (born 21 October 1933) is an English poet, playwright, novelist and non-fiction author. Long an activist covering such issues as gay rights and animal rights, she campaigns especially on behalf of authors. She has receive ...

), 1969 *''The Alabaster Egg'', 1970 *'' I Want What I Want'' (screenplay), 1972 *''The Marriage Machine'', 1975 *''The Schoolgirl Ethic: The Life and Work of

Angela Brazil Angela Brazil (pronounced "brazzle") (30 November 186813 March 1947) was one of the first British writers of "modern schoolgirls' stories", written from the characters' point of view and intended primarily as entertainment rather than moral ins ...

'', 1976 *''

'' (ballet scenario), 1978 *'' Intimate Letters'' (ballet scenario), 1978 *''Nazi Lady: The Diaries of Elisabeth von Stahlenberg, 1938–48'', 1979 *''An Easter Egg Hunt'', 1981 *''

'' (ballet scenario), 1981John Percival, 'Isadora, Covent Garden', ''The Times'', 1 May 1981. *''Lovechild'', 1984 *''Life Before Man'', 1986 *''Ballet Genius: Twenty Great Dancers of the Twentieth Century'' (with Edward Thorpe), 1988 *''Termination Rock'', 1989 *''His Mistress's Voice'', 2000 *''But Nobody Lives in Bloomsbury'', 2006

References

External links

Listing of Gillian Freeman archives at Reading University Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Gillian 1929 births 2019 deaths Alumni of the University of Reading Pseudonymous women writers British historical fiction writers 20th-century British women writers 21st-century British women writers British women novelists 20th-century British novelists 21st-century British novelists English Jews British non-fiction writers Deaths from dementia in England 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers People educated at Francis Holland School