Lady Auriel Rosemary Malet Vaughan (20 January 1923 – 14 October 2014) was a Welsh-born author of literary fiction and biographies, who wrote under the name of Oriel Malet.
[''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'', 107th edition, 3 volumes (Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003)] Among her works is a fictionalized biography of the Scottish child poet and writer
Marjory Fleming and a volume charting her 30-year friendship with
Daphne Du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...
.
Family
Her parents were Ernest Edmund Henry Malet Vaughan, 7th
Earl of Lisburne
Earl of Lisburne is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1776 for Wilmot Vaughan, 4th Viscount Lisburne. He represented Cardiganshire and Berwick-upon-Tweed in the House of Commons and held minor governmental office.
Not satisfi ...
, and Maria Isabel Regina Aspasia de Bittencourt.
Her godmother was the French actress and singer
Yvonne Arnaud
Germaine Yvonne Arnaud (20 December 1890 – 20 September 1958) was a French-born pianist, singer and actress, who was well known for her career in Britain, as well as her native land. After beginning a career as a concert pianist as a child, Ar ...
, whom Malet wrote about in her book ''Marraine: A Portrait of My Godmother'' (1961).
Life and work
After spending her childhood in Wales, Malet wrote her first novel at the age of 17, ''Trust in the Springtime'', which was published in 1943. This was followed by ''My Bird Sings'' (1946), for which she was awarded the
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize was a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama) by an author from the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and publis ...
in the same year. Among her other works is a fictionalised biography of
Marjory Fleming, the child poet and writer, written when Malet was 20.
[''Marjory Fleming''. London: Faber, 1946. . French translation, 2002. Reprinted by ]Persephone Books
''Persephone Books'' is an independent publisher based in Bath, England. Founded in 1999 by Nicola Beauman, Persephone Books reprints works largely by women writers of the late 19th and 20th century, though a few books by men are included. Th ...
, 2000. Malet spent much of her life in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. After initially moving to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, she lived in
Eure
Eure () is a department in Normandy in Northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2019, Eure had a population of 599,507.[Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...]
.
Malet was a close friend of the author
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...
. Their friendship is documented in ''Letters from
Menabilly
Menabilly ( kw, Men Ebeli, meaning ''stone of colts'') is a historic estate on the south coast of Cornwall, England, situated within the parish of Tywardreath on the Gribben peninsula about west of Fowey.
It has been the seat of the Rashle ...
: Portrait of a Friendship'' (1994), a collection of du Maurier's letters to Malet over the course of 30 years, with accompanying commentary by Malet.
References
External links
Further Information for ''Marjory Fleming''Biographical Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malet, Oriel
1923 births
2014 deaths
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize winners
British biographers
British women writers
Women biographers
Daughters of Irish earls
British expatriates in France