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