Una Flett
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Una Flett (1939 – 2021) was an author, journalist, travel writer, artist and in her youth, a ballerina with the Ballet des Champs Elysée, Paris. Her memoirs and novel touched on life in the 1930s to 1950s, and her play ''Zosienka'' explored the life of artist Henri Guadier-Brzeska.


Life and education

Born Una Leonie Russell, in
Bihar, India Bihar (; ) is a states and union territories of India, state in eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, 2nd largest state by population in 2019, list of states and union territories of India by are ...
in 1939, her father Sir Robert Russell was a Scottish advisor to the province government in the British 'Raj' at that time. Her mother, Rhona was fourteen years younger, but both her parents had a liberal attitude to arts, language and religion which influenced her life. In the 1950s, Flett became a member of the ballet corps in the Les Ballets des Champs-Elysée, set up by Gabriel Dussurget,
Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Ros ...
and
Boris Kochno Boris Evgenievich Kochno or Kokhno (russian: Бори́с Евге́ньевич Кохно́; 3 January 1904 – 8 December 1990) was a Russian poet, dancer and librettist. Early life Kochno was born in Moscow, Russia, on 3 January 1904. His fa ...
. She danced there and toured, from the ages of 17 to 20, whilst based in Paris, but had to leave due to injury. She returned to Edinburgh and quickly married a G.P. Dr. Hugh Flett, and moved to the
North-West Highlands The Northwest Highlands are located in the northern third of Scotland that is separated from the Grampian Mountains by the Great Glen (Glen More). The region comprises Wester Ross, Assynt, Sutherland and part of Caithness. The Caledonian Canal, wh ...
of Scotland. They had two children, a daughter Rowan, and a son Martin. Whilst they were still teenagers, her husband drowned at sea, with three others, whilst late-night fishing off the
Gairloch Gairloch ( ; gd, Geàrrloch , meaning "Short Loch") is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. A tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a go ...
coast. She later studied art, tapestry and
social anthropology Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...
later in life, as a mature student, at
Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...
and the University of Edinburgh.


Writing career

Flett's first book in 1981, ''Falling from Grace: My early years in ballet'' refers to the kind of discipline involved in professional ballet, going beyond the physical, saying "Enslave the body in certain ways of obedience, and mind and spirit will follow suit". She wrote a novel ''Revisiting Empty Houses'' in 1988, about a strained relationship with an age gap between the couple. Once her children grew up, she moved to Spain, away from opportunities for a career in the civil service or academia in Edinburgh, to live in a traditional home in the Sierra, in
Alpujarra The Alpujarra (, Arabic: ''al-bussarat'') is a natural and historical region in Andalusia, Spain, on the south slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the adjacent valley. The average elevation is above sea level. It extends over two provinces, ...
. Flett corresponded as an independent journalist, giving reviews of dance, and drama, travel articles and translations, writing in Spanish, French and English. She wrote short stories, radio plays (for the
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...
) and a prize-winning play, ''Zosienka,'' (1985), based on the relationship between sculptor
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (né Gaudier; 4 October 1891 – 5 June 1915) was a French artist and sculptor who developed a rough-hewn, primitive style of direct carving. Biography Henri Gaudier was born in Saint-Jean-de-Braye near Orléans. In 1910, ...
and older woman Sophia Brzeska. Her father's life story (based on letters she found after his death) is described in her last (self-publication) memoir: ''This Other Father: a Family Memoir of India and Edinburgh'' (2020)''.'' This spans the days in British India and the impact of the invasion by the Japanese in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. And it tackles the breakdown of the relationship with his younger wife, her mother Rhona, 'home' (whilst the children were schooled) when her husband was in India, who had a love affair with a Polish man. Her father later returned to Edinburgh, and despite suffering depression, he built himself a new career as a town planner, and he rebuilt his marriage. She was a member of Scottish PEN and in that capacity responded to proposed changes in 2019, to the
Scots Law Scots law () is the legal system of Scotland. It is a hybrid or mixed legal system containing civil law and common law elements, that traces its roots to a number of different historical sources. Together with English law and Northern Ireland l ...
of
defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
, expressing her belief that "the law as it stands threatens free expression and enables powerful and wealthy pursuers to silence legitimate criticism and debate both online and off". Una Flett died in
Motril Motril () is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean coast in the Granada, Spain. It is the second largest town in the province, with a population of 60,368 as of 2016. The town is located near the Guadalfeo River and is from Granada. Hi ...
hospital, Spain in December 2021.


Selected publications

* ''(1981) Falling from Grace: My early years in ballet'' * ''(1988) Revisiting Empty Houses'' * ''(2020) This Other Father: a Family Memoir of India and Edinburgh''


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flett, Una 1939 births 2021 deaths Scottish artists Scottish women artists Scottish journalists Scottish women journalists Scottish women writers People from Bihar