Often referred to as “Jane Austen with sex,” Mary Wesley was a British novelist whose books sold more than three million copies, many of them ultimately becoming bestsellers.
Her novels largely take place in a war-ridden England, but her characters are often preoccupied with frivolity rather than the dangers of war—a sensibility Wesley herself echoed. “War freed us,” she told Patrick Marnham, who penned her biography, Wild Mary.“We felt if we didn’t do it now, we might never get another chance.”
In honor of the digital debut of ten of Wesley’s novels, we wanted to share with you a list of her favorite things (in no particular order). We think you’ll be able to see why her nickname, “Wild Mary,” was truly fitting:
#1: Geese
Wesley had an odd love of geese. She not only had a favorite one of her own, named Pansy, who would sit in her lap in the park, but she also included one in her first novel for adults, Jumping the Queue—a gander called Gus who falls in love with the heroine, Matilda.
#2: Writing
While Wesley wrote all her life, her lack of confidence held her back. Jumping the Queue, her first adult novel, was released in 1983 when she was seventy years old. She published a total of ten very successful adult novels before she stopped writing at the age of eighty-four.
When asked why she suddenly stopped writing, Wesley answered, “If you haven’t got anything to say, don’t say it.”
#3: Men
Wesley’s nickname of Wild Mary is partially attributed to her numerous love affairs, which she felt were only spurred on by the war. Wesley (pictured above) never had any problems with finding a suitor. When she finally decided to settle down, she chose a wealthy young man, Charles Eady. Though there may have been a lack of chemistry between the two, Wesley never found herself without transportation. “He lent me his car when I needed it,” she explained. “He was always around, always agreeable.”
In 1944, Wesley fell in love with Eric Siepmann, a fellow writer, and divorced Eady the following year. However, marrying Siepmann would prove difficult—as he already was in general. Siepmann filed for divorce from his wife, Phyllis, but Phyllis proceeded to stalk Siepmann and Wesley and waged a “slanderous letter-writing campaign” that ended up getting Siepmann fired from several jobs.
While Wesley was devastated by Siepmann’s intentional drug overdose in 1969 and never married again, she still maintained her love of attractive men. “Have you any idea of the pleasure of lying in bed for six months, talking about yourself to a very intelligent man?” Wesley said regarding spending her last year of life with her biographer. “My deepest regret was that I was too old . . . to take him into bed with me."
#4: Unique Home Goods
In the final years of her life, Wesley ordered her own coffin to be made—finished in red Chinese lacquer—and went on to use it as a coffee table before it became her final resting place.
Wesley died in 2002 at the age of ninety. Her final words echoed her truly lighthearted view of life: “Oh, bugger.”
Learn even more about Mary Wesley and her new-to-ebooks: http://www.openroadmedia.com/mary-wesley