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Charlotte Mansfield

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Charlotte Mansfield

Charlotte Mansfield (1881–1936) was an English novelist, poet, and traveler, known for her planned 1909 "Cape to Cairo"[1] journey.[2]

Charlotte Mansfield was also an accomplished needlework artist, and exhibited her embroidery work in London.

Career

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Mansfield's novels include Torn Lace (1904);[3] The Girl and the Gods (1907);[4] Love and a Woman;[5] Red Pearls (1914);[6] Gloria, a Girl of the South African Veldt (1916);[7] The Dupe (1917), a World War I spy story;[8] Sex and Siller (1920);[9] and Strings (1920), a supernatural thriller about an evil violin.[10] She also published two books of poems, Flowers of the Wind (1899), and Poems (1902).[11][12] The Spectator reviewer called her poetry "verses of indifferent quality, now and then audacious in sentiment."[13]

Her widely publicized "Cape to Cairo" tour in fact only reached to Lake Tanganyika before returning to South Africa.[14] She wrote about her travels in southern Africa in Via Rhodesia: A Journey Through Southern Africa (1911)).[15] In reviewing the book, The Register of Adelaide commented, "a less fitting person to follow in the steps of Mary Kingsley could hardly be imagined."[16]

Mansfield's Gloria, A Girl of the South African Veldt was one of the first South African novels to be adapted for the screen, when American director Lorimer Johnston made a silent picture at Killarney Film Studios in 1916 based on Mansfield's novel, starring English actress Mabel May in the title role.[17]

Charlotte Mansfield was also an accomplished needlework artist, and exhibited her embroidery work in London.[18]

Personal life

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In 1909, she married mining engineer Vladimir Raffalovich in London; they lived in Johannesburg, South Africa.[19] Alfred Edward Turner and Mansfield's new sister-in-law Vera Raffalovich Friedlander presented and hosted the wedding festivities.[20] Vladimir Raffalovich survived Charlotte Mansfield Raffalovich when she died in 1936, aged 55 years.

References

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  1. ^ "From Cape to Cairo: Big Trip for Women" Winnipeg Tribune (28 November 1908): 9. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  2. ^ "Marriage of the White Donna" New Zealand Herald (23 November 1909).
  3. ^ Charlotte Mansfield, Torn Lace (W. Scott 1904).
  4. ^ Charlotte Mansfield, The Girl and the Gods (Hermes Press 1907).
  5. ^ "Lady's Trek through Africa" Glamorgan Gazette (20 August 1909): 3.
  6. ^ Charlotte Mansfield, Red Pearls (London 1914).
  7. ^ Charlotte Mansfield, Gloria, A Girl of the South African Veldt (Holden and Hardingham 1916).
  8. ^ Sharon Ouditt, Women Writers of the First World War: An Annotated Bibliography (Routledge 2002): 31-32. ISBN 9781134946020
  9. ^ Charlotte Mansfield, Sex and Siller (Holden and Hardingham 1920)
  10. ^ Charlotte Mansfield, Strings (W. Westall & Company 1920).
  11. ^ Charlotte Mansfield, Flowers of the Wind (Elkin Matthews 1899).
  12. ^ Charlotte Mansfield, Poems (London: Bumpus & Co., 1902).
  13. ^ "Some Books of the Week" The Spectator (15 July 1899): 97/
  14. ^ "Via Rhodesia" Sydney Morning Herald (22 April 1911): 4. via Trove.
  15. ^ Charlotte Mansfield, Via Rhodesia: A Journey through Southern Africa (London: S. Paul & Co. 1911).
  16. ^ "Review of Books: A Lady in Africa" The Register (1 April 1911): 4. via Trove.
  17. ^ "Lorrimer Johnston Heard From" The Moving Picture World 27(March 18, 1916): 1839.
  18. ^ Ernest L. Scott, "Society Belle's Long Walk" Omaha Daily Bee (31 January 1909): 11. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  19. ^ Mick Conefrey, How to Climb Mount Blanc in a Skirt: A Handbook for the Lady Adventurer (Macmillan 2011): 54. ISBN 9780230106420
  20. ^ "Exploration Romance" The Telegraph (20 November 1909): 8. via Trove.
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