White Freesias is a collection of poems, letters and notes written by Margaret Wise Brown, the author of many well-known works for children such as Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. The stunning green-eyed blonde who penned the future of children's literature was as fascinating a character as any pajama-clad sleepy bunny she created on paper. These poems provide a view into Margaret’s life as a writer and a lover. At the same time they allow us to glimpse another side of the creative genius who gave so much to the world of children’s books.
Her sudden death at the age of 42 took the publishing world by surprise. The energetic, robust and unforgettable woman who breezed into their offices with ice cream for the staff on a hot day or fought to keep a four-syllable word in a simple text was simply gone. White Freesias contains many works which were unpublished for more than 40 years after her death. Some of the works are unpolished, but are included to give a snapshot of this artist at work.
Her friends say the year of her death was, by far, her happiest. She was engaged to be married to "Pebbles" Rockefeller, who shared her zest for life. At the time of her death, he was making another global sailing trip and was to join her in Europe.
These poems were mostly written while she was in more difficult and clandestine relationships. She had a long relationship with a married man and another with Blanche Oelrichs, the former wife of the famous actor John Barrymore. Margaret’s relationship with Blanche, who went by her nom de plume, Michael Strange, required secrecy due to social stigma.
Many of the works poems in White Freesias reflect the turmoil of Margaret’s relationship with Michael who was condescending and critical of Margaret’s career as a children’s writer. Margaret’s poems written during Michael’s struggle with cancer and her ultimate demise are honest and revealing. Margaret’s passion for life often gave the world beautiful, lilting poems for a child. In this collection, we are able to see her personal desires and disappointments. Whether writing about a bug or bunny or the passing of a lover, through simple phrases Margaret was able to reach into the heart of an emotion and illuminate that feeling with us.
For more details on the life of Margaret, you may want to read Leonard Marcus’s biography of her, Awakened by the Moon. You also may visit the website www.margaretwisebrown.com
