Eleanor Mercein Kelly

Eleanor Mercein Kelly (August 30, 1880 - October 11, 1968) was an American writer of fiction and nonfiction. She wrote one biographical study, The Chronicle of a Happy Woman: Emily A. Davison (1928), but is best known for her romantic fiction, most of which was set in exotic locales. She was widely traveled, and used her travels as inspiration for her novels.[1] Four of her stories were adapted to film and one on Broadway.

Eleanor Mercein Kelly
Photograph taken in Louisville, 1933
BornEleanor Royce Mercein
(1880-08-30)30 August 1880
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Died11 October 1968(1968-10-11) (aged 88)
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
OccupationNovelist, short story writer
GenreRomantic fiction, Biography, Travel
Notable worksKildares of Storm, Basquerie
SpouseRobert M. Kelly, Jr.
(m. 1901–1926; his death)

Life and career

Early years

Kelly, daughter of Thomas Royce Mercein and Lucy Schley Mercein, was born into a prominent and wealthy Milwaukee family.[1] Prior to high school, Kelly attended the Seventh Ward school in Milwaukee, where she won first place in sight reading and had the highest general average in the school.[2]

Georgetown Visitation Monastery (High School Years)

For her high school years, Kelly's parents made the decision to send her to the Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, a Roman Catholic boarding school in Washington D.C. She later showed her approval of this decision, and spoke of her parent's wisdom in sending her to a school which was "steeped in tradition and leisurely atmosphere, where predilection for writing...could have full play for expansion." She later reminisced, "I used to spend long days under a rose bower writing. Often they brought my lunch out to me." In 1898, Kelly was graduated from the school with honors, the valedictorian of her class.[2]

Move to Louisville
Frontispiece in 1916 edition of Kildares of Storm; image by Alonzo Myron Kimball

After her marriage to Robert M. Kelly in 1901, Kelly settled in Louisville, Kentucky.[3] She later explained, "I dearly love Milwaukee, but I simply cannot write here." The Kentucky environment inspired her, and she furiously began to write. The result was three novels featuring Kentuckian characters and setting, titled Kildares of Storm (1916), Why Joan? (1918), and The Mansion House (1923).[2] She had written one novel previously, Toya the Unlike (1913), but it was not well received by critics.[1] Later, Kentucky's novelty wore off, and she turned to more exotic locales for inspiration and setting.

Kelly was the director of the Louisville Arts Club and held memberships in the Louisville Woman's Club, Colonial Dames of America, and the National Arts Club of New York.[4]

Later life

In 1950, after years of penning mainly short stories, Kelly returned to novel writing with the book Richard Walden's Wife, a story partly based on family diaries. The next year, she released Proud Castle, a novel about the Magyars of Hungary. She died on October 11, 1968 in Louisville. She was cremated and buried in a family lot in Milwaukee.[4]

Writings

Eleanor Mercein Kelly wrote a total of fifteen books, including fourteen novels and one biographical study, in addition to numerous short stories published in magazines such as the Ladies Home Journal, Collier's, The Century Magazine, Munsey's Magazine, the Harper's Monthly, and The Saturday Evening Post.

Fiction
  • Toya the Unlike (1913)
  • Kildares of Storm (1916)
  • Why Joan? (1918)
  • The Mansion House (1923)
  • Basquerie (1927)
  • The Book of Bette (1929)
  • Arabesque (1930)
  • Spanish Holiday (1930)
  • Nacio, His Affairs (1931)
  • Sea Change (1931)
  • Sounding Harbors (1935)
  • Mixed Company (1936)
  • Richard Walden's Wife (1950)
  • Proud Castle (1951)

Nonfiction
  • The Chronicle of a Happy Woman: Emily A. Davison (1928)

Short stories
(This is an incomplete list.)
  • "A Friend of Jimmie's" (1909) (McBride's Magazine) (Lippincott's Monthly Magazine)
  • "The Girl Who Forgot" (1909) (McBride's Magazine) (Lippincott's Monthly Magazine)
  • "Adventures of a Recluse" (1912) (McBride's Magazine) (Lippincott's Monthly Magazine)
  • "The Head of the Family" (1915) (Munsey's Magazine)
  • "Hunger" (1915) (The Century Magazine)
  • "Atmosphere" (1916) (Munsey's Magazine)
  • "La Bella Gina" (1926) (The Harper's Monthly)
  • "Michaelmas Moon" (1934) (Saturday Evening Post)
  • "Polonaise" (1935) (Saturday Evening Post)
  • "Where But in England?" (1938) (Saturday Evening Post)

Film
YearTitleStory based onNotes
1918Kildare of StormKildares of StormSilent film produced by Metro Pictures; lost film
1931Their Mad MomentBasquerieFilm produced by Fox Film Corporation
1931Mi último amorBasquerieFilm produced by Fox Film Corporation; Spanish language version of Their Mad Moment
1941The Perfect SnobBasquerieFilm produced by Fox Film Corporation; remake of Their Mad Moment

Broadway
YearTitleStory based on
1929UnknownBasquerie [5]

References
  1. Mainiero, Lina. "Eleanor Mercein Kelly." American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial times to the Present. Vol. 2. New York: Ungar, 1979. 441-42. Print.
  2. "Mrs. Kelly Talks About Life, Books." The Milwaukee Sentinel, 28 February 1932, Society sec.: 1+. Print.
  3. Harrison, Lowell Hayes, and James C. Klotter. A New History of Kentucky. Lexington, KY: U of Kentucky, 1997. 324. Print.
  4. Kleber, John E. "Kelly, Eleanor Mercein." The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Lexington, KY: U of Kentucky, 1992. 485. Print.
  5. "Society Women in Literature." The Milwaukee Journal, 1 November 1931, Society sec.: 2. Print.
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