Dare Wright And The Lonely Doll

A poignant and revealing biography of Dare Wright the beautiful and enigmatic photographer and author of The Lonely Doll childrens book series illustrated with over five hundred photographs.Written by Brook Ashley Dare Wrights godchild and heir to her estate the biography reveals the source of Dare Wrights family trauma her fascination with mythical storylines and the personal tragedies and creative successes that punctuated her extraordinary life.Dare Wright captivated the childrens literary world of the 1950s and 60s with a new genre of storytelling through simple text and haunting black and white photography. Her protagonists were a felt doll named Edith and her two ursine companions Mr. Bear and Little Bear. In an era when childrens authors were not particularly photogenic Dare Wright stood out as a stunning articulate and mysterious beauty.Author Brook Ashley was the young child whom Dare Wright brought into her magical world of dolls bears and fairy tales to co-create scenes for Dares early books The Lonely Doll and Holiday For Edith And The Bears. Ashley grew up in her godmothers star-swirled orbit where Tallulah Bankheads parakeet sipped champagne and Greta Garbo sought refuge from an intrusive public.Dare Wright And The Lonely Doll uncovers the violent history behind Dare Wrights childhood separation from her father and brother while tracing the origins of Wrights concern that she might not be a fully real woman. The book is enhanced by hundreds of photographs including Wrights self-portraits in elaborate costumes and posed as a nude sea nymph as well as those of her friends family and suitors. Secrets betrayals and an enduring love are threaded through the biography in text photos paintings and newspaper clippings providing a multi-dimensional texture to its intriguing subject.