BIB_ID
196031
Accession number
MA 13862
Creator
Corelli, Marie, 1855-1924.
Display Date
[undated] "Monday".
Credit line
Bequest of Gordon N. Ray, 1987.
Description
1 item (4 pages) ; 18.2 x 11.4 cm
Notes
Possibly addressed to Corelli's acquaintance, writer and society hostess Lady Dorothy Nevill.
Marie Corelli is believed to have been born the daughter of unmarried parents Charles Mackay and Mary Elizabeth Mills; Mackay married Marie Corelli's mother in 1861, following the death of his wife Rose in 1859.
Marie Corelli is believed to have been born the daughter of unmarried parents Charles Mackay and Mary Elizabeth Mills; Mackay married Marie Corelli's mother in 1861, following the death of his wife Rose in 1859.
Provenance
Bequest of Gordon N. Ray, 1987.
Summary
Concerning the alleged origin of her name "Marie Corelli" and the reason she was once known by the earlier name, "Mary Mackay"; claiming that she was adopted by her father, Charles Mackay, following his marriage to her mother, her own father being Italian and a descendent of the famous musician Arcangelo Corelli; noting that she is now "all alone in the world", except for her "step-brother" [actually her half-brother] Eric Mackay, who, she explains, takes care of her and her literary business "with the greatest kindness and forethought".
Catalog link
Department