Thelma - Corelli, Marie

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Biographie:
As the most widely read English novelist of her time, Marie Corelli outsold Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling and H.G. Wells. Her works were beloved by Queen Victoria, and she published 25 novels in 29 years. Although she wrote with the last name Corelli, she was born Mary Mackay and spoke no Italian, but often pretended to do so. An ardent preservationist, she donated funds to help restore and maintain the 17th century buildings that have come to define the town of Stratford-upon-Avon. She often flouted society's expectations and lived with a beloved female companion to whom she left her entire estate upon her death. Today her works are largely ignored by scholars, but they nonetheless continue to delight the scrupulous reader who finds them.

Sommaire:
Marie Corelli can be considered the best-selling author of the Victorian era. She was so renowned that calendars were sold with citations from her books, and a series of postcards representing her could be purchased by her devoted readership. Everybody read Corelli's books, from the most basic shopgirl to Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria herself. A Romance of Two Worlds, her first book, was distributed in 1886, and it turned her into a best-selling author in England and one of the favourites of Queen Victoria herself, who ended up ordering the complete collection of Marie's books. Despite the severe criticism, her books often managed to break sales records. Marie was the only writer asked to attend the coronation of Edward VII. Marie Corelli's books are inspired, magical, and philosophical. She volunteered to cure the universe's social ills. Among her best works are Barabbas (1893), Thelma (1887), The Expert Christian (1900), Wormwood (1890), The Mystery Power (1921), The Distresses of Satan (1895), The Existence Never-ending (1911), and Transient Power (1902). After World War I, her books were viewed as obsolete, and both interest and sales declined. She passed away in 1924....