Eleanor Spencer Stone Perényi (January 4, 1918 – May 3, 2009) was a gardener and author. She wrote several books including ''Green Thoughts'', a collection of essays based on her own gardening experiences.

Biography

Eleanor Perenyi was the daughter of a US Navy officer, Ellis S. Stone and

Grace Zaring Stone Grace Zaring Stone (January 9, 1891 – September 29, 1991) was an American novelist and short-story writer.

. Grace Zaring Stone wrote her anti-Nazi novel ''Escape'' under the pseudonym Ethel Vance, for fear of jeopardizing the safety of her daughter, who was then living with her husband, the son of the Hungarian noble Baron Zsigmond Perényi, in pro-Fascist

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, then to be an ally of the

Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Works

Perenyi is best known as the author of ''Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden'', which drew on her work on her husband's rural estate near the present-day town of

Vynohradiv Vynohradiv (, ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in western Ukraine, in Zakarpattia Oblast. It was the center of Vynohradiv Raion and since 2020 it has been incorporated into Berehove Raion. Population: Names There are multiple alte ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

(the former Nagyszőlős, Hungary). Her life there is further recorded in her 1946 memoir ''More Was Lost'', which describes her marriage to her Hungarian noble husband and the impact of World War II on life in rural Hungary. Her other books include the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

novel ''The Bright Sword'' (1955) and a study of

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

. ''Green Thoughts'' was reviewed by

Brooke Astor Roberta Brooke Astor (née Russell; March 30, 1902 – August 13, 2007) was an American philanthropist, socialite, and writer. She served as the chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation, established by her third husband, Vincent Astor, who wa ...

in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. ''More Was Lost'' was reprinted by

New York Review of Books New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

Press in 2016 with an introduction by the poet J.D. McClatchy and is reviewed by Sadie Stein in ''

The Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published new works by Jack Kerouac, ...

''.

Award

Perenyi was given an award in literature from the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

in 1982.

Biography

Works

Award

References

Further reading