Gillian Freeman (5 December 1929 – 23 February 2019) was an English writer. Her first book, ''The Liberty Man'', appeared while she was working as a secretary to the novelist Louis Golding. Her fictional diary, ''Nazi Lady: The Diaries of Elisabeth von Stahlenberg, 1938–48'', was assumed by many to be real.

Early life

Born in

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district in North West London, England, north of Paddington, southwest of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn, on Edgware Road. It is part of the City of Westminster and is northwest of Charing C ...

, London to Jewish parents, Dr Jack Freeman, a dentist who had been a physician, and his wife Freda (née Davids),'Marriages', ''The Times'', 13 September 1955. she attended

Francis Holland School Francis Holland School is the name of three separate private day schools for girls in central London, England, governed by the Francis Holland (Church of England) Schools Trust. The schools are located at Clarence Gate (near Regent's Park ...

in London and Lynton House school in Maidenhead during the Second World War. She graduated in English and philosophy from the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...

in 1951. She then taught at a school in the East End and worked as a copywriter and a newspaper reporter.

Career

''The Liberty Man'' (1955) was Freeman's first book, written while working as a literary secretary to the novelist Louis Golding; it was about a love affair between a schoolteacher and a sailor doomed by the class system.Harrison Smith
"Gillian Freeman, whose novel ''Leather Boys'' was a gay landmark, dies at 89"
''The Washington Post'', 11 March 2019. Freeman's time with Golding was said to have inspired some of her later works. One of her best known books was the novel ''

The Leather Boys ''The Leather Boys'' is a 1964 British drama film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Rita Tushingham, Colin Campbell, and Dudley Sutton. The story is set in the very early 1960s ton-up boy era, just before the rocker subculture in Lon ...

'' (1961), published under the pseudonym Eliot George, after the novelist

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...

, a story of a gay relationship between two young working-class men, one married and the other a biker, which was later turned into a film for which she wrote the screenplay, this time under her own name. The novel was commissioned by the publisher

Anthony Blond Anthony Bernard Blond (20 March 1928 – 27 February 2008) was a British publisher and author, who was involved with several publishing companies over his career, including several he established himself, or in partnerships, from 1952. Biograph ...

, her literary agent, who wanted a story about a "Romeo and Romeo in the South London suburbs". Her non-fiction book '' The Undergrowth of Literature'' (1967), was a pioneering study of pornography. ''The Alabaster Egg'' (1970) is a tragic romance about a Jewish woman set in Nazi Germany. In 1978, on another commission from Blond, she wrote a fictional diary, ''Nazi Lady: The Diaries of Elisabeth von Stahlenberg, 1938–48''. Freeman's authorship was not at first revealed and many readers assumed it was genuine; it was included in a 2004 anthology of war diaries. In addition to novels, Freeman wrote screenplays including '' That Cold Day in the Park'', a 1969 film directed by

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

, the scenarios for two ballets by

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Ea ...

, ''

Isadora Isidora or Isadora is a female given name of Greek origin, derived from Ἰσίδωρος, ''Isídōros'' (a compound of Ἶσις, ''Ísis'', and δῶρον, ''dōron'': "gift of he goddessIsis"). The male equivalent is Isidore. The name surviv ...

'' and ''

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden (district of Austria), Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Vienna Woods, Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), so ...

'', and with her husband, ''Ballet Genius'' (1988), portraits of 20 outstanding ballet dancers. Her final book was ''But Nobody Lives in Bloomsbury'' (2006), a fictional study of the

Bloomsbury Group The Bloomsbury Group was a group of associated British writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the early 20th century. Among the people involved in the group were Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster, Vanessa Bell, a ...

Private life

Freeman married Edward Thorpe, a novelist and the ballet critic of the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'', in 1955. The couple had two daughters, the actresses

Harriet Thorpe Harriet Amelia Thorpe (born 8 June 1957) is an English actress. Thorpe trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. She is known for her roles in the British sitcoms '' The Brittas Empire'' (1991–1997) and ''Absolutely Fabulous'' ( ...

and

Matilda Thorpe Matilda Helen Rachel Thorpe is a British people, British actress. Thorpe trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. She is known for her roles in the Channel 4 sitcoms ''Desmond's'' (1989–1994) and ''Porkpie (TV series), Porkpie'' ...

. She died in London at the

Whittington Hospital Whittington Hospital is a district general hospital, district general and teaching hospital of UCL Medical School and Middlesex University School of Health and Social Sciences. Located in Archway, London, it is managed by Whittington Health NH ...

on 23 February 2019 from complications of

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

.Neil Genzlinger
"Gillian Freeman, Groundbreaking Novelist on a Gay Theme, Dies at 89"
''The New York Times'', 8 March 2019.

Works

*''The Liberty Man'', 1955 *''Fall of Innocence'', 1956 *''Jack Would be a Gentleman'', 1959 *''The Story of Albert Einstein'', 1960 *''

'', 1961 *''The Campaign'', 1963 *''

'' (screenplay), 1964 *''

Only Lovers Left Alive ''Only Lovers Left Alive'' is a 2013 Gothic film, Gothic Fantasy film, fantasy comedy-drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, Slimane Dazi and John H ...

'' (screenplay), 1965 *''The Leader'', 1965 *'' The Undergrowth of Literature'', 1967 *'' That Cold Day in the Park'' (screenplay), 1969 *''An Evasion of Women'' (short play, alongside pieces by

Shena Mackay Shena Mackay FRSL (born 6 June 1944) is a Scottish novelist born in Edinburgh. She was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1996 for '' The Orchard on Fire'', and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and the Orange Prize for Fictio ...

Margaret Drabble Dame Margaret Drabble, Lady Holroyd, (born 5 June 1939) is an English biographer, novelist and short story writer. Drabble's books include '' The Millstone'' (1965), which won the following year's John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, and '' Je ...

, and

Maureen Duffy Maureen Patricia Duffy (born 21 October 1933) is an English poet, playwright, novelist and non-fiction author. Long an activist covering such issues as gay rights and animal rights, she campaigns especially on behalf of authors. She has receive ...

), 1969 *''The Alabaster Egg'', 1970 *'' I Want What I Want'' (screenplay), 1972 *''The Marriage Machine'', 1975 *''The Schoolgirl Ethic: The Life and Work of

Angela Brazil Angela Brazil (pronounced "brazzle") (30 November 186813 March 1947) was one of the first British writers of "modern School story, schoolgirls' stories", written from the characters' point of view and intended primarily as entertainment rather t ...

'', 1976 *''

'' (ballet scenario), 1978 *''

Intimate Letters Intimate may refer to: * Intimate examination, a physical examination for medical purposes that includes examination of the breasts, genitalia, or rectum of a patient * Intimate ion pair, the interactions between a cation, anion and surrounding so ...

'' (ballet scenario), 1978 *''Nazi Lady: The Diaries of Elisabeth von Stahlenberg, 1938–48'', 1979 *''An Easter Egg Hunt'', 1981 *''

'' (ballet scenario), 1981John Percival, 'Isadora, Covent Garden', ''The Times'', 1 May 1981. *''Lovechild'', 1984 *''Life Before Man'', 1986 *''Ballet Genius: Twenty Great Dancers of the Twentieth Century'' (with Edward Thorpe), 1988 *''Termination Rock'', 1989 *''His Mistress's Voice'', 2000 *''But Nobody Lives in Bloomsbury'', 2006

References

External links

Listing of Gillian Freeman archives at Reading University Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Gillian 1929 births 2019 deaths Alumni of the University of Reading Pseudonymous women writers British historical fiction writers 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English women writers English women novelists 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists Jewish English writers English non-fiction writers Deaths from dementia in England 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers People educated at Francis Holland School People from Maida Vale Writers from the City of Westminster