Dame Barbara Cartland, the prolific author known for her 723 romance novels, continues to cast a long shadow, with her Hertfordshire home preserved as she left it and a new biography by Matthew Sweet shedding light on her extraordinary life. Cartland's granddaughters, Tara and Iona McCorquodale, maintain her legacy through guided tours and events at Camfield Place, the home where she lived for 50 years until her death in 2000 at the age of 98. Her unique instructions stipulated that nothing in the house should be moved after her passing, a directive her family has largely honored.
Sweet's biography, initiated by a playful pitch referencing an alien bookworm spin-off, delves into Cartland's unconventional perspectives. She held the Guinness World Record for the most novels published in a single year, with 23 in 1976, and her sales figures are surpassed only by those of Agatha Christie and William Shakespeare. Her son, Ian McCorquodale, gave his consent for the biography, recognizing his mother's singular place in cultural history.
Cartland's writing process was as distinctive as her persona. Dictating up to 8,000 words daily to a team of five secretaries, she would recline on a sofa in her library, often dressed in a chiffon cocktail dress and pearls, accompanied by her Pekingese dog. The manuscripts, typed and dispatched with pink ribbons via her white Rolls Royce to her editor, were accepted with no alterations. Her editor would then deposit final proofs at Claridge's Hotel, where Cartland maintained a reserved table for 50 years, its linen color-coordinated with her attire.
Her public image was as flamboyant as her writing, characterized by pastel dresses, hats, false eyelashes, and mascara made from shoe cream for a distinctive 'mirror shine.' Despite facing ridicule for her romantic plots and personal style, Cartland remained unfazed, bolstered by a devoted global readership. She famously advised a woman unable to conceive to 'keep wishing what you want,' with the reader later reporting a successful pregnancy.
Cartland's own life was marked by unconventional choices and a desire for social standing. Despite her father's family business failing and his suicide, followed by her father's death in World War I, her mother emphasized marrying well. Cartland, presented as a debutante in 1919 and a member of London's Bright Young Things, eventually married Alexander McCorquodale. After divorcing him due to infidelity, she married his cousin, Hugh McCorquodale. Her daughter, Raine, became the stepmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, making Cartland a step-grandmother.
Her views on marriage and virginity were notable. While believing women should remain virgins until marriage, she stated, 'a man should certainly not be a virgin on his wedding night, you want one person who knows what he is doing.' She took an interest in Prince Charles's marriage to Diana, advising reconciliation and a public address to unite the nation, reflecting her themes of unity and national pride found in her autobiography.
Beyond her literary fame, Cartland was an early critic of Nazi Germany, channeling her concerns into her 1936 book, Dangerous Experiment. She also served as a Conservative councilor for Hertfordshire, founded the National Association of Health, and co-founded the Romantic Novelists' Association. A proponent of vitamins and supplements, she believed their deficiency contributed to gloominess. Her advocacy extended to championing better care home standards, improved midwife pay, and supporting the Romany people, leading to the establishment of the first Romany camp, Barbaraville.
Cartland's perspective on feminism, detailed in her 1965 book Woman—The Enigma, was controversial, characterizing the movement's passion as stemming from 'man-hating, embittered, sex-starved spinsters.' She remained in control of her life and even her death, stipulating burial in her garden and a specific shroud and covering. Her granddaughter Tara recalled that even in her final moments, Cartland appeared to be dictating a new novel, her mind still immersed in stories.