The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll: The Search for Dare Wright by Jean Nathan

The story of a woman who, imprisoned by her childhood, sought to set herself free through art. In 1957, the publication of her book The Lonely Doll, made model/author/photographer Dare Wright famous. The children's book told the story of Edith, a lonely doll until two teddy bears-a father and a son - come to live with her. The blonde, beautiful and creative Wright began her career as an actress and model and then turned to fashion photography before stumbling upon her role as bestselling author. But there was a dark side to the story: a father and brother lost in childhood, ill-fated marriage plans, a complicated, controlling mother. Edith Stevenson Wright, herself a successful portrait painter, played such a dominant role in her daughter's life that Dare was never able to find her way into the adult world. Only through her work could she speak for herself: in her books she created the happy family she'd always yearned for, while her self-portraits betrayed an unresolved tension between sexuality and innocence, a desire to belong and painful isolation.

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posted: 01/21/2005 by JD comments | results | vote