Dorothy MacLeish, née Black (27 March 1890 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, UK – 1977^[2] in Scotland, UK) was a British journalist and writer of over 100 romance novels and several short stories from 1916 to 1974 under her maiden name Dorothy Black and as Peter Delius. In 1934 published anonymously Letters of an Indian Judge to an English Gentlewoman, later reedited under her name. She wrote her auto-biography "The Foot of the Rainbow" in 1960.

Dorothy Black was vice-president of the Romantic Novelists' Association.^[3]

Biography

Born Dorothy Delius Allan Black on 27 March 1890 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, UK, was the daughter of Clare (Edith) Delius (1866–1954), and her husband J. W. A. Black, her parents married in 1889. She was niece of the famous composer, Frederick Delius (1862–1934). Her mother wrote her brother's biography: Frederick Delius: Memories of my Brother.^[4]

She worked as journalist. In 1916,^[1] she was married with Hugh MacLeish.^[5] Because of her husband's job, they moved to Rangoon, Burma (now also known as Myanmar), where she started to published fiction.^[6]

She raised her children in Burma. On 7 January 1921, she described Burma as "A Paradise for Women" in an article at the London Daily Mail.^[7] She also used Burma and India as inspiration to many of her novels. In 1934, Letters of an Indian Judge to an English Gentlewoman was published anonymously, later reedited under her name.

The summer of 1949, she assisted Marion Crawford to writing a series of features on life with Princess Margaret.

In 1960, she wrote her auto-biography "The Foot of the Rainbow".

She died on 1977 in Scotland, UK.

Bibliography

References and sources