Brook Ashley

Dare Wright And The Lonely Doll Brook Ashley

A poignant and revealing biography of Dare Wright, the beautiful and enigmatic photographer and author of The Lonely Doll children's book series, illustrated with over five hundred photographs.

Written by Brook Ashley, Dare Wright's godchild and heir to her estate, the biography reveals the source of Dare Wright's family trauma, her fascination with mythical storylines, and the personal tragedies and creative successes that punctuated her extraordinary life.

Dare Wright captivated the children's literary world of the 1950s and 60s with a new genre of storytelling through simple text and haunting black and white photography. Her protagonists were a felt doll named Edith and her two ursine companions, Mr. Bear and Little Bear. In an era when children's authors were not particularly photogenic, Dare Wright stood out as a stunning, articulate and mysterious beauty.

Author Brook Ashley was the young child whom Dare Wright brought into her magical world of dolls, bears and fairy tales to co-create scenes for Dare's early books The Lonely Doll and Holiday For Edith And The Bears. Ashley grew up in her godmother's star-swirled orbit where Tallulah Bankhead's parakeet sipped champagne and Greta Garbo sought refuge from an intrusive public.

Dare Wright And The Lonely Doll uncovers the violent history behind Dare Wright's childhood separation from her father and brother while tracing the origins of Wright's concern that she might not be a fully real woman. The book is enhanced by hundreds of photographs including Wright's self-portraits in elaborate costumes and posed as a nude sea nymph, as well as those of her friends, family and suitors. Secrets, betrayals and an enduring love are threaded through the biography in text, photos, paintings and newspaper clippings, providing a multi-dimensional texture to its intriguing subject.