Barbara Holland
Encyclopedia
Barbara Murray Holland was an American author who wrote in defense of such modern-day vices as cursing, drinking, eating fatty food and smoking cigarettes, as well as a memoir of her time spent growing up in Chevy Chase, Maryland
, near Washington, D.C.
department store in the early 1950s. In a riposte to Virginia Woolf
's 1929 essay A Room of One's Own
in which Woolf stated that "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction," Holland wrote "No, Mrs. Woolf." She must have "A job, Mrs. Woolf."
Holland moved to Philadelphia, where she worked as a copywriter at an advertising agency. She also began writing articles and short stories that were regularly published in magazines including Ladies’ Home Journal, McCall's
, Redbook
and Seventeen
.
Holland's first published books were for children, followed by Mother's Day in 1980, an autobiographical account of raising children while working full-time. In 1988 she published The Name of the Cat, a popular book that she updated and reissued as Secrets of the Cat: Its Lore, Legend and Lives in 1994, 2002 and 2010.
Turning to essays, Holland published three collections: Endangered Pleasures: In Defense of Naps, Bacon, Martinis, Profanity, and Other Indulgences (1995); Bingo Night at the Fire Hall: The Case for Cows, Orchards, Bake Sales & Fairs (1997), and Wasn't the Grass Greener? A Curmudgeon's Fond Memories (1999). Endangered Pleasures included some of her essays in favor of habits such as drinking and smoking. Holland lamented the increasing social unacceptability of common vices, saying:
Historical and biographical works included Hail to the Chiefs: How to Tell Your Polks From Your Tylers (1990), which was updated in 1993 as Hail to the Chiefs: Presidential Mischief, Morals & Malarkey, from George W. to George W.; They Went Whistling: Women Wayfarers, Warriors, Runaways, and Renegades (2001), and Gentlemen's Blood: A History of Dueling From Swords at Dawn to Pistols at Dusk (2003).
Holland's 2005 memoir When All the World Was Young recounted growing up during and after World War II
. In 2007 The Washington Post
published a profile of Holland after the release of her 16th book, The Joy of Drinking, which she wrote to protest the rise of "broccoli, exercise and Starbucks." During the interview, she poured herself a glass of wine and lit a cigarette, pointing to each and saying, "Stuck up here on this mountain, I have only two hobbies" and said that she regularly drank a "half-gallon of Scotch a week".
in 1993, to a cabin where she wrote many of her books. Holland died at age 77 on September 7, 2010, of lung cancer
at her home in Bluemont. She was survived by a daughter, two sons and two grandchildren. Her three marriages all ended in divorce.
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
, near Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Early life
She was born on April 5, 1933, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Chevy Chase, Md. Her parents divorced when she was a child and her mother later married Thomas Holland, whom she strongly disliked, later writing that Her mother, Marion Hall Holland, had four more children and made a career for herself writing and illustrating children's books. Following in her mother's footsteps, Barbara Holland won the National Scholastic poetry competition in consecutive years while in high school, making her the first junior to win the competition and the first to win it twice when she won again the following school year.Career
Relishing the ability to support herself, Holland started working at Hecht'sHecht's
Hecht's, also known as Hecht Brothers, Hecht Bros. and the Hecht Company, was a large chain of department stores located mainly in the mid-Atlantic and southern region of the United States....
department store in the early 1950s. In a riposte to Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century....
's 1929 essay A Room of One's Own
A Room of One's Own
A Room of One's Own is an extended essay by Virginia Woolf. First published on 24 October 1929, the essay was based on a series of lectures she delivered at Newnham College and Girton College, two women's colleges at Cambridge University in October 1928...
in which Woolf stated that "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction," Holland wrote "No, Mrs. Woolf." She must have "A job, Mrs. Woolf."
Holland moved to Philadelphia, where she worked as a copywriter at an advertising agency. She also began writing articles and short stories that were regularly published in magazines including Ladies’ Home Journal, McCall's
McCall's
McCall's was a monthly American women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873...
, Redbook
Redbook
Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...
and Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
.
Holland's first published books were for children, followed by Mother's Day in 1980, an autobiographical account of raising children while working full-time. In 1988 she published The Name of the Cat, a popular book that she updated and reissued as Secrets of the Cat: Its Lore, Legend and Lives in 1994, 2002 and 2010.
Turning to essays, Holland published three collections: Endangered Pleasures: In Defense of Naps, Bacon, Martinis, Profanity, and Other Indulgences (1995); Bingo Night at the Fire Hall: The Case for Cows, Orchards, Bake Sales & Fairs (1997), and Wasn't the Grass Greener? A Curmudgeon's Fond Memories (1999). Endangered Pleasures included some of her essays in favor of habits such as drinking and smoking. Holland lamented the increasing social unacceptability of common vices, saying:
We have let the new Puritans take over, spreading a layer of foreboding across the land ... and denying ourselves even the most harmless delights marks the suitably somber outlook on life.
Historical and biographical works included Hail to the Chiefs: How to Tell Your Polks From Your Tylers (1990), which was updated in 1993 as Hail to the Chiefs: Presidential Mischief, Morals & Malarkey, from George W. to George W.; They Went Whistling: Women Wayfarers, Warriors, Runaways, and Renegades (2001), and Gentlemen's Blood: A History of Dueling From Swords at Dawn to Pistols at Dusk (2003).
Holland's 2005 memoir When All the World Was Young recounted growing up during and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 2007 The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
published a profile of Holland after the release of her 16th book, The Joy of Drinking, which she wrote to protest the rise of "broccoli, exercise and Starbucks." During the interview, she poured herself a glass of wine and lit a cigarette, pointing to each and saying, "Stuck up here on this mountain, I have only two hobbies" and said that she regularly drank a "half-gallon of Scotch a week".
Death
She lived in Philadelphia for most of her life and moved to Bluemont, VirginiaBluemont, Virginia
Bluemont is an unincorporated village in Loudoun County, Virginia located at the base of Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain. At 680 feet , it is the highest community in Loudoun County...
in 1993, to a cabin where she wrote many of her books. Holland died at age 77 on September 7, 2010, of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at her home in Bluemont. She was survived by a daughter, two sons and two grandchildren. Her three marriages all ended in divorce.