M. M. Kaye
Encyclopedia
Mary Margaret Kaye (21 August 1908 - 29 January 2004) was a British writer. Her most famous book was The Far Pavilions
(1978).
, India
, and spent her early childhood and much of her early-married life there. Her family ties with the country are strong: her grandfather, father, brother and husband all served the British Raj
and her grandfather's cousin, Sir John Kaye
, wrote the standard accounts of the Sepoy Mutiny and the First Afghan War. After India's independence, her husband, Major-General Goff Hamilton of Queen Victoria
's Own Corps of Guides
(the famous Indian Army
regiment featured in The Far Pavilions), joined the British Army
and for the next nineteen years M. M. Kaye followed the drum to Kenya
, Zanzibar
, Egypt
, Cyprus
and Germany
.
M. M. Kaye won worldwide fame for The Far Pavilions, which became a worldwide best-seller on publication in 1978. Shadow of the Moon and Trade Wind, although originally published prior to The Far Pavilions, were reissued after that novel's success. She also wrote and illustrated The Ordinary Princess
, a children's book (called "refreshingly unsentimental" by an article in Horn Book Magazine
) which she originally wrote as a short story, and wrote a dozen detective novels, including Death in Kashmir and Death in Zanzibar. Her autobiography has been published in three volumes, collectively entitled Share of Summer: The Sun in the Morning, Golden Afternoon, and Enchanted Evening. In March 2003, M. M. Kaye was awarded the Colonel James Tod
International Award by the Maharana Mewar Foundation of Udaipur, Rajasthan
, for her "contribution of permanent value reflecting the spirit and values of Mewar
".
The Far Pavilions
The Far Pavilions is an epic novel of British-Indian history by M. M. Kaye, first published in 1978, which tells the story of an English officer during the Great Game. The novel, rooted deeply in the romantic epics of the 19th century, has been hailed as a masterpiece of storytelling...
(1978).
Life
M. M. Kaye was born in SimlaShimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and spent her early childhood and much of her early-married life there. Her family ties with the country are strong: her grandfather, father, brother and husband all served the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and her grandfather's cousin, Sir John Kaye
John William Kaye
Sir John William Kaye was a British military historian.The son of Charles Kaye, a solicitor, he was educated at Eton College and at the Royal Military College, Addiscombe. From 1832 to 1841 he was an officer in the Bengal Artillery, afterwards spending some years in literary pursuits both in...
, wrote the standard accounts of the Sepoy Mutiny and the First Afghan War. After India's independence, her husband, Major-General Goff Hamilton of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
's Own Corps of Guides
Corps of Guides (British India)
The Corps of Guides was a regiment of the British Indian Army which served in the North West Frontier and had a unique composition of being part infantry and part cavalry.-History:...
(the famous Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
regiment featured in The Far Pavilions), joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and for the next nineteen years M. M. Kaye followed the drum to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
M. M. Kaye won worldwide fame for The Far Pavilions, which became a worldwide best-seller on publication in 1978. Shadow of the Moon and Trade Wind, although originally published prior to The Far Pavilions, were reissued after that novel's success. She also wrote and illustrated The Ordinary Princess
The Ordinary Princess
The Ordinary Princess is a children's novel written and illustrated by M. M. Kaye. It concerns Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne of Phantasmorania—Amy for short—who has been given the "gift" of ordinariness....
, a children's book (called "refreshingly unsentimental" by an article in Horn Book Magazine
Horn Book Magazine
The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston in 1924, is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults. It began life as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietresses of the country's first bookstore for children, The...
) which she originally wrote as a short story, and wrote a dozen detective novels, including Death in Kashmir and Death in Zanzibar. Her autobiography has been published in three volumes, collectively entitled Share of Summer: The Sun in the Morning, Golden Afternoon, and Enchanted Evening. In March 2003, M. M. Kaye was awarded the Colonel James Tod
James Tod
Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod was an English officer of the British East India Company and an Oriental scholar.Tod was born in London and educated in Scotland, later joining the East India Company as a military officer. He travelled to India in 1799 as a cadet in the Bengal Army where he rose...
International Award by the Maharana Mewar Foundation of Udaipur, Rajasthan
Udaipur, Rajasthan
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
, for her "contribution of permanent value reflecting the spirit and values of Mewar
Mewar
Mewar is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Pratapgarh, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara and some of the part of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom that later...
".
Autobiography: Share of Summer
- Part 1: The Sun In The Morning 1990
- Part 2: Golden Afternoon 1997
- Part 3: Enchanted Evening 1999
Historical Novels
- The Far PavilionsThe Far PavilionsThe Far Pavilions is an epic novel of British-Indian history by M. M. Kaye, first published in 1978, which tells the story of an English officer during the Great Game. The novel, rooted deeply in the romantic epics of the 19th century, has been hailed as a masterpiece of storytelling...
1978 - Shadow of the Moon 1957, revised in 1979
- Trade Wind 1963, revised in 1981
Suspense Novels: The Death in... Series
- Death in the Andamans (originally published as Night on the Island) 1960, revised in 1985
- Death in BerlinDeath in BerlinDeath in Berlin is a mystery novel by M. M. Kaye. The story, set in post World War II Berlin, focuses on Miranda Brand who, goes on a one month vacation to Berlin. Brigadier Brindley relates to Miranda Brand, a story of a fortune in lost diamonds, transforming the vacation into an ominous situation...
(originally published as Death Walked in Berlin) 1955, revised in 1985 - Death in CyprusDeath in CyprusDeath in Cyprus is an M. M. Kaye mystery novel. The story, set on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, focuses on 21-year-old Amanda Derington who, against her strict uncle Oswin's wishes, decides to have a holiday on the beautiful island. However, whilst on a boat to the island, she witnesses the...
(originally published as Death Walked in Cyprus) 1956, revised in 1984 - Death in Kashmir (originally published as Death Walked in Kashmir) 1953, revised in 1984
- Death in Kenya (originally published as Later Than You Think 1958 and It's Later Than You Think) 1960, revised in 1983
- Death in Zanzibar (originally published as The House of Shade) 1959, revised in 1983
Other Novels
- Six Bars at Seven 1940 - writing as Mollie Kaye **M M Kaye's first novel**
- Strange Island 1944 - writing as Mollie Kaye (original version of Night on the Island)
- Wound of Spring 1961, unpublished
- Far Pavilions Picture Book 1979
Children's Stories
- Black Bramble Wood 1938 - writing as Mollie Kaye, illustrated by Margaret Tempest
- Gold Gorse Common 1945 - writing as Mollie Kaye, illustrated by Margaret Tempest
- The Ordinary PrincessThe Ordinary PrincessThe Ordinary Princess is a children's novel written and illustrated by M. M. Kaye. It concerns Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne of Phantasmorania—Amy for short—who has been given the "gift" of ordinariness....
1980 - written and illustrated by M M Kaye - Potter Pinner Meadow 1937 - writing as Mollie Kaye, illustrated by Margaret Tempest
- Thistledown 1981 - written and illustrated by M M Kaye
- Willow Witches Brook 1944 - writing as Mollie Kaye, illustrated by Margaret Tempest
Children's Stories Illustrated (but not written) by M M Kaye
- Adventures in a Caravan by Mrs A C Osborn 1950
- Children of Galilee by Lydia S Eliott 1950
- The Cranstons at Sandly Bay by Phyllis I Norris 1949
- The Story of Saint Francis of Assisi by E W Grierson 1950
- The Two Pins by C B Poultney 1949
Radio Plays
- England Awakes - a one act play, broadcast on All India RadioAll India RadioAll India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
c. 1940 - A series of playlets based on the war news - broadcast on All India Radio c. 1940
Books Edited or Introduced by M M Kaye
- Complete Verse by Rudyard KiplingRudyard KiplingJoseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
1990 - Costumes and Characters of the British Raj 1982 by Evelyn Battye
- Golden Calm by Emily, Lady Clive Bayley and Sir Thomas Metcalfe 1980
- Making of The Jewel in the Crown 1983 Various contributors including M M Kaye
- Moon of Other Days - Selected Verses by Rudyard Kipling 1988 [ Paintings by George Sharp ] (sketches and watercolors by M M Kaye)
- Original Letters from India: 1779-1815 by Eliza Fay 1986
- Picking Up Gold & Silver - Selected Short Stories by Rudyard Kipling 1989
- Simla - The Summer Capital of British India by Raja Bhasin 1992
Television Series
- The Far Pavilions 1984 (Also released in cinemas as Blade of Steel)
- Transmitted in the UK by Channel 4 on 3 January 1984, 8 October 1985 and 7 February 1988
- Cast:
- Ben CrossBen CrossBen Cross is a British actor of the stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.-Early life:...
- Ashton 'Ash' Pelham-Martyn - Amy IrvingAmy IrvingAmy Davis Irving is an American actress, known for her roles in the films Crossing Delancey, The Fury, Carrie, and Yentl as well as acclaimed roles on Broadway and Off-Broadway. She has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and has won an Obie award...
- Princess Anjuli - Christopher LeeChristopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
- Kaka-ji Rao - Benedict TaylorBenedict TaylorBenedict Sean Taylor is a British actor. His adoptive sister is Femi Taylor...
- WallyWalter Richard Pollock HamiltonWalter Richard Pollock Hamilton VC was born in Inistioge, County Kilkenny and was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He is featured in M. M... - Rossano BrazziRossano Brazzi-Biography:Brazzi was born in Bologna to Adelmo and Maria Brazzi. He attended San Marco University in Florence, Italy, where he was raised from the age of four...
- Rana of Bhithor - Saeed JaffreySaeed JaffreySaeed Jaffrey OBE is an Indian-born British actor, who has done numerous British movies. He was born in Malerkotla, Punjab...
- Biju Ram - Robert HardyRobert HardyTimothy Sydney Robert Hardy, CBE, FSA is an English actor with a long career in the theatre, film and television. He is also an acknowledged expert on the longbow.-Early life:...
- Commandant - Sneh Gupta - Shushila
- Omar SharifOmar SharifOmar Sharif is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards.-Early life:...
- Koda Dad - John GielgudJohn GielgudSir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
- Major Sir Louis Cavagnari - Jennifer KendalJennifer KendalJennifer Kapoor - born Jennifer Kendal - was a British actress who married Shashi Kapoor of the Kapoor family.-Childhood:Jennifer Kendal was born in Southport, England, but spent much of her youth in India...
- Mrs. Viccary - Felicity DeanFelicity DeanFelicity Dean is a British film, stage and television actress.-Early life:Dean was born as Felicity Jane Dean at St George's Hospital at Hyde Park Corner London in 1959. She attended the Hurst Lodge School in Sunningdale England...
- Belinda Harlowe - Peter ArnePeter ArnePeter Arne was a British character actor best known for various performances in British film and television, including supporting roles in the television series The Avengers, Danger Man, as well as villains in Blake Edwards' Pink Panther series, in a career that spanned 40 years...
- General - Adam Bareham - Jenkins
- Caterina BorattoCaterina BorattoCaterina Boratto was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 50 films between 1937 and 1993.-Selected filmography:* 8½ * Juliet of the Spirits * Me, Me, Me... and the Others...
- Mrs. Chiverton
- The Ordinary Princess 1984
- Transmitted in the UK by the BBC as part of its weekly Jackanory series for children
Musicals
- The Far Pavilions (opened at the Shaftesbury TheatreShaftesbury TheatreThe Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End Theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The theatre was designed for the brothers Walter and Frederick Melville by Bertie Crewe and opened on 26 December 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers, as the New...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on 24 Mar 2005)
- Cast:
- Kabir BediKabir BediKabir Bedi is an Indian television and film actor. His career has spanned three continents including India, the United States and many European countries in three mediums: film, television and theatre. He is noted for his role as Emperor Shah Jahan in Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story...
- Koda Dad Khan Sahib - David BurtDavid BurtDavid Burt is a British actor, known primarily for his many and wide-ranging West End performances.Burt recently starred as the flamboyant Count Fosco opposite Yvette Robinson in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White at the Palace Theatre and was featured as Captain Andy Hawks in Show Boat at...
- LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Harkness - Hadley FraserHadley FraserHadley Fraser is an English stage actor. He made his critically acclaimed West End debut as Marius in Les Misérables. He also originated the role of Tiernan in the Broadway show The Pirate Queen.-Biography:...
- Ashton Pelham-Martyn - Kulvinder GhirKulvinder GhirKulvinder Ghir, born in Nairobi, Kenya, is a British actor, comedian and writer of South Asian ancestry, best known for his roles in Rita, Sue & Bob Too, Blood & Peaches, Bend It Like Beckham and the sketch show Goodness Gracious Me...
- MaharanaMaharajaMahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of Bhithor - Simon GleesonSimon GleesonSimon Gleeson is an Australian actor in the United Kingdom who has performed in plays at The Royal National Theatre and in the West End of London. He has appeared in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, playing SJ Fletcher's boyfriend Sid Clarke and in the Aussie soap Neighbours as Max Crawford...
- Lt. Walter Hamilton - Sophiya Haque - Janoo Rani
- Gayatri IyerGayatri IyerGayatri Iyer is an Indian playback singer, primarily in Bollywood. She landed up with the part of Princess Anjuli in the West End of London musical production of M. M. Kaye's The Far Pavilions, which opened in the summer of 2007....
- Princess Anjuli - Fiona WadeFiona WadeFiona Wade is a British actress.She has had an extensive career in British theatre and television, and is best known in the United States for her role as Anya Vicenze on the TV show 24Seven ....
- Princess Anjuli - Dianne PilkingtonDianne PilkingtonDianne Lesley Pilkington is an English theatre actress and singer.- Life :Pilkington was born in Wigan. She trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 1997 with the Principal's Award....
- Belinda - David Savile - Sir Louis Cavagnari