Categories: Arts & Culture

Wallis Simpson hated Marilyn Monroe for being on the front page, revealed Charles Pick’s memoirs

The late literary agent Charles Pick’s memoirs revealed why Wallis Simpson hated Marilyn Monroe alongside other encounters with 20th century icons, including the Duke of Windsor and the Queen, that he racked up over the course of his career.

The memoirs, Charles Pick’s diaries, letters and photographs are available to view for the first time at the University of East Anglia, after the agent’s son Martin donated them.

Charles Pick, who died in 2000 aged 82, had a star-studded client list; John Steinbeck, JB Priestley, Roald Dahl, John Le Carré and Catherine Cookson were just a smattering of authors he represented.

He had been summoned to Paris by Wallis Simpson to discuss her 1956 autobiography The Heart Has Its Reasons.

Instead of greeting Charles Pick, Wallis Simpson’s first remark as she rose from her chaise longue, “a large, round box of Charbonnel et Walker chocolates” placed within arms reach, was about Marilyn Monroe.

“Can you please tell me who Marilyn Monroe’s publicity agent is?” Wallis Simpson asked.

Charles Pick said he had to confess he had no idea and asked why she wanted to know.

“Look, I have all the newspapers each day and I was generally on the front page. But now I see that Marilyn Monroe is on the front page. Well, somebody has pushed me off!” said Wallis Simpson.

“I could see I was in for a difficult time, but I explained that I wasn’t in any way able to help her in displacing Marilyn Monroe in her favor,” Charles Pick wrote.

Charles Pick's memoirs reveal Wallis Simpson was furious when Marilyn Monroe started to appear on newspaper front pages in place of her

The memoir offers a unique insight into a different age. Charles Pick mentions the time Out of Africa author Karen Blixen checked in for her Pan Am flight with a bottle of Moet et Chandon and a dozen oysters, so appalled was she by the airline’s “plastic” food.

Charles Pick also recalls accompanying The Grapes of Wrath author John Steinbeck, to his Nobel Prize dinner and noted he had “given up hard liquor and was just drinking beer” that evening.

He drank vermouths with Graham Greene in Antibes and was fed seconds of steak and kidney pie by author Catherine Cookson.

Charles Pick started his career as an office boy for Victor Gallancz in 1933 before moving into sales.

Two years later he went to a Hampstead bookshop and tried to sell copies of a “marvellous new book” called Burmese Days by a young lad named George Orwell.

An Eric Blair was behind the counter that day and said he knew George Orwell very well – of course, it was Orwell himself working as a part-time assistant using his real name.

After stints at Gallancz and Michael Joseph, Charles Pick moved to Heinemann where he eventually became chairman. After his retirement in 1984 he remained a literary consultant to Wilbur Smith, one of many authors he discovered.

Charles Pick had close friendships with his writers, but feared the loyalty he had enjoyed was becoming a thing of the past as authors would “go off to cheque book publishers and be snapped up if they were successful”.

He was proved right of course, but what he would make of today’s burgeoning self publishing industry we’ll never know.

 

Diane A. Wade

Diane is a perfectionist. She enjoys searching the internet for the hottest events from around the world and writing an article about it. The details matter to her, so she makes sure the information is easy to read and understand. She likes traveling and history, especially ancient history. Being a very sociable person she has a blast having barbeque with family and friends.

Recent Posts

Donald Trump and Elon Musk Celebrate Election Victory at UFC 309

Image source: Wikimedia Commons President-elect Donald Trump celebrated his election victory at the Ultimate Fighting…

4 days ago

White House 2024: Donald Trump Wins, Kamala Harris Calls Him to Concede Election

Millions of voters across the US chose to return Donald Trump to the White House…

2 weeks ago

Who Won? Donald Trump Declares Victory as He Addresses Jubilant Supporters in Florida

Donald Trump declares victory in the US election as he addresses jubilant supporters in Florida.…

2 weeks ago

Stocks Soaring as Donald Trump Closes in on US Victory

Stocks around the world are rising as Donald Trump appears to be on the cusp…

2 weeks ago

Who Won? Kamala Harris Cancels Election Night Party as Path to Victory Narrows

Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia and taken a lead over Kamala…

2 weeks ago

Quincy Jones Dead at 91

Quincy Jones, the celebrated musician and producer who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray…

2 weeks ago