My mother created many lifelong friendships during her time working for the OWI in New York, London and Paris. Three of them, among others, were her colleague Margaret McElderry, the Cornet family in Paris and Katherine Harding in London.
Margaret McElderry
A central character in the book, Elsa Sparks, is based on Margaret McElderry, a well-known children’s book editor and publisher. Marg, (with a hard “g”), as my mother called her, was a regular presence at our house. For many, many years, she would arrive with gifts of her newly published books for the five of us children. My sisters, who are a bit older than I am, received early copies of The Borrowers when Harcourt, Brace published the volume in the United States in 1953. All those books are still in our various library shelves.
Mom and Marg would meet for lunch or dinner a few times each year and when possible, enjoy a weekend Continue reading “Lifelong Friendships”