Ida Pollock facts for kids

Ida Julia Pollock (born Crowe; 12 April 1908 – 3 December 2013) was a British writer. She wrote many short stories and over 125 romance novels. She used her married name, Ida Pollock, and many other pen names. Some of her pen names were Joan M. Allen, Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, and Marguerite Bell.

Ida Pollock sold millions of books during her 90-year career. She was known as the "world's oldest novelist" because she was still writing at 105 years old. She continued to write until she passed away. On her 105th birthday, she became an honorary vice-president of the Romantic Novelists' Association. She was one of the people who helped start this group.

Ida was married to Lt Colonel Hugh Alexander Pollock (1888–1971). He was a war veteran and worked with Winston Churchill. They had a daughter named Rosemary Pollock, who also writes romance novels. Ida wrote her life story in a book called Starlight. It was published in 2009 when she was 100 years old. The book talks about how she started writing and her marriage. Ida was also an oil painter. Her paintings were chosen for a national art show in 2004 when she was 96.

About Ida Pollock's Life

Early Years and First Books

Ida Julia Crowe was born on 12 April 1908 in Lewisham, Kent, England. Her mother was Fanny Osborn and her father was Arthur Crowe. Ida started writing when she was still in school. She was encouraged by her mother. When she was 14, she published her first thriller book. It was called The Hills of Raven's Haunt.

By the time she was 20, Ida lived in Hastings with her mother. She had already published several stories in big magazines. She also had short novels in print. She went to George Newnes Ltd's office in London. She wanted to sell her first full-length book. It was called Palanquins and Coloured Lanterns and was set in 1920s Shanghai.

She later met Hugh Alexander Pollock (1888–1971) at George Newnes. He was an editor and a veteran of World War I. George Newnes bought her book and asked her to write two more. Ida became a full-time writer in the 1930s. She wrote short stories using different pen names.

World War II and Family Life

During World War II, Ida worked at a place for girls in London. This was during the time of the Blitz. At this time, Hugh Pollock had joined the Army. He was in charge of a school for Home Guard officers. Hugh had been married to the famous children's writer Enid Blyton.

Ida and Hugh got married on 26 October 1943. In 1944, they had a daughter named Rosemary Pollock. Rosemary also became a romance writer.

Writing Romance Novels

After World War II, Ida decided to write popular romance novels. She sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1952. She used many different pen names because she published books with several big publishers at the same time. For example, she wrote as Susan Barrie and Pamela Kent for Mills & Boon. She used Averil Ives for Ward Lock and Anita Charles for Wright & Brown.

In 1964, she published her first historical novel under her married name, Ida Pollock. It was called The Gentle Masquerade. This book was very successful. Because of its success, Mills & Boon started a series of historical romances called "Masquerade." She also wrote historical romances using her last pen name, Marguerite Bell. Many of her old novels have been printed again by Mills & Boon or Harlequin.

Ida traveled a lot during her marriage. She lived in many parts of England. Her daughter's asthma led the Pollocks to move to Cornwall. They also lived in Ireland, France, Italy, Malta, and Switzerland. Hugh passed away on 8 November 1971 in Malta. He is buried in a British military cemetery there.

After her husband died, Ida moved back to England with her daughter. They lived in Wiltshire for several years. Then they moved to Lanreath in 1986. In the 1970s, she wrote a bit less, but she kept writing. Besides romance books, she wrote a suspense novel as Barbara Rowan. Her novel, A Distant Drum (2005), is about the Battle of Waterloo. She was known as the "world's oldest novelist" because she was still active at 105. After she passed away, her medieval story Sir Faintheart was published in 2015.

Later Life and Achievements

Besides writing, Ida enjoyed building model houses. She made small versions of old Georgian or Tudor buildings. She was also an oil painter. In 2004, when she was 96, one of her paintings was chosen for a national art show. Her eyesight got worse, so she went back to writing.

After her 100th birthday, her autobiography, Starlight, was published on 15 November 2009. In this book, she shares her life story. She talks about how she started writing and her marriage.

In 1960, Ida was one of the people who started the Romantic Novelists' Association. In 2010, she helped celebrate its 50th anniversary. On her 105th birthday, she was named an honorary vice-president of the association.

Ida Pollock passed away on 3 December 2013, at the age of 105.

See also

In Spanish: Ida Pollock para niños