Marjorie Bowen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marjorie Bowen
Born	Margaret Gabrielle Vere Campbell (1885-11-01)1 November 1885 Hayling Island, Hampshire, England
Died	23 December 1952(1952-12-23) (aged 67) Kensington, London, England
Pen name	Marjorie Bowen, Joseph Shearing, George Preedy, Robert Paye
Occupation	Writer
Genre	Romance
Spouse	Zefferino Emilio Constanza ​ ​ (m. 1912; died 1916)​ Arthur L. Long ​ (m. 1917)​
Children	4

Margaret Gabrielle Vere Long (born Campbell; November 1, 1885 – December 23, 1952) was a British author. She wrote many books using different pen names, like Marjorie Bowen and Joseph Shearing. Her stories included historical romances, spooky horror tales, and popular history books.

Life of a Writer

Marjorie Bowen was born in 1885 on Hayling Island in England. She had a tough childhood. Her father left the family early on. She and her sister grew up with little money.

Marjorie studied art at the Slade School of Fine Art in London and later in Paris. When she was just 16, she wrote her first novel, The Viper of Milan. It was a historical story set in medieval Italy. Many publishers thought it was too strong for a young woman to have written. But when it was finally published, it became a huge success! After that, Marjorie wrote many books to help support her family.

She was married twice. Her first husband, Zefferino Emilio Constanza, was from Sicily. They were married from 1912 to 1916, when he sadly passed away from tuberculosis. Later, she married Arthur L. Long. Marjorie had four children. Two of her children passed away when they were babies. Her son with Arthur, Athelstan Charles Ethelwulf Long, grew up to work in government in other countries.

In 1938, Marjorie signed a special paper from the National Peace Council. This paper asked for a meeting to help prevent a big war in Europe.

She enjoyed painting, needlework, and reading in her free time. Marjorie Bowen passed away on December 23, 1952, in London. She had a serious head injury after falling in her bedroom.

Marjorie Bowen's Books

Marjorie Bowen wrote over 150 books in her lifetime! Most of her work was published under her main pen name, 'Marjorie Bowen'. She also used other names like Joseph Shearing, George R. Preedy, John Winch, Robert Paye, and Margaret Campbell. She wrote steadily from her first book in 1906 until the day she died.

Her books as Marjorie Bowen were mostly historical novels. She wrote a series of three historical novels about King William III of England. These were I Will Maintain (1910), Defender of the Faith (1911), and God and the King (1911). She also wrote Black Magic (1909), which is a spooky Gothic horror story about a medieval witch. Besides novels, Marjorie also wrote history books for everyone to enjoy.

Mystery Novels as Joseph Shearing

Under the name "Joseph Shearing," Marjorie wrote several mystery novels. These stories were inspired by real-life crimes. For example, For Her to See (1947) was a fictional story based on the Charles Bravo murder case. The "Shearing" novels were very popular, especially in the United States. Books like Moss Rose were praised by critics and sold well. For a long time, people didn't know that "Joseph Shearing" was actually Marjorie Bowen!

Other Pen Names

Using the name "George R. Preedy," she wrote two horror novels that weren't about ghosts: Dr. Chaos and The Devil Snar'd. Her very last novel, The Man with the Scales (1954), was published after she passed away. It's about a man seeking revenge and has some spooky elements.

Many of her books were made into films! Marjorie also had collections of her supernatural short stories published, including The Last Bouquet (1933) and The Bishop of Hell (1949).

Books Made into Films

Many of Marjorie Bowen's exciting stories were turned into movies!

• As Marjorie Bowen, her 1926 novel Mistress Nell Gwyn became the film Nell Gwyn in the same year.
• As George Preedy, her 1928 novel General Crack was made into the film General Crack (1930).
• As Joseph Shearing, her 1934 novel Moss Rose became the film Moss Rose (1947).
• As Joseph Shearing, her 1939 novel Blanche Fury was adapted into the film Blanche Fury (1948).
• As Marjorie Bowen, her 1943 novel Airing in a Closed Carriage was made into the film The Mark of Cain (1947).
• As Joseph Shearing, her 1947 novel So Evil My Love became the film So Evil My Love (1948).

Selected Works

Marjorie Bowen wrote a huge number of books. Here are some of her well-known titles under her different pen names: