Commemorating the 128th Anniversary of Nadja's Birth.

To commemorate the 128th anniversary of Nadja’s birth today, we thought we’d share a lovely photo of her that was used in a London exhibition 90 years ago this month.

This classy and pensive photo of Nadja was taken for a special exhibition by the photographer Peter North which was an annual event held at his studio at 28 Old Burlington Street in June 1933.

For his 1933 exhibition, North chose the theme of Poems & Personality, with the exhibits designed as a three fold expression of beauty of the sitter, the composition and lighting of the photo and a literary quotation carefully chosen to go with each image.

Some of the photos from the exhibition were shown in the Bystander issues on 21st and 28th June, including this one of Nadja.

The quotation she chose to go with it was “Sit still, my daughter” from the Book of Ruth in the Bible

Other sitters for the exhibition included Miss Clare Elwes, The Lady Alington, Lady Peel, Lady Lavery, Miss Margaret Rawlings and the Comtesse de Villeneuve.

Note: The original photo was taken in black and white - we have just “colorized” it for effect…

Now Available To Order: Nadja - The Complete Poems

2020 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of the Marchesa Nadja Malacrida – or Louisa Green as she was born – and, while she probably wouldn’t still have been around today, her life would certainly have continued to be fascinating and enjoyable for many more years had she not been killed in a tragic car accident in 1934.

What better time, therefore, to gather all her published poems together in one single volume for the first time ever? These four original collections were all written over a century ago and have been practically unobtainable for many years without laying out a small fortune to a rare book dealer.

We have put them together here with a brief biography of the author, and a few photos and other bits and pieces, that we hope you will find of interest – and that Nadja herself would also approve of.

Annotated and illustrated with new a introduction & preface, author biography, appendices and 12 new photographs.

 

Mail order sales link:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1909643424

A Halloween Poem From Nadja

The Nadja Malacrida Society is currently putting a new book together which brings all of Nadja’s published poems together in one volume.

We noticed that, in the Evergreen Poems, she had some verses that she wrote on Halloween 1910, ie 90 years ago today, when she was 15 years old  – so we thought we’d share one with you here…

 

SHADOWS.

SHADOWS softly fleeting

 O'er the garden wall,

Making the great oak-tree

Wondrous grim and tall.

Nurse says the're no ghosts now.

But I know there are ;

Skimming round the chimney,

Now near and now far.

When I'm safely tucked up,

And nurse says good-night,

I do often wonder

Where they keep the light.

Shadows seem to wander

Round my little bed.

Drifting o'er the pillow

Where I lay my head.

Good-night, you old ghosts you

I ain't 'fraid of you,

'Cos you know my Nanny

Says you isn't true!

 

Nadja, October 31st, 1910

First published in the Evergreen: Poems,  Arthur L Humphreys (London, 1911)

86th Anniversary of Nadja's Death

Today marks the 86th anniversary of Nadja Malacrida's death in a car accident on the way home to London from a stay in Henley.  

Marchesa Louisa Nadia (Nadja) Malacrida (née Green), 1895-1934

You can hear Lucy talking about Nadja and reading some of her poems on our radio show on 103.2 Preston FM back in November 2014  HERE

Flashback to November 2014: Mayor of Henley Places Poppy Wreath on Nadja's Grave

Back in 2014, I struck up a correspondence with a gentleman called Mario Malacrida from Italy, who read my post about Nadja Malacrida on the Female Poets of the First World War weblog. We discussed how nice it would be to visit Nadja’s grave, which Mario explained is in Fairmile Cemetery, Henley-on-Thames, near to where she was killed in a car accident in October 1934.

I managed to contact Jacqui Brazil, through Stanley Kaye’s kind intervention. At that time, Jacqui was Private Secretary to the Mayor of Henley and she very kindly arranged for the then Mayor and Mayoress of Henley - Martin and Glynnis Akehurst - to place a poppy wreath on Nadja’s grave as part of the Borough’s official Remembrance Day commemorations on 11th November 2014.

The event was covered in the "Henley Herald" newspaper and the Mayor stated on Twitter how proud he was to have been able to make sure the poet was not forgotten. Jacqui very kindly took these photos and we are very pleased to finally publish them on the anniversary of the wreath laying ceremony.



Lucy London

See also; http://femalewarpoets.blogspot.com/

Celebrating National Poetry Day on Nadja's Sad Anniversary

Nadja at her wedding on 6th Dec 1922.
Published in The Sketch on 13th Dec 1922.

Today marks the 85th anniversary of the sad, untimely death of Nadja Malacrida, who was killed in a car accident when she was driving back to London after spending time at Cecil Roberts’ "Pilgrim Cottage" in Henley.

As today is also National Poetry Day in the UK, rather than dwell on the negative, we thought we would post something positive and here is one of Nadja’s poems taken from her "Evergreen" collection, written when she still had her whole life ahead of her.

TO MYSELF.

GOOD-NIGHT, my soul! Be governed by yourself.

No ruling passions let your heart engulf,

But be at rest, and ere you sink in sleep

Pray God in Heaven safe your life to keep.

All evil thoughts and passions you should flee,

Ask Heaven's pardon, low, on bended knee.

Implore God's grace, and when once more you rise

To face the day, feel nearer Paradise!

October 1st, 1908.

(Taken from "The Evergreen Poems" by Nadja (pseud)

Originally published in 1912 by ARTHUR L. HUMPHREYS, London - Second Edition.)

A Rose For Nadja on the 84th Anniversary Of Her Death

At 10.20 am on this very day – Wednesday 3^rd October - 84 years ago, Nadja was killed when her car left the road and crashed down a 40 foot embankment near Henley.

She had been staying at Pilgrim Cottage – country home of writer and poet Cecil Roberts – taking a well earned break from London society life – and was just setting off on her journey back to the big smoke. 

It is said that the malmaison rose was Nadja’s favourite flower. We planted this rose plant in her memory and, in the run up to the anniversary of her death, it has bloomed with these beautiful flowers.