Frances Parkinson Keyes
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Frances Parkinson Keyes (July 21, 1885 – July 3, 1970) was an American author, and a convert to Roman Catholicism, whose works frequently featured Catholic themes and beliefs.
Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, she married Henry Keyes in 1903. They lived in Washington and Virginia for a quarter of a century while her husband was in the United States Senate. He had earlier served as Governor of New Hampshire. The story of their courtship is told in Mrs. Keyes' first autobiography, Roses in December. The story of their marriage is recounted in her second autobiography, All Flags Flying. Henry Keyes was much older than his bride and, having never married before, was quite set in his ways. Early on he was dismissive of his wife's writing talent and the acceptance of her first manuscript by a reputable publisher was a triumph personally as well as professionally.Bgriffith 02:04, 12 January 2007 (UTC)
Generally self-educated, Mrs Keyes first book, The Old Gray Homestead, was published in 1919. Upon her spouse's death in 1938, she wrote books and magazine articles prolifically. Her novels are set in New England, Virginia, Louisiana, Normandy and South America, reflecting her upbringing and extensive travel.
In the 1950s, she purchased the historic Beauregard House in New Orleans’ French Quarter and became a fixture of New Orleans' life. The house was the childhood home of chess master Paul Morphy, whose life is the subject of Keyes' book The Chess Players. Today the house is a museum. Many of Keyes' books are set in southern Louisiana and she eloquently described societal life and conventions in her historical novels. Keyes' novel Blue Camellia tells about the development of south Louisiana from swampland to productive rice farms. Given the details with which Keyes writes about her subject matter, it is easy to forget they are novels. It is evident she went to great length to research her subject matter and ensure the historical accuracy of her writings.
She traveled on location to learn about her topic and enlisted local historians and residents to assist her. The meticulousness of her detailed accounts make her novels valuable tools for learning about a time long past and customs that have died away.
Steamboat Gothic is a true gothic novel set on the famed River Road. The plantation home where this novel was based is still in existence and open for daily tours. Set in 1869, Steamboat Gothic discusses the change in transportation methods from steamboat to railroad and the effect the change had upon plantations along the River Road.
Also very popular was her murder mystery Dinner at Antoine's. While Keyes was a popular author of the 1940s and 50s, existing editions of her books are becoming rare, and many libraries have unfortunately purged her books from their shelves.
Her home in New Orleans, the Beauregard-Keyes House in the Vieux Carré, is now a museum. It is located at 1113 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA. Telephone: (504)523-7257. Formerly lived in, but not owned by, Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard, Keyes restored the mansion to its Victorian glory, and her studio remains on display, complete with manuscripts. Now known as the Beauregard-Keyes House and Garden, the museum contains extensive Keyes correspondences, as well as her collections of dolls and rare porcelain veilleuses, a kind of teapot in which the contents --anything from tea to milk-- are kept warm by a small votive light. The veilleuse has the added bonus of serving as a nightlight and it was most commonly utilized at bedtime. Mrs. Keyes' mentioned the use of a veilleuse in several of her novels. Her veilleuse collection was and is one of the most extensive in the world, second only to one in Trenton, Tennessee.
The Beauregard-Keyes house appears none the worse for wear after Hurricane Katrina but the structure suffered roof damage.
A list of known works include: (Not in any order) The Royal Box; Victorine; Steamboat Gothic; Station Wagon in Spain; The River Road; Lady Blanche Farm; The Explorer; I The King; The Chess Players; Joy Street; Madame Castel's Lodger; The Old Gray Homestead; Calico Palace; Blue Camellia; Dinner at Antoine's; Came a Cavalier; Crescent Carnival; Roses in December; The Safe Bridge. In 1934 Keyes received a Litt.D. from Bates College.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Works by Frances Parkinson Keyes at Project Gutenberg
- Keyes offers insight into her own life as a writer and the wife of a political leader, in an essay for "Catholic Authors": [1]
- Very brief biography, a portrait of the author, and some images:[2]
- About Beauregard House in New Orleans: [3]
- List of Keye's books, from Louisiana's Literary Heritage: [4]
