BARBARA CARTLAND: THE GRAND "LOLA" OF "KILIG"

I was probably seven years old the first time I saw someone holding a copy of a Barbara Cartland novel.  Without telling you how old I actually am, let’s just say that it happened a LOOOOONG time ago.  I didn’t know who she was at the time and it was much, much later that I learned who Barbara Cartland was and her many contributions to the world of literature, and really, just the world in general.

So, just who is Barbara Cartland?  In a way, let’s just say that Dame Barbara Cartland (yes, she has a royal title!  More about that later) may be considered the grand lola of all things kilig.  A British author who was born in Birmingham, Dame Barbara was one of the world’s most prominent authors of the 20^th century.  From 1925 until her death in 2000, she wrote HUNDREDS of books, most of them romantic novels, making her one of the most prolific authors of her time.  Based on an article I read on Wikipedia, she actually held the Guinness Book of World Records record in 1983 for most novels written in a year (twenty-three).

Dame Barbara was known (and loved) worldwide for her romance novels, which can be considered as the considerably tamer precursor to the present-day romances we are familiar with.  You know, the semi-pornographic, multi-orgasmic stories (or drivel, depending on who writes it) that make us envy the heroines with envy (or retch in disgust).  Dame Barbara’s romances are known for chasteness, where the passionate kiss is THE climax (and not the appetizer, so to speak).  She was a very popular celebrity who was well-known for her trademark pink dresses and feathered hats.  She signed her books in … what color?  Pink!

Before you dismiss her as someone who was all romance, no substance, think again.  Dame Barbara was part of the early days of aviation, when she participated in the gliding movement of the 1930’s.  She was also an advocate of civil welfare, fighting for nursing home reform, increasing the salaries of midwives and legalizing education for the children of Gypsies.  She even made an album the Royal Philarmonic Orchestra!  In 1991, she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth for her contributions to literature, politics and society.  The late Princess Diana of Wales was actually her step-granddaughter!

At the time of her death, Dame Barbara had written approximately seven hundred and twenty-three titles (kaya ‘nyo iyan?), with a hundred and sixty or so left unpublished (I wonder if she ever used a computer or laptop to write her last few novels).  These unpublished novels are now known as part of the Barbara Cartland Pink Collection.

I’ve got two of Barbara Cartland’s books from the Pink Collection, which I’ll be blogging about very soon.  Are chaste romances better than sex sagas like Fifty Shades Of Gray?  Abangan!