A Tribute to Author Daphne

It was a wonderful day when the British writer Daphne Du Maurier came to this world on May 13, 1907. What a difference there would be if we had not had the opportunity to read his fascinating and interesting novel Rebecca, who wrote in 1938. Born in London, England, he studied in Paris, France. She was born with creative geniuses, I would say because her father was a well-known actor and theater director. When Maurier was over 20, he visited the coast of Cornwall in England and later arrived there. His home in Menabilly was his source of inspiration for Manderley. The Cornish coast has also become the scene of many of his novels. His first novel was published in 1931 "The Loving Spirit".

Since it became a film, his most popular novel was Rebecca, who told the story of a man whose first wife, Rebecca, died in mysterious circumstances and married a simple woman, much younger than him. Most of the plot of this book is set in an imaginary villa called Manderley. Du Maurier modeled this home in his 70-room house called Menabilly. After reading this novel several times before seeing the Oscar-winning film by director Alfred Hitchcock in 1940, I can say that I crossed Manderley with fear in my heart. I felt the presence of the spirit of Rebecca and sympathized with the second wife, shy and a little 'embarrassed.

In this gothic thriller, Manderley's housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, frightened most people, and every time she appeared in the film, it gave me a good start. The film makes every character alive and leaves the pages of the book. So, if you have the opportunity to see this film with a cast of actors, Laurence Olivier as the owner of Manderley Maxim of Winter, Joan Fontaine as his second wife, Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers and George Sanders as cousin Rebecca. You'll see it once and you'll always want to walk around in Manderley's rooms. In 1941, this film won the Oscar for best film.

Director Alfred Hitchcock also filmed a film version of his story, The Birds.

Du Maurier had the honor of receiving the ceremonial title Lady Commander of the Order of British Empire in 1969. He wrote novels, memoirs, stories and biographies until his death in 1989.

Last night I dreamed I'd be back in Manderley ... I suddenly found out; silent as always masked by the natural growth of a large shrub that spread in all directions ... Manderley approached us, our Manderley, secret stone and the gray lights in the moonlight of my dream mullioned reflected the green lawn and the terrace. Time could not ruin the perfect symmetry of these walls, nor the place itself, a jewel in the palm of your hand.

Seeing and reading the movie, listening to these lines makes you look like a place and how good it would be to see it.