Louise de Vilmorin (1902–1969)

Louise de Vilmorin was born in the family château at Verrières-le-Buisson in Essonne, a suburb of Paris, France. She was the daughter of Philippe de Vilmorin and his wife Mélanie de Gaufridy de Dortan. She was the heir to Vilmorin & Cie, one of the largest seed producers in the world, founded by an 18th century ancestor. At age 32, she published her first novel, Sainte-Unefois (Saint One Time, 1934), which was largely autobiographical. Her first poetry collection, Fiançailles pour rire (Betrothal in Jest), appeared in 1939. Although she was to publish more poetry later in life, Vilmorin received most acclaim for her novels, with characters usually from aristocratic or artistic circles. A number of them were adapted into films, including Le Lit à colonnes (The Tapestry Bed), Julietta, and most famously, Madame de … (which became The Earrings of Madame de...). She also was a screenwriter and dialogue writer for several feature films, including Les Amants (1957). As a young woman, she was briefly engaged to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. She married her first husband Henry Leigh-Hunt in 1925 and lived with him in Las Vegas, Nevada, before divorcing and returning to France in the 1930s. She spent the last years of her life as the companion of André Malraux, the French Minister of Cultural Affairs. Her letters to Jean Cocteau were published posthumously.