Marie Corelli

Marie Corelli (real surname Mary Mackay) was an English writer. She was the daughter of Charles Mackay, the well-known Scottish poet, journalist, and author of books and songs. She was fascinated by Italy, and for this reason adopted the euphonious pseudonym “Corelli,” which sounded Italian.

Marie Corelli’s first book, A Romance of Two Worlds (1886), was a great success. It was followed by Vendetta (1886), Thelma (1887), Barabbas (1893), and The Sorrows of Satan (1895). The latter was adapted for film by Griffith and Dreyer. Corelli spent the last years of her life in Stratford-upon-Avon, where she devoted much effort and money to restoring the city’s historical appearance as it had been in Shakespeare’s time; the Shakespeare Institute is now located in Corelli’s house in Stratford.

Marie Corelli’s prose is filled with mysterious and little-explored aspects of existence: hypnosis, transmigration of souls, astral bodies, and so on. Corelli’s novels were greatly enjoyed by large numbers of ordinary readers. Her works, however, were criticized for flat characters, weak dialogue, and an overextended plot. Serious English critics were negative toward Corelli, and the novelist waged a fierce battle with them.