Acknowledgements

The Cecil Beaton papers, housed at St John’s College, Cambridge comprise a large part of the material for this book. I did not need to trouble the College during the writing, since I had retained my notes from my 1985 biography of Beaton, and I drew from these.

Cecil Beaton’s letters to Garbo probably no longer exist, but the carbon copies he made are in his papers. So are 37 of the 50 letters that Garbo wrote him. A dozen or so are not. These were removed from his house at Broadchalke, probably without his knowledge, though this cannot now be proved. They were sold in New York in 1990, and I purchased three of them myself. I also purchased Hal Burton’s letters from Cecil Beaton in 1988.

The majority of papers relating to Cecil Beaton and Greta Garbo remain sealed indefinitely, but as I have frequently pointed out to would-be researchers, there is little more than what originally appeared in his diaries, my biography, or finally in this book. Beaton’s letters and diaries are the copyright of his literary executors. Garbo’s are the copyright of her niece, Mrs Gray Reisfield, of New York City. Mrs Reisfield has explained her reasons for not wishing her aunt’s letters quoted directly, so these are paraphrased.

Mercedes de Acosta’s papers are in the Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia. I spent many happy days researching there, and am particularly grateful to the former curator of the Rosenbach Museum and Library, Leslie A. Morris, for her help.

I do not propose to re-thank all those who helped me over Cecil Beaton in the past. There is a full list in my biography, and anyone specifically quoted is acknowledged in the source notes of this book. But I would like to thank the following for their specific help with my research: Sybille Bedford, Mrs Chloë Blackburn, Mrs Jennifer Arnold-Wallinger, Patricia Countess Jellicoe, Samuel Adams Green, Louise Corrigan, Lady Balniel, Philip Hoare, Roderick Coupe, Wilder Luke Burnap, Charles Higham, the Countess of Avon, Mrs John Barry Ryan, John Byrne, Barry Paris, Shaun Gunson, the late Commandant Paul-Louis Weiller, the late Miss Dorothy Fellowes-Gordon, James Fergusson, Marianne Hinton, Jimmy Douglas, John Richardson, Baroness Vaes, Lyndon Mason, Lady Quennell, Mr David Dibble (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin), Elizabeth E. Fuller (Acting Curator, Rosenbach Museum and Library), Dr Nicholas Scheetz, the Librarian of Georgetown University Library, Washington D.C. (where certain de Acosta papers are held), Mr Hasan Ezberci, Front Office Manager of the Hotel Pera Palace, Istanbul, and Patrick O’Connor.

In the early 1980s I enjoyed several conversations with Mrs Valentina Schlee, Garbo’s rival and neighbour, and twice visited her at 450 East 52nd Street.

Just as this book was in the process of going to press I had two long and interesting talks with Pundit Ram Gopal, who is possibly the last person alive who knew Mercedes well. Their friendship lasted thirty years. I am grateful to him for permission to quote from his letters to Mercedes de Acosta.

I would also like to thank Philippe Garner and Lydia Cresswell-Jones, custodians of the invaluable Beaton archive of photographs at Sotheby’s in London.

I owe a particular debt of gratitude to my friend Verena Vickers, for lending me her extensive collection of Garbo memorabilia, and also for help in tracing Garbo’s appearances in the press during long hours of research in the New York Public Library.

I am grateful to Tom Maschler at Jonathan Cape for commissioning this project; but it was Sharon DeLano who brought the book to life in its present form, and I thank her particularly for her advice in reshaping and restructuring the book in a way that has considerably widened its original intention.

Finally, as ever, I am grateful to Gillon Aitken, my agent, for his much-needed protection once again.

The author and publishers would like to thank the following sources for permission to reproduce photographs:

Associated Press, pls 20, 27, 28; Cecil Beaton Archive, courtesy of Sotheby’s, London, pls 2, 11, 16, 21–3, 29–31; Mrs Chloë Blackburn, pl. 19; Black Star/Colorific, pl. 15; Daily Express, pl. 26; Hulton Deutsch Collection, pis 18, 24, 32; Kobal Collection, pl. 6; Mander & Mitchenson Theatre Collection, pl. 4; Rosenbach Museum & Library (Mercedes de Acosta Papers), pls 3, 10; Topham Picture Source, pis. 7, 14, 17, 25; Hugo Vickers Collection, pis 1, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 33.

Cecil Beaton’s letters and diaries are the copyright of The Literary Executors of the late Sir Cecil Beaton, and reproduced with their permission, as are the extracts from his published works.

The letter from Anita Loos is the copyright of The Anita Loos Trusts, and is quoted by kind permission of Mr Ray Pierre Corsini, her literary executor.

The letters of Poppy Kirk are the copyright of her son, Victor S. Montrezza, of Waterbury, Connecticut.

The letters of Truman Capote are the copyright of Mr Alan V. Schwartz, of New York.

Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted; should there be any omissions in this respect we apologise and shall be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.