International Literary Properties (ILP), has acquired The Camomile Lawn writer, Mary Wesley’s, literary estate.
Mary Wesley found fame after publishing her first adult novel Jumping the Queue in 1983, at the age of seventy. She went on to have a period of prolific creativity, writing a further nine bestsellers and selling three million copies of her books globally in the last twenty years of her life. Four of Wesley’s books have been adapted into TV or film: Jumping the Queue(1983), The Camomile Lawn (1984), Harnessing Peacocks (1985), and The Vacillations of Poppy Carew(1986). The most successful of these was The Camomile Lawn, directed by Sir Peter Hall.
Hilary Strong, CEO UK and EMEA of ILP, says, “Mary Wesley’s books hold a special place in my heart, and so I am delighted to welcome the estate of Mary Wesley into ILP’s portfolio of literary IP. Wesley’s works took the literary world by storm and brought an unapologetically eccentric and refreshing perspective that was unlike anything else. We look forward to working closely with Xinran [Mary Wesley’s daughter-in-law, author Xinran Xue] as well as Wesley’s literary agent, Veronique Baxter, her publishers, and her fans, to uphold and enhance her legacy.”
Mary Wesley (born Mary Aline Farmar) CBE was born in 1912 and died in 2002, leaving her estate to her son, Toby Eady and his wife, journalist and author, Xinran Xue.
International Literary Properties has already begun a “comprehensive” programme of work to “reinvigorate and champion Wesley’s work globally.” Over the past four years ILP has partnered with “best of breed” partners in the UK and USA to close TV, film and theatre deals. These include the first contemporary adaptation of Georges Simenon’s Inspector Maigret series, written by Patrick Harbinson (Homeland, The Tower, 24) and produced by Playground Entertainment.
Jon Creamer
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