'At the least, be a nuisance'

 

“The optimism of a healthy mind isindefatigable.” – Margery Allingham

 

Born on May 20, 1904 into a British writing family(her mother and father were both journalists), Allingham said she probably started putting pen to paper before she couldeven walk or talk.  By age 10 her first poems had been published and two of her plays had been performed in nearby community theatres. 

 

By her early 20s, Allingham had turned from poetry and theatre to crime and mystery writing, creating  Detective Albert Campion in the process.  Ultimately, Campion became one ofthe most well-known crime detective characters of the mid-20th Century after being added to her first novel – The Crime of Black Dudley – almost as an afterthought.  But he was such anoptimistic and interesting character that her publisher demanded more stories focusingon him.  

 

With that encouragement and hercreative, imaginative mind, she wrote nearly 30 novels with Campion as hercenterpiece character.  To try one of them out, I recommend TheTiger in the Smoke, 14th in the series and an amazingexample of Allingham’s writing style. 

 

Allingham died at age 62 from breastcancer but ever the optimist, she laid out ideas for several more novels “justin case they’re wrong and I’m not really dying,” bugging everyone around her tokeep the faith and help her keep writing.  

 

Just a few days before her death (inJune of 1966), she wrote: “If one cannot command attention by one’s admirablequalities, one can at least be a nuisance.”