Margaret Landon
Encyclopedia
Margaret Landon was an American
writer
best remembered for Anna and the King of Siam
, her best-selling 1944 novel
of the life of Anna Leonowens
which eventually sold over a million copies and translated into more than twenty languages. In 1950, Landon sold the musical play rights to Richard Rodgers
and Oscar Hammerstein II
, who created the musical The King and I
from her book. A later work, Never Dies the Dream, about her own experiences, appeared in 1949.
, she was one of three daughters in a devout Methodist family. The family moved to Evanston, Illinois
, where she graduated from Evanston Township High School
in 1921.
She attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois
, graduating in 1925. She taught at a school for a year, then married Kenneth Landon, whom she knew from Wheaton, and in 1927 they signed up as Presbyterian missionaries to Thailand
.
Between 1927-1937, Landon raised her three children while running a mission school in Trang
and read extensively about the country. During her readings, she learned about Anna Leonowens, the late-19th Century governess to the Siamese royal family. When the Landon family returned to America in 1937, she soon began writing articles and then began researching material for a book on Leonowens.
The family moved to Washington, D.C.
, in 1942 when Kenneth Landon joined the United States Department of State
as an expert adviser on Southeast Asia
. In 1947, Kenneth Landon published Southeast Asia, Crossroad of Religion, subsequently reprinted in 1969 and 1974. He also wrote The Chinese in Thailand and Siam in Transition.
Landon's fourth child, Kenneth, Jr., was born in Washington, D.C. He followed the lead of his parents and took up writing about his own field of interest, releasing God of Glory: The Promise of Relationship in 1992.
Margaret Landon was married 67 years. She died in Alexandria, Virginia
, December 4, 1993, aged 90, leaving 13 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. She is interred in Wheaton Cemetery in Illinois.
based on The King and I
film called Anna and the King
, with Samantha Eggar
taking the part of Anna Leonowens and Yul Brynner
reprising his role as the king. Landon charged the producers with "inaccurate and mutilated portrayals" of her literary property and unsuccessfully sued for copyright infringement. The series was unsuccessful and was canceled after 13 episodes.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
best remembered for Anna and the King of Siam
Anna and the King of Siam (book)
Anna and the King of Siam is a 1944 semi-fictionalized biographical novel by Margaret Landon.In the early 1860s, Anna Leonowens, a widow with two young children, was invited to Siam by King Mongkut , who wanted her to teach his children and wives the English language and introduce them to British...
, her best-selling 1944 novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
of the life of Anna Leonowens
Anna Leonowens
Anna Leonowens was an English travel writer, educator, and social activist. She worked in Siam from 1862 to 1868, where she taught the wives and children of Mongkut, king of Siam. She also co-founded the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design...
which eventually sold over a million copies and translated into more than twenty languages. In 1950, Landon sold the musical play rights to Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
, who created the musical The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
from her book. A later work, Never Dies the Dream, about her own experiences, appeared in 1949.
Life
Born Margaret Dorothea Mortenson to Anenus Duabus "A.D." and Adelle Mortensen in Somers, WisconsinSomers, Wisconsin
Somers is a town in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,059 at the 2000 census.The unincorporated community of Somers is located within the town at Kenosha County Highway E at the former Milwaukee Road .-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town...
, she was one of three daughters in a devout Methodist family. The family moved to Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, where she graduated from Evanston Township High School
Evanston Township High School
Evanston Township High School District 202, is a four-year, comprehensive high school occupying a campus in Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS serves the multiracial city of Evanston and a small portion of the neighboring village of Skokie, for a total...
in 1921.
She attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
, graduating in 1925. She taught at a school for a year, then married Kenneth Landon, whom she knew from Wheaton, and in 1927 they signed up as Presbyterian missionaries to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Between 1927-1937, Landon raised her three children while running a mission school in Trang
Trang
Trang is the capital of Trang Province, Thailand. The city has a population of 59,637 and covers the whole tambon Thap Thiang of Mueang Trang district....
and read extensively about the country. During her readings, she learned about Anna Leonowens, the late-19th Century governess to the Siamese royal family. When the Landon family returned to America in 1937, she soon began writing articles and then began researching material for a book on Leonowens.
The family moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in 1942 when Kenneth Landon joined the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
as an expert adviser on Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. In 1947, Kenneth Landon published Southeast Asia, Crossroad of Religion, subsequently reprinted in 1969 and 1974. He also wrote The Chinese in Thailand and Siam in Transition.
Landon's fourth child, Kenneth, Jr., was born in Washington, D.C. He followed the lead of his parents and took up writing about his own field of interest, releasing God of Glory: The Promise of Relationship in 1992.
Margaret Landon was married 67 years. She died in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, December 4, 1993, aged 90, leaving 13 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. She is interred in Wheaton Cemetery in Illinois.
Lawsuit over 1972 TV series Anna and the King
In 1972, Twentieth Century Fox produced a non-musical TV sitcom for CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
based on The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
film called Anna and the King
Anna and the King (TV series)
Anna and the King is a short-lived sitcom broadcast in the United States by CBS as part of its 1972 fall lineup.-Overview:Anna and the King is a non-musical adaptation of the 1956 film of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, which was in turn based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam by...
, with Samantha Eggar
Samantha Eggar
Samantha Eggar is an English film, television and voice actress.-Early life:She was born Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar in Hampstead, London to an Anglo-Irish father and a mother of Dutch and Portuguese descent...
taking the part of Anna Leonowens and Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on...
reprising his role as the king. Landon charged the producers with "inaccurate and mutilated portrayals" of her literary property and unsuccessfully sued for copyright infringement. The series was unsuccessful and was canceled after 13 episodes.