Rupert Pole
Encyclopedia
Rupert Pole was a husband of Anaïs Nin
, and her literary executor
.
Pole was born in Los Angeles
. His father Reginald was a highly regarded Shakespearean actor. His parents divorced when he was a boy, and his mother married Lloyd Wright
, a son of noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright
.
Pole played both the guitar and viola, and received a degree in music from Harvard University
in 1940. During World War II he performed in USO shows with Jane Lloyd-Jones, to whom he was briefly married.
The Broadway run of The Duchess of Malfi
, in which Pole had a supporting role, had just ended in 1947 when he met Nin. They met in an elevator as both were en route to a party given by an heir to the Guggenheim fortune. He was 28 and she was 44 at the time. In her diary entry that evening, Nin noted his emotional sensitivity and knowledge of Eastern philosophies and concluded the entry with "Danger! He is probably homosexual."
Pole, who was under the impression that Nin had divorced her first husband Hugh Parker Guiler
, asked Nin to accompany him to the West Coast. Nin agreed to do so, but told Guiler she was accompanying a friend on a drive to Las Vegas.
Pole received a degree in forestry from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1950 and joined the U.S. Forest Service
. He and Nin lived a rustic life in a cabin in the Sierra Madre
, where Nin introduced herself as Mrs. Anaïs Pole even though she was still married to Guiler.
Nin and Pole were married by a justice of the peace in Quartzsite, Arizona
, on March 17, 1955. She kept her marriage to Guiler secret from Pole for 11 years, but concern about the legal consequences of having two men claim her as a dependent on their tax returns led her to arranging the annulment
in 1966 of the marriage with Pole.
Nin remained married to Guiler, citing his decades of financial support, but spent her final years with Pole. She and Pole lived in a small house in Los Angeles' Silver Lake neighborhood
that Pole had built with money saved from his job as forest ranger and later as a science teacher at Thomas Starr King Junior High School in Los Angeles. The house was designed by Pole's half brother and Frank Lloyd Wright
's grandson, Eric Lloyd Wright
.
When Nin died in 1977, her obituary in the Los Angeles Times
listed Pole as her husband, while the New York Times named Guiler as her spouse. Pole described his experience for the UK's Daily Telegraph in 1998, saying
As Nin's literary executor, Pole was responsible for supervising the preparation of new posthumous editions of her works for publication from 1986 to 1996, restoring erotic content that had been made less explicit in the versions published while she lived.
Pole suffered a stroke
in 2006, and died in his sleep two weeks later, at his home in Los Angeles.
For his obituary in the New York Times Nin's biographer, Deirdre Bair
, told a reporter
Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin was a French-Cuban author, based at first in France and later in the United States, who published her journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death, her erotic literature, and short stories...
, and her literary executor
Literary executor
A literary executor is a person with decision-making power in respect of a literary estate. According to Wills, Administration and Taxation: a practical guide "A will may appoint different executors to deal with different parts of the estate...
.
Pole was born in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. His father Reginald was a highly regarded Shakespearean actor. His parents divorced when he was a boy, and his mother married Lloyd Wright
Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. , commonly known as Lloyd Wright, was an American landscape architect and architect, most active in Los Angeles and Southern California...
, a son of noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
.
Pole played both the guitar and viola, and received a degree in music from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1940. During World War II he performed in USO shows with Jane Lloyd-Jones, to whom he was briefly married.
The Broadway run of The Duchess of Malfi
The Duchess of Malfi
The Duchess of Malfi is a macabre, tragic play written by the English dramatist John Webster in 1612–13. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, then before a more general audience at The Globe, in 1613-14...
, in which Pole had a supporting role, had just ended in 1947 when he met Nin. They met in an elevator as both were en route to a party given by an heir to the Guggenheim fortune. He was 28 and she was 44 at the time. In her diary entry that evening, Nin noted his emotional sensitivity and knowledge of Eastern philosophies and concluded the entry with "Danger! He is probably homosexual."
Pole, who was under the impression that Nin had divorced her first husband Hugh Parker Guiler
Hugh Parker Guiler
Hugh Parker Guiler also known as Ian Hugo was Anaïs Nin's husband from 1923 until her death in 1977, and a skilled engraver and filmmaker in his own right.-Biography:...
, asked Nin to accompany him to the West Coast. Nin agreed to do so, but told Guiler she was accompanying a friend on a drive to Las Vegas.
Pole received a degree in forestry from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1950 and joined the U.S. Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
. He and Nin lived a rustic life in a cabin in the Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre Mountains (California)
The Sierra Madre Mountains are a mountain range in northern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. They are a portion of the Inner South Coast Ranges, representing the southernmost part, which are themselves part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America. The Sierra Madre Mountains...
, where Nin introduced herself as Mrs. Anaïs Pole even though she was still married to Guiler.
Nin and Pole were married by a justice of the peace in Quartzsite, Arizona
Quartzsite, Arizona
Quartzsite is a town in La Paz County, Arizona, United States. According to Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town was 3,397 in 2006.Interstate 10 runs directly through Quartzsite. It is at the intersection of U.S...
, on March 17, 1955. She kept her marriage to Guiler secret from Pole for 11 years, but concern about the legal consequences of having two men claim her as a dependent on their tax returns led her to arranging the annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
in 1966 of the marriage with Pole.
Nin remained married to Guiler, citing his decades of financial support, but spent her final years with Pole. She and Pole lived in a small house in Los Angeles' Silver Lake neighborhood
Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
that Pole had built with money saved from his job as forest ranger and later as a science teacher at Thomas Starr King Junior High School in Los Angeles. The house was designed by Pole's half brother and Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
's grandson, Eric Lloyd Wright
Eric Lloyd Wright
Eric Lloyd Wright is an American architect and the grandson of the famed Frank Lloyd Wright.Wright was born in Los Angeles on November 9, 1929 to Helen Taggart and Lloyd Wright , a landscape architect and architect who was the eldest son of Frank Lloyd Wright Sr.Educated at the University of...
.
When Nin died in 1977, her obituary in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
listed Pole as her husband, while the New York Times named Guiler as her spouse. Pole described his experience for the UK's Daily Telegraph in 1998, saying
- I was jealous, yes. But I played the same games as Hugo, pretending to believe her. In a way, I did not care. My idea of marriage is different. We had a wonderful, deep relationship, and that is what counted. I was not interested in conventional women or in conventional marriage.
As Nin's literary executor, Pole was responsible for supervising the preparation of new posthumous editions of her works for publication from 1986 to 1996, restoring erotic content that had been made less explicit in the versions published while she lived.
Pole suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 2006, and died in his sleep two weeks later, at his home in Los Angeles.
For his obituary in the New York Times Nin's biographer, Deirdre Bair
Deirdre Bair
Deirdre Bair is the critically acclaimed author of five works of nonfiction. She received the National Book Award for Samuel Beckett: A Biography. Her biographies of Simone de Beauvoir and C. G. Jung were finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize...
, told a reporter
- He was sort of a great cipher. He was stunningly handsome. Incredibly shy. And just very incredibly self-effacing. [Nin] was his star: everything radiated around her, and he loved being in her background.