A. You're
right; this is a surprising claim. By all evidence, Finch Hatton did
not have an affair with Rose Cartwright; she was simply a friend of his
family.
Rose Cartwright (born in 1898 and now deceased) was a sister of Geoffrey Buxton, and his
brother, Guy, who was at Eton with Denys Finch Hatton. She
married a friend of Karen Blixen, Algy Cartwright, another settler in
Kenya.
Rose is first mentioned in Karen Blixen's letters on April 13, 1924 (the morning of Old Aarup's death--"Old Knudsen" in Out of Africa),
when a pregnant Rose made a visit to the farm. In April 1931, she
stayed with Karen Blixen after Denys moved out: "Rose Cartwright has
been out here for a few days; she is an extremely sweet person and so
understanding."
Rose, in turn, said about Karen Blixen, "She was a wonderful person
without pretence. She was courteous, loyal and always most considerate
of her servants and other people. She was a down to earth person and
very very straight."
In her biography of Denys Finch Hatton (1977), Erroll Trzebinski lists
several quotes from an interview with Rose Cartwright [March 22, 1974].
There is no suggestion of any affair between Rose and Denys.
Rose was a shy person, according to Trzebinski. Denys once
gave her a ride in his airplane, which made her airsick. She
described his conversation as "understanding."
After she separated from her husband, Rose later became a safari guide, says Judith Thurman, who interviewed her in 1975. She sought Finch Hatton's advice about her failing marriage. Thurman describes Denys's relationship with her as "brotherly."
If the piece you read disputes these interviews, are there
credible new sources? If not, it's possible that you may find other signs of dishonesty in the writing.
A good friend of Rose Cartwright's family provides this information from a close family member: "The only
man whom Rose really loved was unfortunately wounded in World War II & died
in a Nairobi military hospital.
" [Private correspondence November 21, 2006]
Denys Finch Hatton, Rose Cartwright, and Karen Blixen, with Halima and Tumbo, children of her staff. [See a mention of the children in Letters from Africa, September 10, 1922].
[Photo from Silence Will Speak by Erroll Trzebinski]
Copyright © 2006 by Linda
Donelson. All rights reserved. During the past quarter century, Linda Donelson has been the only author writing about Karen Blixen for an international audience. Her biography, Out of Isak Dinesen (1998), was the Number One Best-Selling Scandinavian / or related title at Amazon.com for five years.
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Supported misspellings: karen blixon, karin, isaac, isak dineson, isak denison, dinison, dinisen, denesen, coolsong, donaldson
| Coulsong
