Evening star., 1948-11-28
Margaret Landon Completes
Successor to Anna

Margaret LandOn, mother or 1Our
and author of Anna and the King
of Siam," has just sent off the man.
uscript of her second book and first
novel to her publishers.
That means more to Mrs. Landon
than just washing her HANDS of the
most difficult book of her career Ghe
second after a sensationally success
full first is always poser. 1t rep
resents her return to strength after
a two-year bout with rheumatic
fever.
The tall matron, whose blond
hair and deep-set blue eyes bespeak
her Norwegian ancestry, is rather
accustomed to working under con-
ditions that are something less than
ideal. Her famous Anna" was
completed just IL hours before her
youngest son, Kip, was born in
July of 1943.
Work Halted by Illness
The novel, which she has had In
mind since the days she spent in
Siam as missionary with her hus-
band, DIR. Kenneth Perry Landon
(now Assistant Chief Of the South
eastern Division Of the Department
of State) was far harder to write.
She worked on it for four years and
was completely stopped by her ILL
ness.
AS she began to gain strength,
she tried to resume. Sometimes /
would drag myself to my desk. My
hands would hurt so I could hardly
bear to touch the typewriter. But
there was a therapeutic value in
forcing myself to think of something
else besides myself"
AS yet finally unnamed, her story
is about American missionaries in
Siam. The sincere and fortnight
author explained that it is not auto
biographical. Her publishers may
bring it out sometime in the Spring,
probably around Easter.
How "Anna" CAME to Be.
While her young son played
around on the floor of her living
room of her home at ALL Fulton
street NV, which is full of memen-
tos of the Far East, Mrs. Landon
explained that her literary career
really began one rainy afternoon in
Siam. A friend, DR.. Edwin Bruce
Mcdaniel, who ran leper colony,
sought to divert her during a visit
with a moldy copy of book by
Anna Leonowens called 'The Eng
lish Governess at the Siamese
Court" Mrs. Landon was en-
thralled by the story of the Welsh
widow who de1led Oriental royalty.
But she didn't begin to rewrite it
until her return to this country in
1887. She was encouraged by a
journalism teacher to write and the
discovery of Anna's rare two VOL
umes at bargain prices, and further
Siamese material here at the Library
of Congress finally got her started
recreating Annas world. The rest
is publishing history. The book was
an enormous success and was made
into a popular movie.
The novel is dedicated to her
husband, without whom" she says
emphatically. His encouragement
the is an author, too has made it
possible for her to 60 on.
IF he had resented my writing
I never could have done it."
She took the time when she
could find it, never favoring the
book over the needs of her children.
She did manage to forget, though,
about dust under the beds" and
had to cut down on her social life.
Her husband was the first reader
of the completed manuscript.
IF he hadn't liked it, I would
have thrown it in the furnace" she
declared.
He did, however, so she didn't.
Fireworks in the offing note i:
Come January "a, G. P. Putnam
will publish the memoirs of Claire
Lee Chennault, Major General,
U. 8. A.. which are entitled Way
of a Fighter and which are said
to be "a scathing expose of inepti-
tude in high Places shattering
the conspiracy of silence surround
ing the men, events and policies
that have determined and are
determining the fate Of America
and Asia"
1t sounds strong and probably is