The Seductive Countess From Kirribilli
The Australian Women's Weekly|July 2021
Elizabeth von Arnim was the free-spirited literary sensation born in Sydney who went on to live a mysterious, scandalous and glamorous life amid Europe’s aristocracy. This is her story.
Joyce Morgan
The Seductive Countess From Kirribilli

The young bride stepped out of a London church on a frigid February day in 1891. She shivered in her ivory gown of satin and old lace as she paused on the cold stone steps. The damp end of winter was not a romantic time to wed.

She had little time to linger. Within hours, she was on a train with her middle-aged husband to his Berlin home. Miss Beauchamp, a merchant’s daughter, was now the Countess von Arnim.

The 24-year-old had already travelled far from her Australian birthplace. She would travel much further. She would beguile high-society and become an international literary sensation known today as Elizabeth von Arnim.

Although barely 1.5 metres tall – at first glance she was often mistaken for a child – Elizabeth had a formidable presence with blue eyes as penetrating as her wit.

“When one meets her, inevitably she suggests Dresden China, with her tiny voice, tiny hands, tiny manners. And then suddenly, with a shock, you realise that the Dresden China is hollow, and is filled with gunpowder,” author Beverley Nichols wrote of her. Elizabeth created around her the atmosphere of a court at which her friends were either in favour or disgrace. She could be kind and cruel. She was a mix of dove and serpent, her father once noted.

Elizabeth would draw into her orbit aristocrats and artists, among them writer H.G. Wells, with whom it was rumoured she had a tempestuous affair. But she would know deep despair and flee for her life in the face of domestic cruelty and political tyranny.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 2021-Ausgabe von The Australian Women's Weekly.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 2021-Ausgabe von The Australian Women's Weekly.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLYAlle anzeigen
Maggie's kitchen
The Australian Women's Weekly

Maggie's kitchen

Maggie Beer's delicious veg patties - perfect for lunch, dinner or a snack - plus a simple nostalgic pudding with fresh passionfruit.

time-read
1 min  |
January 2025
Reclaim your brain
The Australian Women's Weekly

Reclaim your brain

Attention span short? Thoughts foggy? Memory full of gaps? Brigid Moss investigates the latest ways to sharpen your thinking.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
January 2025
The girls from Oz
The Australian Women's Weekly

The girls from Oz

Melbourne music teacher Judith Curphey challenged the patriarchy when she started Australia's first all-girls choir. Forty years later that bold vision has 6500 members, life-changing programs and a new branch of the sisterhood in Singapore.

time-read
9 Minuten  |
January 2025
One kid can change the world
The Australian Women's Weekly

One kid can change the world

In 2018, 10-year-old Jack Berne started A Fiver for a Farmer to raise funds for drought relief. He and mum Prue share what happened next.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
January 2025
AFTER THE WAVE
The Australian Women's Weekly

AFTER THE WAVE

Twenty years ago, the Boxing Day tsunami tore across the Indian Ocean, shredding towns, villages and holiday resorts, and killing hundreds of thousands of people from Indonesia to Africa. Three Australians share their memories of terror, loss and survival with The Weekly.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
January 2025
PATRICIA KARVELAS How childhood tragedy shaped me
The Australian Women's Weekly

PATRICIA KARVELAS How childhood tragedy shaped me

Patricia Karvelas hustled hard to chase her dreams, but it wasn't easy. In a deeply personal interview, the ABC host talks about family loss, finding love, battles fought and motherhood.

time-read
10 Minuten  |
January 2025
Ripe for the picking
The Australian Women's Weekly

Ripe for the picking

Buy a kilo or two of fresh Australian apricots because they're at their peak sweetness now and take inspiration from our lush recipe ideas that showcase this divine stone fruit.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
January 2025
Your stars for 2025
The Australian Women's Weekly

Your stars for 2025

The Weekly’s astrologer, Lilith Rocha, reveals what’s in store for your astrological sign in 2025. For your monthly horoscope, turn to page 192.

time-read
10 Minuten  |
January 2025
MEL SCHILLING Cancer made me look at myself differently'
The Australian Women's Weekly

MEL SCHILLING Cancer made me look at myself differently'

One year on from going public with her bowel cancer diagnosis, Mel Schilling reveals where she's at with her health journey and how it's changed her irrevocably.

time-read
9 Minuten  |
January 2025
Nothing like this Dame Judi
The Australian Women's Weekly

Nothing like this Dame Judi

A few weeks before her 90th birthday, the acting legend jumped on a phone call with The Weekly to talk about her extraordinary life – and what’s still to come.

time-read
10 Minuten  |
January 2025