Mireille G. Marokvia

Mireille G. Marokvia, 99, resident of Las Cruces for over 30 years, died Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008. Born 7 Dec. 1908 in a small village near Chartres, France where her father was a teacher. She studied in Versailles and Chartres, obtaining Bachelor Degree in Chartres in 1928. Did graduate work in French Literature and Philology at Paris University (Sorbonne) from 1928-1935. Married a German artist (musician and painter) in 1939, Caught in Germany by the war. What could have been a quiet scholarly life turned into an adventurous, dangerous, and, of course very interesting life. Worked in the movies in Rome, Italy, 1933; was school teacher in Paris 1935-39; did hand weaving and translated books in Germany, 1939-45; worked as an assistant costume designer in New York, 1950-58; wrote children's books, New York, 1959-64. Live in Mexico 13 years. Was housewife and business manager for husband until widowed in 1986. Writing was always a commitment. Wrote poetry and essays in French (first publication was in 1928, the year B.A. received). A voluminous diary on Nazi Germany was destroyed in 1944 because of a tip of impending "visit" by the Gestapo. Sold a book of short stories: Lettres sans Soleil to Curt E. Schwab Verlag, Stuttgart in 1946. Wrote exclusively in English for many years. Authored five children's books that are on Harper Collin's back list. Immortelles: Memoir of a Will-o'-the-Wisp was published by MacMurray & Beck Inc. in 1996. A French translation was published by Editions du Rocher, Paris, in 2002 under the title Je me souviens de mon village en France. Sins of the Innocent was published by Unbridled Books (Denver) in 2006. A German translation was published by Parthas Verlag Gmbh, Berlin, in 2008 under the title "In Abels Land." A gathering of family and friends to celebrate her life will be held from 3-5 pm on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008 at 5030 Acacia, Las Cruces, NM PDF Printable Version