Deborah (Debo) Devonshire se pa "was famous for having read only one book, White Fang (deur Jack London), which he enjoyed so much he vowed never to read another" (Wait for me! Memoirs of the youngest Mitford sister, London: John Murray, 2011, p 3). ’n Mens sou dus nie verwag dat vier van sy dogters literêr so sou uitmunt nie. Daar was ses dogters, maar hulle het in die konteks van daardie tyd ook vanweë hulle uiteenlopende politieke oortuigings bekendheid verwerf. Ek wy ’n paragraaf aan elk.
Nancy (1904-1973), die bekendste Mitford-suster (SêNet, 18 deser), is as ’n gematigde sosialis beskryf. Sy het in 1933 met Peter Rodd getrou, tot 1939 saam met hom gewoon, in 1940 Gaston Palewski as minnaar aanvaar en in 1958 geskei. Sy het sedert 1946 in Frankryk gewoon. "She loved the flat, which was a mixture of England and France, just as she was" (p 158). As kind was Nancy se vertellings vir Debo "a window on a glamorous life ... they made me long to meet the butterfly people" (p 35). Sy beskryf Nancy as "a conundrum ... She was everything and its opposite" (p 35). In haar lewe was daar ’n "maze of contradictions ... she exaggerated until the truth was hard to dig out ... The one constant, however, was the pure pleasure Nancy's company gave" (p 35). Debo noem Nancy se "usual effervescent cheerfulness. She never had the happiness that most women seek; luck plays such a big part in meeting the right person at the right time and that luck eluded her" (p 316). "As her literary executor, it gives me pleasure to see how she still makes people laugh in this strange new world we live in" (p 335).
Pamela (1907-1994) was soos haar pa tot anti-Semitisme geneig, maar het polities en literêr grootliks in die agtergrond gebly. Sy het haar as kok, tuinier, boer en diereliefhebber uitgeleef. "All Pam's geese were swans" (p 320). Sy is in 1936 getroud maar nadat haar man haar verlaat en kinderloos gelaat het, het sy by ’n vriendin in Switserland gaan bly. In 1972 het sy na Engeland teruggekeer. By Pamela "there was no risk of extreme views or controversial talk ... no sharp edges. She was not quick-witted" (p 39).
Diana (1910-2003) was die mooiste Mitford-suster. "Diana looked dangerously beautiful" (p 161). Sy is in 1936 met Oswald Mosley (1896-1980) getroud. Albei was vurige aanhangers van Fascisme. Van1940 af is albei Mosleys in die tronk aangehou, onder andere omdat Nancy haar suster as "an extremely dangerous person" (p 112) by die owerheid aangegee het. Hierdie feit het eers in 1985 aan die lig gekom. In 1943 is Diana en haar man uit die tronk in huisarres vrygelaat. Nancy het tevergeefs by die owerheid beswaar gemaak: "In her opinion Diana sincerely desired 'the downfall of England and democracy generally'" (p 113). Hierdie tweede verraad ("betrayal") het eers in 2003, vier maande na Diana se dood, bekend geword. Nancy se optrede word aan jaloesie toegeskryf. Van 1951 af het die Mosleys in Frankryk gewoon. Diana het graag gelees en was intellektueel net so begaaf soos haar broer Thomas. Buiten haar politieke opvattings, wat deur Debo "extreme" genoem word (p 41), was alles van haar "open-minded and tolerant ... As she grew old, she became almost saint-like in her goodness" (p 42).
Unity (Bobo, 1914-1948) het Duitsland in 1933 saam met Diana besoek. Unity "saw in Hitler the saviour of a country" (p 74). Sy en Hitler het so goed bevriend geraak dat Debo en haar ma in 1937 in München twee uur lank saam met hulle tee gedrink het (p 89). "She had always said that in the event of war between England and Germany, her life would be over" (p 105). Kort na die oorlogverklaring in 1939 het sy haarself in die kop geskiet. Van hierdie breinskade het sy nooit herstel nie. "Unity was always the odd one out ... As a child she was a dreamer, obstinate, fearless of authority, disobedient and easily hurt ... Unity was devoted to Decca (Jessica), a closeness that withstood their political differences" (p 42). "Nothing could extinguish their love for each other" (p 109).
Jessica (Decca, 1917-1996) het in die Spaanse Burgeroorlog (1936-1939) die kommunistiese Republikeine teen die Fasciste van Francisco Franco (1892-1975) ondersteun. In 1937 is sy met ’n politieke geesgenoot, Esmond Romilly, getroud. In 1939 het hulle in Amerika gaan woon waar sy mettertyd heeltemal veramerikaans het. Romilly het by die Kanadese lugmag aangesluit. In 1941 is hy gedood toe sy vliegtuig oor die Noordsee afgeskiet is. Daarna is sy met Bob Treuhaft getroud en albei het by die veldtog om burgerregte betrokke geraak. Jessica was "bold, original, imaginative, generous, vulnerable, lazy, clumsy and comical in the extreme ... a reader, an observer rather than a doer, and clever, with a talent for words" (p 43). Reeds as kind "she kicked against anything conventional and ... opened a 'Running Away' bank account" (p 53). Anders as met Unity kon vriendskapsbande later nie Jessica se politieke verskille met Diana oorbrug nie. "Decca told me that it was impossible to recreate her love for Diana" (p 319).
Deborah (gebore in 1920) het die Konserwatiewe Party en later die Sosiale Demokrate ondersteun. "I was never tempted to follow any extreme cause" (p 143). Sy noem egter haar "dislike of any socialist government and their pretences. I was not interested in Communism or Fascism – I had had too much of them in my childhood" (p 143). Sy is in 1941 met Andrew Cavendish (1920-2004), sedert 1950 die 11de Duke of Devonshire, getroud. Debo het bekendheid verwerf danksy ’n halfdosyn boeke wat sy oor hulle Chatsworth-woning en -landgoed gepubliseer het, maar mettertyd ook vanweë ander boeke. In vergelyking met haar susters skryf Debo: "I could never keep up but learned to hold my own" (p 45). Die boektitel verwys na haar "short fat legs which could not keep up" (p xiii) met haar ouer susters.
Thomas (1909-1945) was die Mitford-susters se enigste broer. Hy het hulle uiteenlopende politieke sienings met ewewig benader en kompromieë probeer bewerkstellig. "He was the peacemaker of the family" (p 41). "He was fascinated by the theory of politics rather than their practical application and was able, unlike my sisters, to discuss politics dispassionately" (p 110). Die Duitsers wat hy geken het "made him recoil at the idea of being part of the victorious army that would advance through Germany to finish the job" (p 133). Tom is toe na Birma gestuur waar hy in ’n geveg teen die Japannese gesneuwel het.
Vervolg ...
Johannes Comestor