Alexandra Ripley
Alexandra Ripley was an American novelist born on January 8, 1934, in Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated from Vassar College with a degree in Russian in 1955 and initially found success in writing historical romances. Her most notable achievement came when she was chosen by the estate of Margaret Mitchell to write a sequel to the iconic novel *Gone with the Wind*. This sequel, titled *Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind*, was published on September 25, 1991, and quickly stirred both celebrity and controversy. While it topped the Publishers Weekly best-seller list for fifteen weeks, it also faced criticism for moral reasons and perceived improbability, as many felt it did not honor the legacy of the original work.
Aside from *Scarlett*, Ripley authored several other novels, including *Who's That Lady in the President's Bed?* and *Charleston*, and continued to explore historical themes in her writing. Her works often featured detailed historical research and compelling characters, though *Scarlett* remains her most recognized contribution to literature. Ripley passed away in 2004 at the age of seventy, but her role in continuing the story of one of America's most beloved novels ensures her lasting presence in literary discussions.
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Alexandra Ripley
Writer
- Born: January 8, 1934
- Birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina
- Died: January 10, 2004
- Place of death: Richmond, Virginia
Biography
Novelist Alexandra Ripley was born on January 8, 1934, in Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in Russian in 1955. She had built a successful if undistinguished career as the author of historical romances when she was chosen by the estate of author Margaret Mitchell to write the sequel to Gone with the Wind (1935), the most famous historical novel of the American South during and after the Civil War and the book which in 1939 was made into one of the enduring films of American culture.
Warner Books bid nearly five million dollars for the rights to Gone with the Wind at an auction held by the William Morris Agency. The company published Ripley’s book, Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind, on September 25, 1991, in a simultaneous release in the United States and forty other countries, resulting in instant celebrity and controversy. Many critics condemned the book on moral grounds, since Mitchell had refused to write a sequel to her novel. Some critics also charged that Ripley’s novel was improbable. Nevertheless, and probably owing to the controversy surrounding the book, Scarlett soon reached the top of the Publishers Weekly best-seller list and stayed in that position for fifteen weeks.
Before writing Scarlett, Ripley had published Who’s That Lady in the President’s Bed?, Charleston, New Orleans Legacy, and other historical romances. She continued to write historical novels after the commercial if not critical success of Scarlett. From Fields of Gold also dealt with the American South during Reconstruction, but in A Love Divine, she shifted her focus to the ancient story of Joseph of Arimathea, the wealthy disciple who buried the body of Jesus of Nazareth in his own tomb and who was credited with the later spread of Christianity to Great Britain. Ripley was always rigorous in her historical research and often created interesting characters. However, she forever will be known as the author of the sequel to one of the great American novels of all time, a sequel which could never live up to the myth and power of the original. Ripley died in 2004 at the age of seventy.