Anna Kingsford: Her Life, Letters, Diary and Work by Edward Maitland (1824-1897) was published in 1896 in two volumes totalling 900 pages. It received mixed reviews. On the whole Theosophists were positive, but the secular press tore it to shreds. The Times wrote it ‘will be found to consist of a farrago of rubbish, sometimes of malicious rubbish.’ The British Medical Journal stated ‘the book is a perfect wilderness of nonsense, and its assertions do not appear to call for serious discussion.’ Florence Miller, Anna’s friend, wrote of ‘poor Maitland’s display in that book of egotism and vanity, a large proportion of the work being about himself, including pages of such twaddle as what was said to him about himself by trance mediums.’ Florence continued, ‘The Anna Kingsford that I knew, the clever, intelligent woman (the most beautiful creature that I have ever seen in my life, too) was absolutely non-existent in that book.’ Florence concluded that it was the worst biography she had ever read.
Of all the reviews, Florence comes closest to the mark, but she misses a full understanding of what Maitland said in the biography. I have discovered that Maitland wrote many lies about Anna in order to vent his spleen upon her. He wrote that throughout 1878 he had ‘altercations’ with her, but unfortunately he does not give details. We can tell from his novels that Anna embodied the features of his ideal woman: tall, slim, fair, beautiful and spiritual. However, Anna lacked one ingredient he also desired in a woman, namely, subservience to the male. Maitland was very obsessive and had a strong fantasy life, thus, I believe, causing him to turn against her when she did not comply to his preconceived ideal. To cover his tracks, Maitland, after completing the biography, burnt all the diaries, letters and papers Anna left to him in her will.
The most outrageous lie Maitland wrote about Anna was that she killed two French vivisectors by mind power. Not only is this physically impossible, it was against all her principles. She wrote that you cannot achieve good by doing harm. Maitland claimed that a black magician once took over Anna’s mind, yet a number of times he praised her indomitable will. Maitland wrote that in past lives Anna was Mary Magdalene, Joan of Arc and Anne Boleyn. This was Maitland’s fantasy, for Anna herself never claimed these past lives. There are many other serious untruths about Anna by Maitland which are exposed in Red Cactus: the life of Anna Kingsford. John Bonus, Anna’s eldest brother, always supported her, so I was puzzled as to why he did not refute Maitland’s lies. The review of Maitland’s biography in the British Medical Journal stated Anna’s family tried to stop him from publishing it. Why, I wondered, was her family against the biography before it was even printed? I believe the answer lies in the will of John Bonus. Four years after he left the priesthood, he had an illegitimate daughter called Ethelind. No doubt the family did not want any biography of Anna in case the skeleton in the family closet was discovered. This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that no letters from Anna to her family have come to light.
Red Cactus: the Life of Anna Kingsford presents the first comprehensive and accurate account of the brilliant Anna Kingsford.
Maitland