Thanks to the Special Collections at the University of Exeter, ‘forgotten’ queer author, Mariana Villa-Gilbert’s literary estate will be preserved and showcased. Typed manuscripts of published novels and drafts of those that never reached print have been donated to the University’s Special Collections by playwright and scholar, Dr Christopher Adams, who inherited them in 2023, so that they can safeguard the writer’s legacy for future generations.
The papers came into Dr Adam’s possession thanks to a meeting the pair had during his PhD research on post-war queer publishing history. When Villa-Gilbert passed away in 2023 at the age of 86, she had no obvious heir, and thus trust Adams with her literary legacy.
Adams agreed to place the estate with the Special Collections at Exeter university after collaborating with Dr D-M Withers, Lecturer in Publishing in the Department of English and Creative Writing and Director of Lurid Editions for the forthcoming reprint of one of Villa-Gilbert’s work, A Jingle Jangle Story.
“Having the papers here at Exeter, alongside other distinguished archives, will help to elevate Villa-Gilbert in the common literary imagination,” explained Dr D-M Withers, “It’s an exciting moment to re-energise her legacy, to, indeed, give her a legacy. And crucially, it means her work will be accessible again, opening the possibility that it might be published again in the future.”
“Though she largely stopped publishing by the 1970s, she continued to write – undaunted – throughout her life,” Dr Adams added. “I am so pleased that the University of Exeter will be the permanent repository for her papers, including drafts of her published novels as well as many unpublished short stories, novels, poetry collections, and a play.”
Mariana Villa-Gilbert was born in 1937 in Croydon, South London but spent much of her early life in Devon. After the death of her father, she moved with her mother to Poland, but was returned to Britain on humanitarian grounds by the British Embassy due to neglect.
Villa-Gilbert studied art and sculpture but wanted to be a writer, and her dreams were fulfilled, publishing six novels with Chatto & Windus during the 60s and 70s. Her works included: The Sun in Horus (1986), The Others (1970), Manuela: A Modern Myth (1973), Mrs. Galbraith’s Air (1963), My Love All Dressed in White (1964), Mrs. Cantello (1966) and perhaps her most notable title, A Jingle Jangle Song (1968), which gained a cult following among the lesbian press.
Mariana Villa-Gilbert’s A Jingle Jangle Song will be re-printed next year (2026) by Lurid Editions which specialising in publishing forgotten queer books.
“Buried in the archives for far too long, A Jingle-Jangle Song is the lost queer novel of the late 1960s,” Director of the publisher, Dr Withers said. “Eccentric, atmospheric, driven by a propulsive plot, the novel is a celebration of the unexpected eruption of queer desire. It is astonishing to me that it is not a firm part of the queer literary canon. It throbs with life, and energy.”
Caroline Walter, Head of Heritage Collections at Special Collections, said: “This archive will serve as an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the literary culture of the Southwest or the history of British LGBTQ+ writing.”
//