Margaret Landon (1903–1993)
Author of Anna and the King of Siam
About the Author
Margaret Landon (1903-1993) lived in the Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) for ten years. Fluent in Thai, she extensively researched the story of Anna Leonowens and the history of the Siamese government and culture.
Image credit: Uncredited photo at wheaton.edu
Works by Margaret Landon
Anna and the King of Siam 1 copy
2000 1 copy
Kral ve Ben 1 copy
Anna og kongen av Siam 2 1 copy
Anna og kongen av Siam 1 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Landon, Margaret
- Legal name
- Landon, Margaret Dorothea Mortenson
- Other names
- Mortenson, Margaret Dorothea (birth name)
- Birthdate
- 1903-09-07
- Date of death
- 1993-12-04
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Wheaton College (BA)
- Occupations
- missionary
novelist - Relationships
- Landon, Kenneth Perry (husband)
Landon, Kenneth Perry jr. (son)
Leonowens, Anna (subject) - Short biography
- Margaret Dorothea Mortenson graduated from Wheaton College in 1925 and taught for a year before marrying Kenneth Landon. In 1927, the couple became Presbyterian missionaries to Thailand. During the next ten years, Margaret Landon raised her first three children while running a mission school. In her extensive reading about the country, she learned about Anna Leonowens, the governess to the Thai (Siamese) royal family in the 1860s. When the family returned to the USA in 1937, Margaret began writing articles and then researching material for a book on Mrs. Leonowens, which was published as "Anna and the King of Siam" in 1944.
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Somers, Wisconsin, USA
- Places of residence
- Evanston, Illinois, USA
Wheaton, Illinois, USA
Trang, Thailand
Washington, D.C., USA - Place of death
- Alexandria, Virginia, USA
- Burial location
- Wheaton Cemetery, Wheaton, DuPage County, Illinois, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
I've never seen the musical The King and I in its entirety, but I'm fairly familiar with the story. However, the musical and the book upon which it is supposed based are worlds apart.
Anna is a widow, with two young children, and the opportunity to support herself by teaching the children of the king of Siam. She endeavors to not only instruct the youngsters in the English language and customs as requested by the king, but also tries to instill the concepts of mercy, justice, and freedom for show more all in those who will someday rule Siam.
This story is based upon the writings of the real Anna, who went to Siam in the 1860s, and faced a society where slavery was accepted, where bribery was the norm, and where the whim of an angry ruler could condemn an innocent person with no recourse, and no repercussions. I was fascinated with the insight into Siam of almost two centuries ago, and found myself deep within the story for most of the book. Recommended.
Note: the edition I read was listed as abridged, but perhaps edited would be a better description. show less
Anna is a widow, with two young children, and the opportunity to support herself by teaching the children of the king of Siam. She endeavors to not only instruct the youngsters in the English language and customs as requested by the king, but also tries to instill the concepts of mercy, justice, and freedom for show more all in those who will someday rule Siam.
This story is based upon the writings of the real Anna, who went to Siam in the 1860s, and faced a society where slavery was accepted, where bribery was the norm, and where the whim of an angry ruler could condemn an innocent person with no recourse, and no repercussions. I was fascinated with the insight into Siam of almost two centuries ago, and found myself deep within the story for most of the book. Recommended.
Note: the edition I read was listed as abridged, but perhaps edited would be a better description. show less
I LOVED this story. I thought it was really well written, the author clearly cared a lot about the character.
I wanted to read the novel because I watched the movie and read how many inaccuracies there were. I especially loved the introduction where the author explained how she managed to write this story. As far as the biographies go, I think this book is one of the best ones I've read, even though it's heavily influenced by Anna's own memoirs and, as such, probably not that much show more historically accurate.
Of course, in 21st century it's really hard to read novel like this one and not be thinking about "white savior complex". It is a story about an Englishwoman in Siam after all. BUT, I loved Siam, I love how it is written, I loved the king and his wives and, obviously, I loved Anna. This is kind of story I would love for children to read because it teaches them compassion and how important is to understand other cultures before judging them.
_
I found this book on NetGalley and I offer my honest review. Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed it. show less
I wanted to read the novel because I watched the movie and read how many inaccuracies there were. I especially loved the introduction where the author explained how she managed to write this story. As far as the biographies go, I think this book is one of the best ones I've read, even though it's heavily influenced by Anna's own memoirs and, as such, probably not that much show more historically accurate.
Of course, in 21st century it's really hard to read novel like this one and not be thinking about "white savior complex". It is a story about an Englishwoman in Siam after all. BUT, I loved Siam, I love how it is written, I loved the king and his wives and, obviously, I loved Anna. This is kind of story I would love for children to read because it teaches them compassion and how important is to understand other cultures before judging them.
_
I found this book on NetGalley and I offer my honest review. Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed it. show less
This book is not like the movie. It is not a romance between an English school teacher and the King of Siam. It is based on Anna's experiences as the school teacher for the King of Siam's children and helping with his corespondence.
The history intersperced in the stories of her interactions with her charges, the women of the harem and the king add a sense of time and place, giving context to their interactions. It was a study in the influence a teacher can have on her students and a country show more if those students later have control of the governing bodies.
I was glad that I finally read this book and recommend it to others who enjoy history. show less
The history intersperced in the stories of her interactions with her charges, the women of the harem and the king add a sense of time and place, giving context to their interactions. It was a study in the influence a teacher can have on her students and a country show more if those students later have control of the governing bodies.
I was glad that I finally read this book and recommend it to others who enjoy history. show less
"She and the King were more than ...King and governess -. they were friends"
By sally tarbox on 30 November 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
The source of the musical, this biography of Anna Leonowens, governess to the Siamese royal children, was published in 1945. The author states that she worked from Anna's own memoirs; unfortunately more recent research proves that she re-invented herself significantly through these works; thus her girlhood in Wales, her first visit to Bombay aged 15, so well show more described in Ms Landon's work, are in fact totally fallacious - she was born in India of mixed-race parentage.
This was quite an interesting read if a little two-dimensional. Anna and her son arrive in a totally alien world: a world of wives and concubines shut up in a harem, where disobedience can result in torture or death. Over it all rules King Mongkut, last of the old style kings, under whom slavery is a fact of life, and where those approaching him are expected to prostrate themselves.
Anna is throughout a heroic character, able to stand up to her unpredictable and capricious King, as she intercedes for concubines who have fallen foul of him. She doesn't entirely ring true; but I was entertained and educated nonetheless as Ms Landon describes ceremonies and state affairs, amuses with reproductions of the King's distinctive letters in English and keeps us on edge with tales of prisoners awaiting their fate. And her pride in her best pupil, Prince Chulalongkorn, under whose rule later on slavery would be eradicated.
OK but in retrospect I'd probably go for a more factually correct account of Anna Leonowens' life such as 'Bombay Anna'. show less
By sally tarbox on 30 November 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
The source of the musical, this biography of Anna Leonowens, governess to the Siamese royal children, was published in 1945. The author states that she worked from Anna's own memoirs; unfortunately more recent research proves that she re-invented herself significantly through these works; thus her girlhood in Wales, her first visit to Bombay aged 15, so well show more described in Ms Landon's work, are in fact totally fallacious - she was born in India of mixed-race parentage.
This was quite an interesting read if a little two-dimensional. Anna and her son arrive in a totally alien world: a world of wives and concubines shut up in a harem, where disobedience can result in torture or death. Over it all rules King Mongkut, last of the old style kings, under whom slavery is a fact of life, and where those approaching him are expected to prostrate themselves.
Anna is throughout a heroic character, able to stand up to her unpredictable and capricious King, as she intercedes for concubines who have fallen foul of him. She doesn't entirely ring true; but I was entertained and educated nonetheless as Ms Landon describes ceremonies and state affairs, amuses with reproductions of the King's distinctive letters in English and keeps us on edge with tales of prisoners awaiting their fate. And her pride in her best pupil, Prince Chulalongkorn, under whose rule later on slavery would be eradicated.
OK but in retrospect I'd probably go for a more factually correct account of Anna Leonowens' life such as 'Bombay Anna'. show less
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