The Personal Librarian, written by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray and published in 2021 by Berkeley Books, is a remarkable historical novel about J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene.
This semi-fictionalised life story of the personal librarian to one of history’s most prominent financiers and investment bankers is an outstanding work of historical fiction. A multi-layered and, for me, highly educational journey, The Personal Librarian teleported me to the Gilded Age of the late 19th century, whisking me from New York’s elegant ballrooms to the fiercely competitive auction houses of Europe.
The Personal Librarian is an important – and timely – book about race, class and a Black American woman’s life-long struggle of living a lie in order to safeguard a legacy that is treasured to this day.
In 1905, American banker and finance executive, J. P. Morgan hires twenty-something Belle da Costa Greene to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Later, Belle becomes an important ambassador for J.P. Morgan and a celebrity in New York society, not to mention one of the most influential people in the art and book world. She is heralded for her discerning taste and ruthless negotiating skills to obtain sought-after historical works as she helps create a world-class collection.
However, Belle harbours a secret she must protect at all costs. Her real name is Belle Marion Greener, and she is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. But capitalising on Belle’s light complexion, her mother invents a Portuguese heritage for their family that enables Belle to pass as white – a veritable door opener in the racist world they inhabit. It is a grim, fascinating peek at how people of colour were dehumanised, and how one disguised as white had to navigate the mechanics of this predominantly racist society, and her relationship with J.P. Morgan, which also offered an intimate glimpse of the man himself and the dynamics at play in that powerful family.
Equally interesting were the notes of the two authors, Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, describing their relationship and collaboration to create this well-researched novel about an exceptional woman, her skill and the sacrifices she made to create an outstanding literary collection and eventually become the first director of the Morgan Library & Museum.
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