Fleur Cowles

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.4 • 13.7K Ratings

🗓️ 18 June 1983

⏱️ 40 minutes

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Summary

Fleur Cowles began her career as a columnist on one of the New York papers and before long she became the Associate Editor of the magazine Look. She became very influential and, in 1953, President Eisenhower asked her to be his personal ambassador to the UK for the Coronation. Before long, she made her home here and took up writing books and painting professionally. She has since had 34 exhibitions of her work.

In conversation with Roy Plomley, she talks about her fascinating life and chooses the eight records she would take to the mythical island.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Promenade & Tulleries by Modest Mussorgsky Book: Blank paper Luxury: Painting materials

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello I'm Kirstie Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.
0:05.0	For Wright's reasons, we've had to shorten the music.
0:08.0	The program was originally broadcast in 1983 and the presenter was Roy Plumley. On our Desert Island this week is the author, painter, editor, and traveler Fleur Coals.
0:37.0	Fleur, how well could you endure isolation and loneliness?
0:41.0	There's no way I could possibly survive.
0:45.0	No way because I hate being alone.
0:47.0	Would music be anything of a consolation?
0:50.0	Music would have to be there
0:52.0	because it's a companion I would have to be there because it's a companion. I would have another life so it would have to be there.
0:56.0	Music is important in your life.
0:58.0	Very. Have you any musical skill yourself?
1:01.0	No, I just have a memory of a very, very, very poor piano playing, which as I hate
1:07.5	doing anything badly I promptly gave up. Do you have a lot of discs? Masses.
1:12.4	Masses. Now you have just eight in this little parcel you're taking
1:17.0	ashore. What's the first one? I'd like very much to hear Gina Bachauer play Masorski's paintings for an exhibition.
1:25.7	Gina Bachauer was someone I greatly greatly loved.
1:30.3	She was considered in her time and unfortunately she was no longer alive.
1:34.0	One of the world's greatest living pianists.
1:37.0	She played the piano beautifully and we became very, very close friends and
1:42.0	offer each of her concert tours.
1:44.3	She made way very, very clearly, sharply, and immediately
1:48.8	to our house in Sussex for a weekend,
	...

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