MARY GALLATI
A BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mary Gallati (1920-1978)
Novels | Short Stories
Poetry | Nonfiction
The Acorn
Published by The Fortune Press, 1950
Gallati's brilliant debut novel is made up of a series of vignettes set in a London
restaurant. Her father, the well known restaurateur Mario
Gallati, ran The Caprice in London's Piccadilly at the time this book was written,
although she stated in a newspaper article that The Acorn was not meant to be a
depiction of his famous restaurant, which was frequented by a number of celebrities and
high flying clientele. The Acorn, episodic by nature, nevertheless benefits from
a flowing, unpretentious narrative, giving touching snapshots of incidents among the
management, waiters, cooks and patrons of a busy dining house. It is a delight to read.
The Silver Bow
Published by Hutchinson, 1962
This outstanding novel is set in the Oltrepo Pavese district of Italy where Gallati's
parents grew up, a region she herself was very familiar with. The Silver Bow
spans the years from 1898 to 1950 and tells the story of the Allici family. It is in part
social history, as the plot moves through the dark period of Mussolini's reign, but more
than anything else this is an enthralling tale that leaves one wishing Gallati had
published more novels.
"Silhouettes"
Answers, No. 2866, January 1945
"The Sea"
Answers, No. 2867, January 1945
"Pietro the Carver"
The Star, March 16, 1946
"Joe's Silver Wedding Day"
Argosy (British edition), May 1946
"It's a Lovely Day"
The Star, June 22, 1946
This short story was aired on national radio (2BL—2NC) by the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation on May 23, 1950.
"The Odd Mrs. Ponty"
The Star, July 20, 1946
"His Wild Oats"
The Star, August 31, 1946
"Innocent and Guilty"
Argosy (British edition), September 1946
This short story was adapted into a radio play and broadcast by the BBC Light Programme on
December 7, 1946.
"Spit-and-Polish"
The Star, October 5, 1946
"Just in Time"
The Star, October 29, 1946
"Paradise for Pasquale"
The Star, November 30, 1946
"Miss Pretty & the Boss"
The Star, January 14, 1947
"When the Angels Laughed"
Argosy (British edition), February 1947
"Serenade to a Blonde"
The Star, March 25, 1947
"That Little Husband"
The Star, May 9, 1947
"Carla and the Simpleton"
Argosy (British edition), May 1948
Short Story Magazine (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), No. 83, June 1951
"Peach Melba"
The Star, August 28, 1948
"Miss Auriol and the Cake"
The Star, October 30, 1948
"Triumph of Uncle Dino"
The Star, April 30, 1949
Bristol Evening Post, June 11, 1949
"Loving Cup for Angel Face"
The Star, June 25, 1949
"The Windfall"
Argosy (British edition), October 1949
"Girl on the Beach"
The Star, November 19, 1949
"Year of the Phylloxera"
Argosy (British edition), February 1950
" 'Fair Dinkum' "
The Star, July 15, 1950
"Reminder of Love"
The Star, September 2, 1950
"The Pink Dress"
The Daily Mirror (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), September 26, 1950
The Star, December 8, 1951
"Dollar and Dime"
The Daily Mirror (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), October 5, 1950
You, April 1951 (this short story is reprinted here under the title "Dead
End Kid")
The text of this story was slightly revised for its appearance in the British magazine You.
The dollar and dime were replaced by a florin and penny!
"Man Proposes"
The Daily Mirror (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), November 24, 1950
The Star, January 5, 1952
"The Hunter of Good Fortune"
The Daily Mirror (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), December 23, 1950
"Convict's Escape"
The Star, December 30, 1950
"The Jilted Lady"
The Star, January 13, 1951
"The Postman's Knock"
The Star, August 4, 1951
Bristol Evening Post, September 15, 1951
"All for the Love of Nina"
The Star, October 6, 1951
"Lucky Stars"
The Star, February 2, 1952
"Carlo and the Angel"
The Star, June 21, 1952
"Ghita's Jackpot"
The Star, August 30, 1952
"Diamonds for a Lady"
The Star, July 4, 1953
"The Dreamer"
The Star, September 26, 1953
War Shrapnel
Published by Arthur H. Stockwell, 1947
Gallati began writing poetry at the age of 15, when her first poem was published in the
literary review magazine Time and Tide. The only collection of her verse that has
ever been published, War Shrapnel includes poems original to this book alongside
several that had previously appeared in Time and Tide, Answers, Woman
and Beauty, The Sunday Chronicle and World Digest. The poems
assembled in this collection follow the years of the Second World War chronologically and
reflect upon its impact on the lives of people in Great Britain. Gallati's verses are at
times patriotic, philosophical, or playful.
War Shrapnel contains the following poems: "Prolegomenon",
"History", "Garden of Life", "Night Train", "The
Sea", "Somewhere a Someone is", "Lady Time", "The Fine
Soldiers of the British Empire", "Our Bloke!", "Youth!",
"Moods", "London, Heart of Britain", "Good-bye",
"1941", "A Young Man's Fancy", "Omnipotent", "
'Uncivil' Service", "Tojo, Kirokiro and Sigismundo", "Pacifism?",
"The Lion Enslaved", " 'Poor' Jerry", "Finale", "Lily,
the 'At 'Ater", "To Be, Or—", "Mussolini", "Combined
Operations", "A Rose", "The Old Man", "The Mirror of
Life?", "Thought", "Obvious Conclusion?", "Cloud",
"Tenement House", an untitled poem headed "To the mother who has lost her
son", "A Valentine!", "Sandstorm" and "Victory Calls".
My Low-Down on Down-Under
Published by Hutchinson, 1953
Introduction by Compton Mackenzie
This book is a travelogue and a personal reminiscence by the author of her year-long visit
to Australia and New Zealand. During her time Down Under, Gallati worked on the staff of
the Sydney Daily Mirror, travelled extensively and even got married! My
Low-Down on Down-Under is a marvellous chronicle of her experiences in the Antipodes.
Mary Gallati's Hostess Dinner Book
Published by Souvenir Press, 1953
A volume that contains practical advice on cooking meals for guests throughout the year by
providing 48 different menus and a guide to buying seasonal vegetables. The contents also
include nine methods of making coffee and information on 44 liqueurs!
Mary Gallati's Good Cooking Companion
Published by Souvenir Press, 1956
A book of recipes and general guidance on preparing nourishing meals.
The Party-Giver's Book
Published by Souvenir Press, 1959
This book provides information on how to prepare and host a successful party.
Sources and Acknowledgments:
In the process of compiling this bibliography, as well as referring to my own
collection of literature, a number of online sources were consulted, not the least of
which was Philip Stephensen-Payne's Galactic
Central website, the home of William G. Contento's Fictionmags Index.
My thanks to Jamie Sturgeon for tracing reprinted stories by Gallati in the Bristol
Evening Post.
Illustration in The Star for the short story "Pietro the
Carver".
Addenda:
Please note that in the Short Stories
section of this webpage, The Star refers to the London evening newspaper that ran
from 1888 to 1960. I discovered and fell in love with Mary Gallati's writings while
researching the history of fiction in The Star at the British Library Newspaper
Library.
It is important to stress that the checklist of Gallati's short stories on this webpage is
incomplete. According to the blurb for one of her books, she had over 120 of them
published. Many of these are, no doubt, buried in old magazines and newspapers. Moreover,
in addition to her stories, Gallati had numerous articles printed in British magazines
such as Woman and Beauty, The Quiver and Woman's Journal. I
have been unable to track down details on which issues these appeared in.
Gallati was a scriptwriter for the BBC and had three of her plays broadcast on BBC Radio.
The BBC Light Programme aired Gallati's "Innocent and Guilty" on December 7,
1946 as part of their Saturday Playhouse show. It has not been possible to find
out the transmission dates of the other two radio plays she had produced by the BBC. The
only other title among these that I have been able to identify is "Acquitted".
She also worked for a time as a trainee scriptwriter for Ealing Studios; no doubt this
aided Gallati in her ambition to become a playwright.
Information on her other work for television and radio is sketchy. She made a short TV
series about cooking for Associated Rediffusion Ltd., but at the time of writing, no other
details of this are available. Gallati's work as a freelance broadcaster is said to have
encompassed giving talks and interviews; presumably most of these were broadcast on the
wireless. She worked for the Italian section of the BBC, appeared regularly on the show Woman's
Hour and wrote and produced her own radio programmes on art and literature.
Described once as a "newspaper girl", specific details about Gallati's work as a
journalist have mostly eluded me. She is said to have travelled through Germany in 1948
writing newspaper articles. A piece by Gallati entitled "Wine and the Menu" was
published in The Daily Telegraph at some point in the 1940s or 50s.
Upon her arrival in Sydney, Australia in February 1950, Gallati was
accompanied by the young theatre manager John Norton, who had travelled on board the same
ship, the SS Moreton Bay. During the sea voyage they collaborated on the
manuscript of a playbill which consisted of two one-act plays entitled
"Acquitted" (which Gallati had previously written for the BBC) and "Dino
and Eve". It was their hope that this work would be produced on the stage or radio in
Australia. However, it is unclear whether the project saw fruition or not. As well as
gathering material for her book My Low-Down on Down-Under (1953), while in
Australia Gallati wrote historical feature articles for the Sydney newspaper The Daily
Mirror. Unfortunately, the titles and publication dates of these pieces are unknown.
In 1962, Gallati wrote the script for the Look at Life episode "A Clean
Sweep". She contributed two more episodes in 1963: "Everything Stops for
Tea" and "Crowning Glory". Look at Life was the title of a series
of short documentaries produced by the Rank Organisation that were shown in British
cinemas during the 1960s.
In the latter part of her life, Gallati was said to be working on a history of the Borgia
family and a television drama entitled "Sword in the Flame". It would appear
that neither of these projects were published or broadcast.
A member of the Society of Authors, Mary Ernestine Gallati, to use her full name, enjoyed
flying aeroplanes, driving her car, swimming, tap-dancing, singing and painting in her
spare time. She was born on March 7, 1920 in the St Pancras area of North London. The
youngest of three children, Gallati was the daughter of Josephine (née Frasca) and Mario
Gallati, the latter a famous maître d' of The Ivy restaurant in Covent Garden, who in
1947 founded The Caprice restaurant in Piccadilly, a stone's throw from The Ritz hotel.
Mario Gallati ran The Caprice, which was very much a favourite haunt of the rich and
famous, for 28 years until his death in 1975. I have read his autobiography Mario of
the Caprice (1960) and a good deal by his talented daughter, and it is clear that
Mary was devoted to her father. She passed away in London, aged 58, in September 1978.
Email: marks3789@gmail.com
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