Annemarie Selinko

Annemarie Selinko (1914–1986) was born in Vienna. She studied languages and history before working as a journalist. Her first novel, “I Was an Ugly Girl,” was published in 1937 and was translated into several languages and adapted for film. During the German occupation of Denmark, Selinko joined the resistance and later fled to Sweden. Her final novel, “Désirée,” appeared in 1951, became an international bestseller, was translated into 25 languages, and was adapted for film in 1954, starring Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons. Selinko died in Copenhagen in 1986.