Occupation Novelist Genre Romance Period 1905–1972 Role Writer | Nationality British Name Berta Ruck Language English Children 2 Movies His Official Fiancee | |
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Books The Boy with Wings, Miss Million's Maid: A R, In Another Girl's Shoes, Mock Honeymoon, One of the Chorus Similar People Oliver Onions, Tom Ricketts, Robert G Vignola, Jesse L Lasky | ||
Amy Roberta (Berta) Ruck, Mrs. Oliver Onions (2 August 1878 – 11 August 1978) was a British writer of several short stories and over 90 romance novels from 1905 to 1972. She also wrote an autobiography and two memoir-style works.
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Personal life
Born Amy Roberta Ruck on 2 August 1878 in Murree, Punjab, British India, as one of the eight children of Eleanor D'Arcy and Colonel Arthur Ashley Ruck, a British army officer. The family moved to Wales, where Ruck went to school in Bangor.
Bernard Darwin, the golf writer and grandchild of Charles Darwin, was her cousin. Many of her letters and manuscripts are archived in the National Library of Wales.
On 1909, she married a fellow novelist, (George) Oliver Onions (1873–1961). They had two sons: Arthur (born 1912) and William (born 1913). Her husband legally changed his name to George Oliver in 1918, but continued to publish under the name Oliver Onions.
She was widowed in 1961, and died in Aberdyfi on 11 August 1978, just nine days after her 100th birthday.
Writing career
As Berta Ruck began to contribute short stories and serials to magazines from 1905. She published her first novel, His Official Fiancée in 1914, which was the subject of two films: His Official Fiancée (1919), silent film directed by Robert G. Vignola and Hans officiella fästmö (1944), Swedish movie directed by Nils Jerring.