Mary Robinson (poet) Mary Robinson (poet) Mary Robinson (née Darby; 27 November 1757? – 26 December 1800) was an English actress, poet, dramatist, novelist, and celebrity figure. During her lifetime she was known as "the English Sappho". She earned her nickname "Perdita" for her role as Perdita (heroine of Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale") in 1779. She was the first public mistress of King George IV while he was still Prince of Wales. Robinson was born in Bristol, England to Nicholas Darby, a naval captain, and his wife Hester (née Vanacott) who had married at Donyatt, Somerset, in 1749, and was baptised 'Polle(y)' ("Spelt
Jenny Villiers Pavement" and "Bright Day". Jenny Villiers Jenny Villiers: A Story of the Theatre is a short novel by J. B. Priestley, first published in 1947. A successful but dispirited playwright is supervising the rehearsals of his new play, "The Glass Door", at an old theatre in North England. The actors are irritated by his cynical attitude, but when left alone in the darkened green room he experiences visions of a 19th-century tragedy which alter his outlook on his profession. In 1978 it was reprinted by Stein and Day, in a collection of works by Priestley entitled "My Three Favorite Novels".