'When you look at your parents or grandparents it's hard to imagine them as young lovers full of adventure'

Conjuring up an extraordinary tale and extra depths to the famous photographer, Lee Miller, Ami Bouhassane shares her grandmothers love letters, held in the Lee Miller's Archives.

Episode 14. He doesn't want to divorce me

In this episode Lee Miller writes from Athens telling Roland about her travels in Romania and of the conversation with her husband Aziz about parting. The tensions in the build up to the war have Roland becoming anxious for Lee safety particularly as her letters are not getting to him.

'Aziz and I had long conversations about you and my situation in general. The result is that I’m going on this trip then come back and see what everything is about . . . . He doesn’t want to divorce me unless he is sure that I’m going to be happy and taken care of elsewhere - - - - I told him that I’d had enough of marriage for the moment ....' wrote Lee Miller in Athens to Roland Penrose in England 18th October 1938

Guest Speakers: Antony Penrose (son of Lee Miller and Roland Penrose and Co-Director of Lee Miller Archives), Hilary Roberts (Independent Curator, formerly senior curator of photography at Imperial War Museums, London), Hussein Omar (lecturer on Modern global history, University college Dublin) and Sam Bardaouil (Founder & curator of ArtReorientated).

Lee Miller's letters read and presented by Ami Bouhassane

Roland Penrose's letters read by Adam Grayson

Music composed by David Cullen

Series Producer: Tolly Robinson

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