Famecrawler
Richard Burton Letters to Liz Taylor: What About Their Kids?
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor had a storied—and stormy—elationship. Married and divorced twice, they were never far from each other’s hearts, as a string of love letters that Burton wrote to Taylor makes clear. Those letters have been now made public for the first time, and appear in Vanity Fair, where Taylor graces the cover this month.
While its tempting to see Burton and Taylor as star-crossed lovers, or to simply see Burton as one in a long string of husbands for Taylor, the truth is probably much more complicated. There were two children to think of: Liza Todd Burton, her daughter with second husband Michael Todd, who Burton subsequently adopted, and Maria Burton Carson, a daughter she began to adopt with third husband Eddie Fisher, whom Burton likewise adopted.
It must be strange for Liza and Maria to have these letters made public now, detailing the intimate details of their parents feelings for each other, and by extension, their own young lives. What makes it more complicated is that their father is not alive to explain the context of these letters, so it must be hard to read the words and sentiments expressed and not be able to ask about them.For instance, writes Burton, in an excerpt:
“I find it very difficult to allow my whole life to rest on the existence of another creature. I find it equally difficult, because of my innate arrogance, to believe in the idea of love. There is no such thing, I say to myself. There is lust, of course, and usage, and jealousy, and desire and spent powers, but no such thing as the idiocy of love. Who invented that concept? I have wracked my shabby brains and can find no answer.”
Would you find it hard to read a passage like this written by your father, posthumously, and not be able to ask more about it?
Source/Photo: INFphoto.com
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2 Comments
Pat Stevens commented on Jun 06 10 at 12:40 pmHe wrote to Liz, obviously about his love for a woman/partner.By stuff i read he was a loving great father.He was just trying to figure out how come he is so powerfully attached to Liz.
Fabio commented on Dec 03 10 at 3:58 amThis photo has horrible colours: so pale!
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