In Memoriam: Patricia Morris
Patricia Morris, author of Mother Without A Mask, a book that provides unique insights into traditional Emirati culture, passed away in August at her home in Cornwall, UK, at the age of 96.
The book, written under her maiden name, Patricia Holton, chronicles her intimate relationship with an Emirati family in the early days of the UAE. Published by Motivate Media Group in 1991, the novel has been a bestseller for three decades and remains in print.
Born on October 23, 1923, in Westchester County, New York, Patricia served as a Red Cross nurse in Paris during the last days of the Second World War.
Following a whirlwind romance, Patricia married British publisher and author Claud Morris after the war. She paused her career as a television producer to move to London, where she worked with him as an editor for two of his publications.
Both Patricia and Claud had a deep curiosity about the world and a desire to better understand different cultures. Claud went on to establish The Next Century Foundation – an organisation which encourages global peace through dialogue, focusing on the Middle East – which is today run by their son William.
Claud, who passed away 20 years ago, spent many years promoting a better understanding of the Arab world in Britain, launching Middle East Magazine and then Voice of the Arab World. He was a frequent visitor to the Emirates in the early days of the UAE federation, interviewing many leading members of the government and writing The Desert Falcon – the first-ever biography of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan – published in 1974.
Accompanying her husband on many of his trips to the UAE, Patricia became close friends with a prominent Emirati family. As she learned about the UAE from them, they were also keen to develop a knowledge of the West. Invited to spend time with the family, she often visited them in their Al Ain compound, attending family weddings and other events, as well as talking with the women of the family and learning more intimately about their customs and way of life. For several years in the late 1970s, she and her husband welcomed the family’s teenage sons into the Morris home in London, where they learned the English language and customs.
The book she authored only recorded the early years of the relationship, which continued until the end of her life. She continued to visit the Emirates after her husband’s death in 2000, her last visit being in 2010, when she stayed with the family in Abu Dhabi. Always in close contact, Patricia received a phone call from one of her Emirati “sons” less than a week before she died.
Paying tribute to Patricia, Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner of Motivate Media Group, said: “Our relationship with Patricia began in 1991 when we first published Mother Without A Mask and we soon became friends. We were privileged to stay in touch with her and always met when she visited the Emirates – the last time being in 2010 when we shared a memorable lunch in Abu Dhabi along with long-time resident Jocelyn Henderson. She was a remarkable woman and, like her husband Claud, had enormous affection for the Arab world, particularly the Emirates, where she was so well regarded.”
Patricia is survived by her three children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Patricia’s book Mother Without A Mask is available at booksarabia.com.
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