The 49-year mystery of Margery Ariel Uris finally unveiled…
In my newly released memoir, The Uris Trinity, a 49-year mystery finally comes to light. After a grace period of fifteen years since the death of my novelist father Leon Uris, I shed light on a provocative family secret, to deliver the truth Surrounding Margery to the public eye. The only way I could bring closure to my conscience, was to share the true story behind this provoking love affair that stirred controversy and shed a dark light on my famous father for decades.
An import to the Aspen scene in the mid-sixties, a clothing model and silversmith retreating from her East Coast inhibitions in Philadelphia, Margery Edwards projected an aura of grace and beauty—a charming, sensitive woman. Kind and loving, when she walked into a room all heads turned—and were greeted by her pleasant signature smile. Intelligent and refined, perfection in motion, incapable of rage. An affectionate Venus in a leotard—loveliness every man sough
A young beauty appeared at the door…
My Russian grandfather noted in his memoir: She was tall, blue soft eyes, a gorgeous figure, dressed very simple, but tasteful. Margie made a good impression, as an intelligent, beautiful, sophisticated young lady. I was brazen to ask her if she is engaged to Leon? She was elusive, and skillfully avoided an answer. It was only a matter of a short time, when Leon and Margie got married.
With my parent’s marriage on the rocks…
Leon met Margery Edwards in Aspen, in 1966. Introduced by a local musician-business partner, Walt Smith—at the time Leon still lived with my mother, Betty. No longer wishing to be a victim of his infidelity, Betty drove my brother and I nonstop to Iowa, to her Danish parent’s home. When Mom had told us to pack, I did not realize… When we reached my grandparent’s house, Betty bolted from the car into her mother’s waiting arms. It was then, that I figured out, that our family life would never be the same.
My brother believed Margery was the cause of my parent’s breakup…
With an explosive personality, impossible to please, my father wanted to move on in life, and he chose Margery. My brother sided with my mother, condemning both Leon and Margery.
Siding with my father, I watched him chip away at Margery’s insecurities…
Margery was Leon’s opposite, and became the sponge for his emotional outbursts. Having been around Dad all my life, I took his behavior for granted. Conflict was our way of life.
My calling in life became clear—as a buffer for my father’s difficult ways…
Dad and Margery needed a buffer for their relationship. Sometimes hired help fulfilled the role, but these people only saw the public side of Leon and Margery. I became the perfect buffer, because where my father really shone with Margery was when he was the iconoclast, the man I thought was the real Leon Uris. With me around, Dad never had to put on a mask. He raised me to reflect the prankster in him, all that was unruly and nonconformist.… Margery complemented my father’s public personality. Unsuspecting my father’s grand design, I became an irreplaceable character in the new family play, the bridge between unwavering Margery and my father’s unpredictability.
Confidants and friends, Margery and I trusted one another…
Margery took black and white photos around Aspen, and I often went with her. She had a room setup downstairs where she made jewelry, and she taught me how to solder silver. We spent many an hour making rings, cuff links, and pendants. We looked forward to being together—our bond became inseparable.
Our imaginary world evolved…
On a typical morning, Leon read the paper and opened his mail. He’d read aloud some of the funnier stories or profound comments. Me, I’d be rolling joints. I took a few hits. He sipped from a bloody Mary. Margery was a good cook, and it didn’t seem out of the ordinary that she typically created one of her epicurean wonders while wearing a short silk robe and high heels. She would tell us to close our eyes and then she’d hand-feed us syrupy pancakes. We’d all laugh like actors in a play we’d just written ourselves…
My relationship with Margery meant the world to my father…
Leon often came out of his office to grab a snack when Margery and I were in the living room. I’d be reading poetry—Rumi or Kabir—with Margery’s head in my lap. Dad would give me a friendly touch on the shoulder as he passed by. …When I recited poetry to Margery, I didn’t stammer, and I had always stammered, especially when I read. Even if I read a short newspaper article aloud, my words would come out scrambled. It embarrassed me, but it may have embarrassed my father more. I found the best way to deal with it was not to put myself into a position where it would happen. Reading to Margery changed all that. It allowed me to open up and my father was pleased.
Our triangle found purpose, that none of us could deny…
…Lee understood things were far better between him and Margery when I was present. He eventually asked my mother in California, if I could come and live with them in Aspen for the second semester of my sophomore year. When my father wanted me, it gave purpose to my life. After all, I spent half my childhood figuratively sitting outside his office door waiting for the moment, when I could get some of his attention. Margery in the mix as an added bonus, although our times together were never planned, they just happened. She and I did not scheme, or sneak around in silence or shame. For the three Uris amigos, our unusual lifestyle was unencumbered by the technicalities of clothed minds.
In Margery’s own words…
“…I think when your father looks at me now, he sees you there, and he becomes enraged with jealousy. And when I look at him, I also see you, the similarities between you. I think he knows I’m in love with you.”—Margery Ariel Uris
Buy now: The Uris Trinity, Available on Amazon in Print and in eBook format.
Find The Uris Trinity on Amazon.com
Follow Michael on Facebook: fb.me/TheUrisTrinity