Michael Arlen

Michael Arlen (1895–1956), born Dikran Kouyoumdjian, was an English novelist and short-story writer whose best-known novel is The Green Hat.

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The Green Hat: A 1924 novel by Michael Arlen about Iris Storm, an unconventional woman in London society. This novel brought Arlen his greatest popular success and established his public image.
Dikran Kouyoumdjian: The birth name of Michael Arlen, an Armenian-born writer who became a British citizen. Arlen adopted this pen name after growing up and beginning his literary career in Britain.
Elinor Glyn: A British novelist and screenwriter known for romantic fiction and early Hollywood work. Glyn's popular romantic writing offers a contemporary comparison for Arlen's fashionable fiction.
The Green Hat (play): A stage adaptation of Michael Arlen's novel The Green Hat. The play translated the novel's story for theatre audiences and extended its public life.
Modernism: A broad movement in early twentieth-century arts and literature that experimented with form and representation. Arlen's polished, accessible storytelling contrasts with modernism's more conspicuous formal experimentation.
The Romantic Lady: A 1921 novel by Michael Arlen, published early in his career. Its early appearance traces the development of Arlen's fiction before The Green Hat.
Ruse: A city in northeastern Bulgaria, where Dikran Kouyoumdjian was born in 1895. Arlen's birthplace connects his biography to the Armenian diaspora in the Balkans.
George Cukor: An American film director known for character-driven Hollywood films. Cukor directed A Woman of Affairs, the film adaptation of The Green Hat.
A Woman of Affairs: A 1928 American silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and based on The Green Hat. This film adaptation helped turn Arlen's novel into an international screen story.
Edwardian era: The period of British history associated with Edward VII's reign from 1901 to 1910. Arlen's career belongs to the postwar world rather than the Edwardian social order.