Margherita Martini
Eima Ralse (26 September 1878 – 17 October 1948), better known by her pen name Margherita Martini (Gylic transcription: Margerita Martini), was a Gylian journalist and illustrator. She worked for the Corriere del Caliste in the early 20th century. She was famed for her sketches as much as her articles, and was renowned as a perceptive and engaging chronicler of Alscian life.
Early life
Eima Ralse was born on 26 September 1878 in Xevden. Both of her parents were railway workers; her father died when she was young. She was the oldest of three children, and had two younger brothers.
She attended clandestine Gylian schooling. She showed an aptitude for art, and focused her studies there. She first found work as an illustrator with the Gylian press.
She happened to be in the north-east when the Cacerta-Xevden War erupted, making her a resident of Alscia upon its proclamation.
Career
Eima was hired by the Corriere del Caliste, a fledgling newspaper, in 1908. She quickly became its star contributor. She later said the only instruction she ever received was from an editor who rejected a story because she'd buried the most information in the last paragraph.
She wrote mainly on topics of daily Alscian life, such as university life, sports, fashion, stage drama, and the social activism of the times, with a particular interest in feminism.
However, it was her sketches for which she gained recognition. She created these under the pen name "Margherita Martini", for which she developed an alter ego as a bemused and curious observer of Alscian life. She interviewed numerous famous Alscians from all walks of life, and had a distinctive working style: asking few questions but then listening "so intently one feels impelled to give the desired information."
Her largest number of interviews was with Governor Donatella Rossetti; both women greatly admired each other's work.
She frequently included her figure in her drawings, and her portrayal of Margherita Martini as a wry spectator, almost inevitably attired in large hats and a necktie, aided her fame. Her self-inclusion added an element of gentle irony to her sketches, often showing her as an awkward outsider attempting to fit in. Her drawing style was characterised by thick lines and accomplished use of contrast.
She was a member of the Anarchofuturist Association of Alscia, and received the Order of Arts and Letters from the UOC in 1923. While she covered national political conventions and election campaigns, she remained aloof from politics.
Later life
She retired in 1939, shortly after Alscia joined the Free Territories. Her work as Margherita Martini was collected and published in several volumes, which attained enduring popularity in the Free Territories and later Gylias.
One of her last sketches, created during her retirement, was of Delkoran Chancellor Sofia Westergaard, during one of her visits to the Free Territories.
She died of a stroke at her home on 17 October 1948.