Odette Tchernine
Odette Tchernine
(1897 – 1992)
Odette was born in 1897 in Paris to a Russian financier father, Dimitri Tchernine, and a French mother, Yvonne Rouget, from Toulouse.
She grew up in Kensington, London with her younger brother, Serge who was sadly killed in 1940, during the second world war, in London whilst walking home.
Between January 1917 and 21 March 1919 (aged 20-22) Odette is recorded as living at 5 Kensington House Kensington Court W8 while being a Red Cross Society Volunteer with the British Army. She went on to write several plays during the great war and had short stories and articles published during the 1930’s and worked as a freelance journalist during the 1950’s.
Odette was a prolific journalist, poet, author and novelist who had a keen interest in cryptozoology. She is best known for writing several books on the abominable snowman or yeti, such as ‘In Pursuit of the Abominable Snowman’, Taplinger Publishing, 1971. Before In Pursuit, she published ‘The Snowman and Company’. Initially a socialite and novelist, she earned a reputation from the 1950s through the 1970s “as one of Britain’s most formidable monster hunters.”
But she was no ‘armchair investigator’, Odette went on countless expeditions of her own, making friends and colleagues out of well respected investigators, explorers, anthropologists, zoologists and researchers who she would freely share their experiences with her.
Odette was loved by many and we hope to keep her memory alive by sharing her work with you as we find it. If you knew Odette personally or have any work of hers that you would like to be shared, please get in touch with us.
Books
Explorers and Travellers Tales (1958)
The Snowman and Company (1961)
Explorers Remember (1967)
The Yeti (1970)
In Pursuit of The Abominable Snowman (‘The Yeti walks on’ in USA) (1971)
The Singing Dust (1976)
Beyond the Brief (1986)
Plays
Michael Makes Good (1917)
Back windows (1918)
The Kaiser, the Dream and the Devil (1918)
The Return (1918)
The Test (1918)
Poetry
The Quetzal Bird (1968)
Articles written by Odette from 1911-1990
Articles 1911-1920
Articles 1921-1930
Articles 1931-1940
Articles 1941-1950
Articles 1951-1960
Articles 1961-1970
Articles 1971-1980
Articles 1981-1990
Audio
The Snow
Interview about her work
Images
Images of Odette
Odette’s travels
Friends, family and colleagues
Mentions of Odette on Social media or from other authors
London Grandeur – Porchester Ball – Phaedra Kelly – 1995
‘Around the corner lives my friend Odette Tchernine, a frail elderly spinster of whom you would never guess that she was a legend of the Fleet Street newspaper world, poetess and author, fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and pioneer hunter of the Yeti and sasquatch.’
Reminds me of the indomitable Odette Tchernine, a great supporter of poetry and who passionately believed in the yeti. She even wrote a book on it. Glorious woman, she always looked as though she’d run through her house and various bits of clothing had attached themselves to her.
— Antoinette Moses (@AntoinetteMose) February 9, 2021
Appreciating female contributions to #cryptozoology
Odette Tchernine (1897–1992)https://t.co/m0bS3Uj5VEhttps://t.co/1fuIE8Hdw8#InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/l1XQkYA3jN— Oliver D. Smith (@oliveratlantis) March 8, 2021