Saw an interview with Diana Athill when she was about 95, that woman could still move mountains, she was a force to be reckoned with so am sure she was a fantastic friend to have.
This is lovely, Kate, thank you. I adore all of Rhys's novels, particularly Voyage in the Dark. To a theatre person it seems sad and true. I agree about Smile Please but I still found it fascinating. I remember loving her description of her trip to London Zoo, and the 'resentful' Dominican parrot and the hummingbirds, all fed a ludicrously archetypal English meal of bread and marmalade, all desperate to escape -- just like Rhys, just like her heroines. A quintessential 'expat' moment, a stranger in a foreign city, the absurdity of it all. Wide Sargasso Sea: probably one of the most studied books in the canon -- and when I returned to it not that long ago I kept finding more and more and more.
Thanks, Sam. I almost put Voyage in the Dark as the recommended novel! I wrote about that one for an MA assignment and there was so much to unpick from it. I love her prose and could literally write about different aspects of both her work and her persona every week. You're right about the London Zoo scene, I had forgotten about that. I love how her books show the coldness of England as she felt it. Although I agree that WSS is a masterpiece, I think it is her stories and novels set on the streets of Paris and London that really get me. I wonder if you've read Caryl Phillips' 'A View of the Empire at Sunset'?
It's an interesting thing Phillips did with the material, I think, but I wouldn't say it particularly brought anything new to appreciating her work. I think you probably get more of her essence of her through her own novels.
I love this look at literary female friendships - I look forward to more in this series. It’s great to see how literary greats supported each other and how their writing was influenced by others. Thank you for sharing :)
Thank you :) I find it so interesting that a lot of the women I research found support from other women writers. Just like now, it's so important to connect with other creatives who get what you're trying to do.
You find the best in between stories! Really fascinating. I need to dig into your references when I’m back from holidays. Just finished The Memory Police which is a Japanese dystopian story, but one that centres around a novelist and her editor. It’s an intriguing relationship in many ways.
Saw an interview with Diana Athill when she was about 95, that woman could still move mountains, she was a force to be reckoned with so am sure she was a fantastic friend to have.
This is lovely, Kate, thank you. I adore all of Rhys's novels, particularly Voyage in the Dark. To a theatre person it seems sad and true. I agree about Smile Please but I still found it fascinating. I remember loving her description of her trip to London Zoo, and the 'resentful' Dominican parrot and the hummingbirds, all fed a ludicrously archetypal English meal of bread and marmalade, all desperate to escape -- just like Rhys, just like her heroines. A quintessential 'expat' moment, a stranger in a foreign city, the absurdity of it all. Wide Sargasso Sea: probably one of the most studied books in the canon -- and when I returned to it not that long ago I kept finding more and more and more.
Thanks, Sam. I almost put Voyage in the Dark as the recommended novel! I wrote about that one for an MA assignment and there was so much to unpick from it. I love her prose and could literally write about different aspects of both her work and her persona every week. You're right about the London Zoo scene, I had forgotten about that. I love how her books show the coldness of England as she felt it. Although I agree that WSS is a masterpiece, I think it is her stories and novels set on the streets of Paris and London that really get me. I wonder if you've read Caryl Phillips' 'A View of the Empire at Sunset'?
I haven't, actually. I seem to remember going through a Rhys phrase and resisting it for some no doubt stupid reason. Should I read it?
It's an interesting thing Phillips did with the material, I think, but I wouldn't say it particularly brought anything new to appreciating her work. I think you probably get more of her essence of her through her own novels.
Thanks. (Stella Bowen and I share a home town, by the way!)
Fancy that!
*phase*
Really interesting, Kate. I’m also fascinated by literary friendships. Thank you again for a great post :)
I love this look at literary female friendships - I look forward to more in this series. It’s great to see how literary greats supported each other and how their writing was influenced by others. Thank you for sharing :)
Thank you :) I find it so interesting that a lot of the women I research found support from other women writers. Just like now, it's so important to connect with other creatives who get what you're trying to do.
Fascinating stuff! I was engrossed by Wide Sargasso Sea when I read it at A-level. Thank you for all of the insights and suggestions.
I'm glad you found them useful! Thank you for reading :)
You find the best in between stories! Really fascinating. I need to dig into your references when I’m back from holidays. Just finished The Memory Police which is a Japanese dystopian story, but one that centres around a novelist and her editor. It’s an intriguing relationship in many ways.
Sounds interesting! I love books around writers/editors and that kind of thing.