Stuck in a Book

I’ve been busy today writing my thesis on [clears throat] Semiotics and the Unspoken in 1890s and 1950s Theatre. Yes sirree. That’s the subtitle, actually – the title is ‘The Inheritance of Props’, an oh-so-funny pun that not many people have understood. The Inheritance of Loss… The Inheritance of Props… geddit? Never mind.

So I’m afraid this is another relatively book-less blog. I actually have a little pile of ones I’ve finished recently which I want to write about, but all require rather more brain power than I currently have – so instead I’ll point you in the direction of something I discovered after my recent post on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (possibly the most delight I’ve taken in a blog post ever, it was such fun).

Not only has Alice found her way to Simon at Savidge Reads (you can often see us both commenting on the same blogs, Simon S and Simon T, endearing really) but also to the silver screen. According to IMDB.com there have been 26 films or TV programmes with ‘Alice’ and ‘Wonderland’ in the title – irritatingly most follow my pet peeve of calling it ‘Alice in Wonderland’ rather than ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. Tsk! BUT the one I wanted to draw to your attention will be coming out in 2010 – and who else but Tim Burton could direct it? He really is the perfect choice – his zaniness and humour should go perfectly with Lewis Carroll’s.

And it’s got an impressive cast, too. Since it’s Tim Burton we of course have Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, and alongside them are Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman (I can hear Elaine’s shrieks of joy from here), Stephen Fry, Timothy Spall, Michael Sheen, Christopher Lee, Geraldine James, Frances de la Tour, Crispin Glover… Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is one of those texts where parts could be given to more or less anyone. Stephen Fry will be the Chesire Cat – why not? And Alan Rickman the Caterpillar – sure, ok! Matt Lucas was born to play Tweedledum and Tweedledee, though.

And Alice? A relative unknown: Mia Wasikoska. She’s only nineteen, so not quite the child Alice is supposed to be, but perhaps enough ingenue about her for it to work. I can’t wait for the film – hopefully the wonderful story of Alice will survive all the stars being thrown at it, and the film will be a classic rather than a moving red carpet. Well, we’ll have to wait and see – in the meantime I’m getting ready for a re-read when I’m at home…

What wonderful suggestions for yesterday’s question – thank you one and all. I’m especially encouraged to break my Elizabeth von Arnim novice status (own five; have read none) and read The Enchanted April. It’s down in Somerset at the moment, but I’ll be there in – appropriately enough – April, and hopefully the weather will still be lovely and Spring-like. Do keep suggestions coming.

The other tome I turned to today was Afternoon Teas: Homemade Bakes & Party Cakes which may or may not be by Valerie Ferguson (the cover claims this; Amazon claim Martha Day) – either way the recipes are actually submitted by a couple dozen different people, according to the page of publication info. Anyway, this book is absolutely beautiful to look at and flick through, even before you start baking – I can’t remember if Our Vicar’s Wife or Santa gave me this, but many thanks to whichever it was!

I don’t read many Foody Blogs, but am always breathless with admiration at those – especially Karen at Cornflower – who seem able effortlessly to bake and cook elaborate and complex things every day of the week. Phrases like “left to soak in cider overnight” and “blanched in white wine vinegar” are thrown around nonchalantly, and accompanied by photographs which are indistinguishable from those in the cookbook. Now, it’s no secret that I love baking, and my mother was once described as having ‘baking Tourettes’, but this visual thing never seems to work out for me when I steer away from your simple sponge cake. I can make things which taste very nice (and in baking it’s difficult to make anything which doesn’t taste nice – I mean it’s basically fat and sugar and a few other bits and pieces) – but presentation… not so much.

Nothing daunted, I went to Sainsbury’s (I drove there on my own! The first time I’d driven on my own anywhere!) and bought up most of their baking aisle. Afternoon Teas has some wonderful recipes in it, but I had settled on the Apricot Brandy-Snap Roulade. Mmmm. I was a little perturbed by the recipe not having any indication of difficulty, since some of the ones described as ‘easy’ looked terrifyingly difficult – I think the various contributors are the sort of people who sometimes accidentally make Victoria sponges just by walking through the kitchen, so where we mere mortals struggle to separate eggs successfully, they’ll have whipped up a five tier cake using only matchsticks.

And Mel (my housemate) and I got to work. It was all going so well. We whisked and we folded and we baked and we pureed. All was well until we had to roll the roulade… oops. We forgot to keep a slightly damp cloth over the cooling almond sponge, and thus it got too dry… Apricot Cream Sandwich, anyone? (And whoever thought four crushed brandy-snaps would adequately cover the surface were horribly wrong)

Can you tell which is the picture and which is our product? (Mel’s hands might help)
I was very much reminded of the hilarious website cakewrecks.blogspot.com, but as we’re very far from professional, we’re not eligible for submission.
But, boy, this tasted AMAZING. For anyone who buys this book (and on Amazon there are pretty cheap marketplace copies) and gives the recipe a go, I recommend not pureeing all the apricots – keep some to chop up and include like that. Less cream and more brandy-snaps, and you’re away. And follow all the instructions, unlike me…

Yes, still, despite this fiasco, I encourage any fans of the English afternoon tea to go and get a copy of this recipe book. As well as different cakes (Caramel Meringe Gateau with Sloe Gin, White Chocolate Cappuccino Gateau, the Summer Shortcake on the cover… so many…) there are sections on cookies, scones, breads, jams, and novelty cakes. I dread to think what would emerge if I tried to make the Terracotta Flowerpot cake). All of them look delicious. Even if you’re not the best baker in the world, the pictures and lay-out are done so well that you can salivate over them before popping out to the local cake shop…

It’s been a beautiful week here in Oxford – sunny, but not too hot, with unmistakably scents and sounds of spring weaving throughout the city.

Some books are calling out to be read in certain places. Tara at Books and Cooks recently wrote about ‘Just Right’ books – ones which perfectly fit the time and place and mood you’re reading them in. For me, that has to include weather and setting. Tove Jansson’s A Winter Book turned out to be perfectly fitted to a windy beach in 2007; Jane Austen is wonderful in winter by the fireside. What book is perfect for a meadow in spring? Not too hot, but sunny and breezy and the sense of new life everywhere?

Suggestions, please! I’ve just started Hallucinating Foucault by Patricia Dunbar, but, good though it is, I don’t really think it qualifies.

My book group always has discussion points separate to the discussion of the book in question (favourite hero in literature; books which evoke place; most overrated books – those sort of things) and yesterday we had the simple topic ‘favourite poetry’.

And I always hit a bit of an obstacle.

There are some poems I love – a while ago I compiled a favourite eight for my friend Barbara, which I’ll share sometime if I can remember – but, aside from a small selection, poetry usually leaves me cold. Perhaps because I read quite fast, and have to really slow myself down for poetry? Perhaps because I nearly went mad trying to read The Faerie Queene? I don’t know. But I’d be happy to hear about your favourite poetry, and maybe put me back on the straight and narrow.

But I will also take a leaf out of Becca’s book, and give a poem of the day – this battles out with some AA Milne, Psalm 51 and a sonnet or two of Shakespeare’s, for my favourite poem. So atmospheric, so chilling.
(the image from this link, was a flickr image intended for the poem)

THE LISTENERS by: Walter de la Mare ‘IS there anybody there?’ said the Traveller, Knocking on the moonlit door; And his horse in the silence champ’d the grasses Of the forest’s ferny floor: And a bird flew up out of the turret, Above the Traveller’s head: And he smote upon the door again a second time; ‘Is there anybody there?’ he said. But no one descended to the Traveller; No head from the leaf-fringed sill Lean’d over and look’d into his grey eyes, Where he stood perplex’d and still. But only a host of phantom listeners That dwelt in the lone house then Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight To that voice from the world of men: Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair, That goes down to the empty hall, Hearkening in an air stirr’d and shaken By the lonely Traveller’s call. And he felt in his heart their strangeness, Their stillness answering his cry, While his horse moved, cropping the dark turf, ‘Neath the starr’d and leafy sky; For he suddenly smote on the door, even Louder, and lifted his head:– ‘Tell them I came, and no one answer’d, That I kept my word,’ he said. Never the least stir made the listeners, Though every word he spake Fell echoing through the shadowiness of the still house From the one man left awake: Ay, they heard his foot upon the stirrup, And the sound of iron on stone, And how the silence surged softly backward, When the plunging hoofs were gone.

More housekeeping – have slightly changed the way in which comments are added to the blog. If this doesn’t work then… erm… I guess you’ll have to email me (simondavidthomas@yahoo.co.uk) because clearly you can’t comment to say the comments don’t work!

I stumbled across some exciting book news yesterday.
As you might know, I love the works of Tove Jansson – and I’ve reviewed The Summer Book, A Winter Book, and Fair Play in various places on Stuck-in-a-Book. And now I find that, in October, they’ll be publishing another Jansson novel – The True Deceiver. Sounds a little different from the others – this from the Amazon website:

In the deep winter snows of a Swedish hamlet, a strange young woman fakes a break-in at the house of an elderly artist in order to persuade her that she needs companionship. But what does she hope to gain by doing this? And who ultimately is deceiving whom? In this portrayal of two women grappling with truth and lies, nothing can be taken for granted. By the time the snow thaws, both their lives will have changed irrevocably.

Can’t wait! The Sort Of Books publications are always such beautiful objects, and I’m delighted that Thomas Teal is translating more and more Jansson books. If you’ve not read any before, start with either the Summer or Winter books, not Fair Play – that’s more of an acquired taste, I think.

Other bits and pieces which I’ve seen or had emailed to me lately…

Colin (aka The Carbon Copy) has written a witty and, to my mind, entirely accurate review of The Catcher in the Rye. Read it here, if you scroll down to the March 15th entry, especially if – like me – you’ve never understood why people like Holden. I quote Col’s review: ‘whiny, hypocritical, deadbeat loser’.

Natasha Mostert won ‘The Book to Talk About 2009’ from Spread the Word – more info here. This is the award Stuck-in-a-Book favourite Speaking of Love (by Angela Young) was shortlisted for last year.

Soizick Meister emailed me about her website showing her humorous, surreal and generally beautiful paintings, with some nice book influences (see pic) – do go and have a look. I’m always interested to hear about artists websites, either from the artist themselves or just a fan, so keep ’em coming!

www.lowlylizards.com – Peter Pnin emailed me about this innovative and unique poetry website

Right, to wrap up Persephone 10th Birthday celebration week, I’m going to give away a Persephone book and give the answers to the quiz I posted earlier in the week. Look away now if you don’t want to know the results.

First off, the Persephone celebratory prize goes to… Donnafugata! Or possible Donna Fugata, I’m not sure. If you could email me your address to simondavidthomas@yahoo.co.uk and your choice of Persephone Book, I’ll get it off to you as soon as possible. You went for A Very Great Profession or The Shuttle in your comment – well, I’ve not read the latter, but I can heartily recommend the former.

And now the quiz. It was a little difficult, and I applaud lethe’s amazing attempt. Anyone who wants to test their Persephone knowledge – skip the rest of this post and have a go! Otherwise, here are the questions and answers:

1) Dorothy Whipple is the author with the most Persephone books under her belt – who’s second?
Marghanita Laski (with The Victorian Chaise-Longue, The Village and Little Boy Lost)

2) Three of Persephone’s books were originally published in the 19th century. How many can you name?
Reuben Sachs – Amy Levy
The Runaway – Elizabeth Anna Hart
The Young Pretenders – Edith Henrietta Fowler

3) Which Persephone reprint has sold the most copies?
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day – Winifred Watson

4) One of the Persephone titles has been filmed as The Reckless Moment (1949) and The Deep End (2001) – which one?
The Blank Wall – Elisabeth Sanxay Holding

5) By my reckoning, 7 of the Persephone authors are male – name as many as you can!
Leonard Woolf (The Wise Virgins)
Denis Mackail (Greenery Street)
Vicomte de Mauduit (They Can’t Ration These)
Nicholas Mosley (Julian Grenfell)
R.C. Sherriff (The Fortnight in September; The Hopkins Manuscript)
Ambrose Heath (Good Food on the Aga)
Duff Cooper (Operation Heartbreak)

6) Which Persephone novel features the character Alex Clare and a convent?
Consequences – EM Delafield

7) Which Persephone author’s real name was Kathleen Beauchamp?
Katherine Mansfield

8) Name the longest and shortest Persephone books.
The Victorian Chaise-Longue – Marghanita Laski (shortest, 120pp)
Few Eggs and No Oranges – Vere Hodgson (longest, 624pp)

9) Fill in the place names in Persephone titles:
Good Things in — : Florence White
Farewell — Square : Betty Miller
The — Stories : Katherine Mansfield
A — Child of the 1870s : Molly Hughes
England
Leicester
Montana
London

10) And, a really difficult one to finish with, can you remember the titles of the Spring 2009 Persephones, yet to be published!
Making Conversation – Christine Longford (look out for a review soon)
Amours de Voyage – Arthur Hugh Clough
The Other Elizabeth Taylor – Nicola Beauman (can’t wait for this!)

Simon S (of Savidge Reads) asks which Persephone Books I’d recommend – well, there’s a question!

We’ve all been putting our favourites in the comments of this post, so lots of good ideas there, but I’ll put a few of my suggestions in this post, briefly. The little images are the endpapers for the book.

Family Roundabout by Richmal Crompton
The book that brought me to Persephone, this tale of two families with very different matriachs is told, as with all Crompton’s novels, in a way that makes compulsive reading as well as presenting a large but very memorable cast of characters. Crompton isn’t always a world-class prose stylist, if you take chunks in isolation, but her novels are filled with fascinating characters and addictive to read.

Hostages to Fortune by Elizabeth Cambridge
This Oxfordshire novel is all about a family quietly struggling to bring up their children and maintain the marriage they envisioned at the beginning. Beautifully and simply written, this is another novel without an overly dramatic plot, but an incredible understanding of human characer.

Tea With Mr. Rochester by Frances Towers
Persephone’s range of short story collections don’t always get the attention they deserve. I’ve not yet read the celebrated collections by Elizabeth Berridge and Mollie Panter-Downes, but can heartily recommend Frances Towers’ delicate gems of stories – comparisons with Katherine Mansfield are not unjustified. I found ‘The Chosen and The Rejected’ especially poignant. And yes, the title does refer to the Mr. Rochester.

The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski
A chilling novella in which a woman, lying on her chaise-longue in the 1950s, is transported to the 1860s. Evocative and atmospheric and memorable, this book also has a striking message and is brilliantly written. And you know how I love short books.

There Were No Windows by Norah Hoult
Based on a real author and her descent into dementia, this novel might sound cheerless but actually combines a sombre topic with a real wittiness – entirely respectful to the illness and its victims, but refusing to quash laughter at life.

So, there you are, a few of my favourites from the past few years – I love so many of them that these were just the first to spring to mind. I talked about Someone at a Distance the other day, and Dorothy Whipple is probably the best ‘way in’ to Persephone and the most representative, but any of these five would also work a treat.

Is it a coincidence that this week of grey-covered celebration is also one where I’m shaking my fists at modern technology?

Today we’re moving onto Persephone Quarterlies – if I were feeling in a literary theory mood I’d describe them as institutional paratexts, but as it is I’ll call them journally bookish things.

There are 32 PQs and, so far, four Persephone Biannuallies, since the books started coming out every six months instead of every three. Accompanying the new publications of Persephones, the first few pages are always concerned with the new titles – the authors’ biography and some details about the books. But there is so much more to these. Elaine from RandomJottings very kindly gave me a present of all the past PQs – and so I’ve been able to read along with the very early PQs, which really make the reader feel they’re part of the process.

I’m heading to bed, so can’t think of anything more that I wanted to say about the PQs… except that they further demonstrate why Persephone are both so great and so addictive. They make readers feel even more involved in the company, and love the books as a collection. I can’t think of any other publisher which strikes the chords of nostalgia and community in quite the same way.