Stuck in a Book

Just back from a very nice weekend in Somerset with Our Vicar, Our Vicar’s Wife and The Carbon Copy – enjoyed the sunshine and fields and helping build a Kenyan hut’s roof. It was never a normal upbringing, was it? Whilst at home I collected my new ‘phone, which had been delivered there, and so Albert is my new ear-companion; farewell Orsino. Orsino (whose menu button is broken) was named after the Duke in Twelfth Night, of course, while Albert (who was bought because I wanted something dull and reliable; a Nokia) is after Queen Victoria’s late husband, since dull and reliable were the watchwords of the Victorians.

Stuck-in-a-Book couldn’t be considered the centre of technological advancement in the Western World, but I got an interesting email this week from Litopia, a podcast about writing and all related malarkey. As far as I’m aware, podcasts are like radio, but released over the internet on a regular basis. Actually, what is the difference between radio and podcast? Someone tell me, if they know… All the news they gave is below for your perusal, but I’ll give you my viewpoint for now…

True, I’ve only had time to listen to one podcast – it’s the one from 1st June – and I’m impressed! The discussion was wide-ranging – what started with Dickens’ desk coming up for auction wended into Abe Lincoln’s hair and Britney Spears’ chewing gum… Are writing courses the new mental hospitals? Robert McCrum talks about how the literary world has changed over the past ten years; James Bond and plagiarism… A wonderful mixing pot of popular interest and highbrow topics, some witty commentators, and the amusing phenomenon of ‘ [comma] England’ being added after every place name.

Pop along and have a listen. Nice to see bookishness taking over everywhere…

THE WORLD’S FIRST DAILY PODCAST FOR WRITERS IS HERE

London, UK. LITOPIA DAILY is the world’s first daily podcast for
writers. Employing a combination of leading-edge technology and
old-fashioned showmanship, it aims to become an indispensible part of every
writer’s day. The team behind LITOPIA DAILY are particularly keen to solicit
news and contributions from writers everywhere – especially from
non-traditional sources – and they have an easy and innovative method to
facilitate contributions.

HISTORY

Six months ago, Litopia Writers’ Colony launched the first weekly panel
show for writers – LITOPIA AFTER DARK. Hosted by Peter Cox, the show
quickly attracted rave reviews (winning an unequalled 9.5 marks out of
ten on the review site Podwatch). Every week, thousands of listeners
download LITOPIA AFTER DARK shows – making it one of the fastest-growing
podcasts in the world. Guests have included some of the most exciting
and innovative figures in writing and publishing.

Building on that success, Litopia Writers’ Colony is proud to launch
the world’s first daily podcast for writers – LITOPIA DAILY. Says host
Peter Cox:

“With things changing so quickly in the publishing industry, it makes
sense to produce a short, daily podcast where writers can get their
daily fix of news, comment and – we know what you like – entertainment,
too. LITOPIA DAILY is going to be succinct and to the point – it’ll give
you what you need to know when, or before, you need to know it. Like a
morning coffee, it’ll set you up for the day!”

INTRODUCING THE OPEN INBOX

“LITOPIA DAILY is in the vanguard”, says Peter. “So, as you’d expect
from us, we’re doing something very radical indeed. We call it – the
Open Inbox.”

Litopia’s Open Inbox is a simple web address that allows contributors
to drop anything into the inbox… notes… pictures… faxes… phone messages…
and e-mails, of course. “We go through our Open Inbox several times
every day, looking for great material to include in the next day’s show”
says Peter.

“Not everything will make it”, he adds, “but material that’s witty and
original – and short and sharp -stands a very good chance of getting
included.”

DROP OFF A COMMENT

Eve Harvey, Podcast officer for Litopia Writers’ Colony, explains how
contributors will use it. “You might want to send us a note about your
new book that’s coming out”, she say. “Or send us a press release.
Or, you might want to record a phone message to give a comment on
yesterday’s show. Yes – the Open Inbox will take phone calls, too! Or maybe
you’d like to upload a file of some kind – perhaps, an audio file for
possible inclusion in LITOPIA DAILY.”

Litopia’s Open Inbox uses cutting-edge technology pioneered by Drop.io.
Simple instructions are given on the page here:

http://www.drop.io/litopia

The new show launches its public beta schedule from June 9th. “We’re
feeling our way” says Peter, “just as we did with LITOPIA AFTER DARK,
which took some months to naturally evolve. I don’t think listeners will
mind a work in progress to begin with. We really do want LITOPIA
DAILY to become an important part of writing life on the internet. And we
hope that our listeners will become an active part of this very
exciting new venture! ”

CONTACT DETAILS

• Unlike many forms of old media, we positively want to make it as
easy as possible for you to interact with us. We really do want to hear
from you! Contact us through our Drop.io address:

http://www.drop.io/litopia

• LITOPIA DAILY is constantly looking for interesting special guests
to take part in the show. Publicists looking to book a client or an
author are welcome to send an e-mail to Litopia’s Open Inbox with brief
details of the author concerned. Guest are booked approximately six
weeks ahead, and they are trailed in advance both on the website and also
in RSS feeds.

• Important: Any and all material sent to LITOPIA DAILY may be
broadcast. By sending us material, contribution or communication, the
contributor warrants that they are the legal owner and grants LITIOPIA DAILY an
irrevocable, non-exclusive license to use the material in any way seen
fit.

Booking Through Thursday time again, and a very good question this week which has got me thinking…

Have your book-tastes changed over the years? More fiction? Less? Books that are darker and more serious? Lighter and more frivolous? Challenging? Easy? How-to books over novels? Mysteries over Romance?

Well, there was a definite change in my tastes between 1985 and 1990…

Hmm. I suppose I’d be better qualified to answer this question in a few decades’ time, since I’m only twenty-two, and haven’t really had time to alter my reading patterns since I started reading ‘grown-up books’. Those started to appear on my horizon when I was about thirteen – up unto that point I’d gone from Enid Blyton to Goosebumps to Point Horror, with only some dips into Agatha Christie which could really count as more mature material. That’s an interesting development in my reading, actually – I certainly couldn’t cope with horror now, unless it’s heavily tempered by exaggerated Gothic aspects, such as Shirley Jackson’s novels.

So, interwar domestic literature became my reading choice of choice, and to a large extent it still is. I suppose my reading trends have mostly developed into being more widespread, because of a far-reaching English degree, and latterly all the review books I read. If it were up to me, I probably wouldn’t read so many modern books – but I don’t get sent much by authors writing in the 1930s, funnily enough! I try and dabble in more foreign works now, and more non-fiction (though still almost always connected with literature in some way). So perhaps I’m in the midst of a widening phase, and will settle with some favourites in a few years’ time. I wouldn’t like to spend the rest of my reading life trying out new things all the time – it would be like always trying to find a comfortable chair, and never buying one. By all means, dip toes in lots of pies (to mix metaphors in a rather unhygenic way), but I need a comfort zone to which to retreat. Or, rather, quality guaranteed.

Over to you…

I think it was Becca‘s post about Daphne du Maurier, and my recent purchase of Letters from Menabilly, which got me thinking about authors’ houses, and visiting them. A while ago my friend Barbara-from-Ludlow wrote to me, mentioning a course she was running – the importance of the horse in literature; as an extra character; providing atmosphere etc. etc…. I was bemused until I realised that I had misread ‘horse’ where she had in fact written ‘house’… !

Authors’ own homes are fascinating. I find it really interesting to see where other bloggers are blogging from – and have provided shots of my views in Magdalen and Somerset – but it is even more engaging to seek out the stamping grounds of my favourite writers. Sometimes these are open to the public – like Jane Austen’s lovely home in Hampshire, Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Batemans’, and Thomas Hardy’s in Dorset – others, like AA Milne’s and EM Delafield’s aren’t. In fact, with both of those, I had to use my knowledge from biographies to find the house – the photos are below – and took the photos illicitly by running down the driveways.. It is Milne’s and Delafield’s which felt most special, because, being privately owned, it felt more like I was visiting them rather than a tourist attraction. I suppose seeing the home is a step away from visiting the author; makes them more tangible and almost friendly.

E. M. Delafield’s in Kentisbeare, Devon – I first went there in 2005, and lost the photo when my computer crashed. Our Vicar’s Wife very kindly took this picture for me on a return visit through the village.

AA Milne’s house in East Sussex, hidden away along a rough track – a very special moment for me. Taken in the days before the digital camera, so this is a photo of a photo… it sat on my wall at university, and confused those who thought I lived there (I wish!)

Which authors’ houses have you visited? Open to the public or, like me, hunted out? Do tell…

Some photos I took during my day out yesterday…

The view from the park where I had my ice cream… and later fell asleep on top of my book (no indictment of the book, which was excellent)

A lot of Malvern is an beautiful mixture of maintained and natural – none of the fussiness of some cities’ parks, but still well looked after.

If anyone fancies buying me a house, then I would be willing to accept this one…

I accidentally discovered the world’s smallest theatre! (Shown both above and below) Converted from a Victorian lavatory, it hosts a tiny theatre, which at the moment does shows on request. Sadly, I made no such request, but next time might be tempted. Tis wittily called The Theatre of Small Convenience, and they even have a website. Apparently they were on BBC’s The One Show recently.

On a whim, I took myself off to Malvern today. For those not in the know, it’s a spa town in Worcestershire, not a million miles away from where I grew up. The Malvern Hills surround it, and are favourites for hill-climbers, but Malvern also posts some pretty parks, amazing views, and creditable secondhand bookshops. Thus, I read books, ate ice creams (well, just the one), bought books and fell asleep on a lawn. Beautiful weather, and a great day out – very much enjoyed myself.

AND I bought some books, as I mentioned. One of my favourite bookshops in the world is The Malvern Bookshop – two floors of an old house turned into a bookshop, so that all the rooms retain the feel of homeliness. Not bad prices, and they had AA Milne’s autobiography on the counter. I also had the pleasure, perhaps unkindly, of listening to a lady trying to flog her valueless books to the friendly, but honest, shopowner.

Anyway – here’s my haul.

A Talent To Annoy: Essays, Journalism and Reviews by Nancy Mitford ed. Charlotte Mosley – I saw this mentioned in the Mitford letters, and had a nice response from Mrs. Mosley today to an appreciative letter I sent her, so thought I’d add to my Mitfordmania.

Letters from Menabilly – Daphne du Maurier (ed. Oriel Malet) – letters between du M and Malet, can’t wait.

Jennie – Paul Gallico – a few people have recommended this here. Peter the Flautist, Cornflower? I love cats, I love animorphism… what’s not to love?

Flowers for Mrs. Harris – Paul Gallico – more Gallico for good measure. Anyone read?

The Sense of Humour – Stephen Potter – an anthology of British humour, with intriguing linking sections by Potter, such as ‘Humour of Release’; ‘Criticism by Parody’; ‘Humour of Situation’ etc. etc. – sounds invaluable, and probably very… humorous.

First of all, the sketches for Year One are all now collected together, and the link is in the left-hand column. Phew, job done!

I thought I’d try a meme I saw at Tara’s blog Books and Cooks, which originated on Heather’s site Errant Thoughts. I added the ‘u’s myself…

1. Who’s your all-time favourite author, and why?Too hard. My all-time top five are Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, AA Milne, Richmal Crompton and EM Delafield. There are quite a few other authors who are responsible for my favourite books, but these five prove consistent – they’ve written lots of book each which I consider amongst my favourites.
2. Who was your first favourite author, and why? Do you still consider him or her among your favourites? Good question! There are a few authors – like Stephen Leacock and, to an extent, AA Milne – who were amongst my favourite authors when I started reading non-children’s books, and I haven’t tested the water for some years. My favourite author as a child was Enid Blyton – because I read little else for years and years, I missed out on quite a few children’s classics. It did teach me the joys of author-obsession, though…
3. Who’s the most recent addition to your list of favourite authors, and why?Barbara Comyns catapaulted herself from ‘like’ to ‘love’ with Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead. Tove Jansson is quite a new love, relatively anyway, but the top five I mentioned earlier have been steady favourites for some time.
4. If someone asked you who your favourite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth? Are there any you’d add on a moment of further reflection?Someone did, and the answer was question one! With further reflection… that’s when I’d probably start talking about those who’ve written my favourite books (Frank Baker deserves a mention somewhere for Miss Hargreaves, even if Before I Go Hence wasn’t a favourite novel) – and to wonder which of a modern crowd will merit the title. Angela Young? Janni Visman? Neil Grimmett? The list can only keep growing.

I’ll tag some people – so many to choose from! – no pressure, but join in if you fancy it (and anyone else who wants to do it, of course):
Oxford-reader
Our Vicar’s Wife
Random Jottings
Angela Young
Crafty Person

Of late I’ve been having what can only be called a Pride and Prejudice fest. In the past few weeks I’ve re-read the book, watched the BBC 1995 version, and watched the 2005 film. My love of the novel – and it is rare enough to admire and adore something equally! – is well known. I don’t think I’ve spoken much of the adaptations on this blog, though I daresay they’ve been mentioned on occasion.

1995 BBC… well, this is the production which should be the benchmark for all literary adaptation. True, I saw it before I read the novel (I was 9 when it was released) but, even after discovering Jane Austen’s work to be superior to Andrew Davies’ working of it, I whole-heartedly love this version. Davies took the all-too-rare approach of using the novel’s dialogue in his adaptation for the majority. Since Jane Austen is the finest writer of dialogue I have ever come across, not to mention the wittiest, it always seems vainglorious for a scriptwriter to inject their own pearls. Just don’t. Stoppit.
And the acting! Every actor is perfect for their character, and Jennifer Ehle presents the definitive Elizabeth Bennet. Oh, and Colin Firth of course… (incidentally, did you know that collenferth is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning stout hearted?) One of my few reservations about this Pride and Prejudice is that we can’t see the development of Lizzie’s thoughts and affections as subtly and emotionally as they’re presented in the novel, but of course this must be true for any adaptation; and Jennifer Ehle’s wonderfully expressive eyes say more than most actresses could with pages of script. Every member of the cast was wonderful, and the series is one I could re-watch once a week for the rest of my life without reluctance.

2005 film… was there any point? Having made more or less the finest adaptation possible, could cramming the story into two hours be a worthwhile endeavour? There was never any chance for equally Davies’ adaptation with so little time – the pace of Pride and Prejudice is frenetic; whoever said nothing happens in Jane Austen must, like most of her opponents, never have read her. And the casting and directing… Darcy is sulky rather than proud; Bingley daft rather than amiable. Keira Knightley does a creditable job, and would be worthy of applause, had not Jennifer Ehle set such a high standard. Blenda Blethyn’s portrayal of Mrs. Bennet’s is admirable – Alison Steadman was criticised for going over the top in the 1995 version, but on re-reading the novel I remember just how over the top Mrs. Bennet is. Even Dame Judi Dench isn’t as good as her counterpart, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, in the role of Lady Catherine.
The chief culprits for this adaptation, though, are the scriptwriters. Ok, you can’t fit in everything that’s in the novel – but why change things? Why add things? Why take dialogue from the mouth of one character and place it another’s? The Oprah-moment from Charlotte Lucas…
And the directing. The near-kiss once Elizabeth has rejected Darcy? Throwing in Wuthering Heights when things get dull, so that the hero must wander around the moors in the rain….
My reaction upon watching it today was not as severe as when I saw it in the cinema, but it has confirmed in my mind the brilliance of the 1995 version, and I shall clutch the DVD of it to my chest with glee. Or, indeed, I might put it in the DVD player.

Well, some more sketches are now up and linked in yesterday’s post, but there is still some way to go! Takes quite a while, though, and I’m not feeling 100%, so shall finish the job another day. Hope it proves an interesting, if slightly baffling, reference!

Finished Pride and Prejudice this evening (a re-read) and delighted in every page. I read it in 2001, and not since, so it has been a pleasure only heightened by anticipation. Of course, having re-read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility this year, the danger is that Emma is just around the corner… and I really must give Persuasion another go. Though I’ve been told I’m probably not old enough yet to appreciate it… well, I’m only going to get older!

These are the sketches from my first year of blogging – most of ’em only make sense in context, so click on them for a link to the relevant post. They’re intended to be fun rather than demonstrating great artistic ability, I must confess, so in that light – enjoy!