I'm going to be talking on a panel at 12.30pm on Monday 12th September about Heroes and Villains, alongside Anne Sebba, Daisy Waugh, Christopher Stevens, and Melissa Katsoulis (who should win a prize for the cleverest book cover, don't you think?). The conversation will doubtless range between Coco Chanel, Wallis Simpson, Rudolph Valentino, and much else besides. Hopefully, there will be an audience, because last time I appeared at the Ham & High festival, a couple of years ago, with my lovely friend Judy Summers, there were less than a dozen people in the audience, and most of them were Judy's family (though my oldest son also came, loyally...) I seem to remember she had a very successful book in the bestseller lists at the time, but we both felt like complete losers and festival failures (worsened by the fact that we are north London locals born and bred; though perhaps failure is good for the soul in these and other circumstances).
On the bright side, I'm looking forward to meeting such a distinguished list of panelists, and hoping that they bring oodles of fans with them.
7 comments:
Interesting coincidence - I have just been having an online discussion on a book group I belong to, with a woman who has just read the very old ghosted autobiography of Wallis. Cannot convince this lady that it would probably not be an accurate account! She firmly believes Wallis has been misunderstood and was simply "impetuous" so will be interested to hear what Anne Sebba has to say. I think I will order her new book and see for myself.
Goofd luck for a great audience!
If I wasn't going to the dentist, I'd speed up to London and come and see you! Good luck with it though - sure there'll be loads of people there!
am sure that all the regular bloggers will be in virtual reality audience. Sending loads of good wishes for the talk.
Thanks so much. We could talk for an hour about Wallis alone -- let alone Chanel et al. Enid, if only you were back around the corner in north London.
JW: I'm interested to hear that there was a ghosted autobiography of Wallis -- as you say, probably somewhat self-serving.
Ox~R: good luck with the dentist.
As a full-blown Penguin junkie I absolutely adore that book cover!
What a fascinating subject Wallis was, her and the Duke of Windsor. That strange, wandering existence and exile must have been very lonely in some ways.
I was thinking of that film 'I am Love,' in the beginning when Emma's husband helps her put on these magnificent gold cuffs, Buccellati, perhaps. They are like handcuffs, weighting her down in the gilded cage of her existence. I think Wallis was like that, a bit, all the palaces she would never reign over concentrated into those glittering Cartier jewels, trapping her just as effectively...
Have a wonderful time at your panel!
I don't know from what part of my psyche it comes, but I have an obsession with biographies too. (That's how I first picked up Daphne).
I am totally fascinated with people's motives, influences, impulses, conjunctions etc and sometimes these are fairly obvious and understandable but I guess the fascination and frustration with Wallis is that we'll never really know for sure.
Hope the discussion went well today. There was a good BBC 4 programme about Wallis the other night, she seems to be having a bit of a moment again.
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