I am very interested in your comments. I think I have alad hready mentioned how much I enjoy reading Penelope Fitzgerald. I am not at all sure about what you actually mean by the word prodigy. Also it seems that you imply somehow that trauma of various sorts might have been good for her work. I can't understand that viewpoint really. I think she probably inherited some good genes and was highly intelligent and worked extremely hard. I also thought Hermione Lees book excellent particularly on the writing of each of her books.
I an aware of James Wood and intend to read him- I have only come across him in the LRB and have only been reading he NYRB for a short time. I am interested in what you say about her being an European novelist in the widest sense. I would like to get into Fitzgerald's biographies- Charlotte Mew seems to be having a revival! . Many thanks for your fascinating post.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for your comment. I just meant prodigy to mean a young person who achieves something big and impressive. Totally agree on your view of her. I do think the difficulties she had were turned into great fiction and informed her moral view. She wrote to Frank Kermode after her reviewed 'Offshore' saying, 'not being wanted is a positive condition.' That is a moral view she developed out of her experiences.
Her book on the Knox Brothers is excellent. Yes, there's a new biog of Mew coming out I think.
Offshore is wonderful, especially the way she writes about children, and the deMorgan tiles. There's a rocky marriage in it (as there is in The Beginning of Spring) and it has the haunting line: 'all distances are the same to those who don't meet.'
It was her uncle, Ronald Knox. Her grandfathers were evangelical, and one uncle was an atheist. She wrote a group biography of them all. Here's Ronald's Wikipedia page: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Knox
Having just finished reading Offshore, I found your article fascinating and it answered many questions about the novel. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it! Bernard Levin's review really gets it right on Offshore, I think, if you have The Times archive access.
I am very interested in your comments. I think I have alad hready mentioned how much I enjoy reading Penelope Fitzgerald. I am not at all sure about what you actually mean by the word prodigy. Also it seems that you imply somehow that trauma of various sorts might have been good for her work. I can't understand that viewpoint really. I think she probably inherited some good genes and was highly intelligent and worked extremely hard. I also thought Hermione Lees book excellent particularly on the writing of each of her books.
I an aware of James Wood and intend to read him- I have only come across him in the LRB and have only been reading he NYRB for a short time. I am interested in what you say about her being an European novelist in the widest sense. I would like to get into Fitzgerald's biographies- Charlotte Mew seems to be having a revival! . Many thanks for your fascinating post.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for your comment. I just meant prodigy to mean a young person who achieves something big and impressive. Totally agree on your view of her. I do think the difficulties she had were turned into great fiction and informed her moral view. She wrote to Frank Kermode after her reviewed 'Offshore' saying, 'not being wanted is a positive condition.' That is a moral view she developed out of her experiences.
Her book on the Knox Brothers is excellent. Yes, there's a new biog of Mew coming out I think.
Thanks for reading!
So interesting. I have only read The Bookshop, which I enjoyed. But you've inspired me to try Offshore, at least
Offshore is wonderful, especially the way she writes about children, and the deMorgan tiles. There's a rocky marriage in it (as there is in The Beginning of Spring) and it has the haunting line: 'all distances are the same to those who don't meet.'
It would be interesting to learn how many of her ancestors were Catholic clergymen.
It would be interesting to know which of her ancestors were Catholic clergymen.
It was her uncle, Ronald Knox. Her grandfathers were evangelical, and one uncle was an atheist. She wrote a group biography of them all. Here's Ronald's Wikipedia page: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Knox