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Letter
On Nicola’s recommendation, I saw Mike Leigh’s play 2000 Years this
week at The
National Theatre . I went with great interest and subdued expectation,
for despite listening to Nicola extol its praises, the production received
very mixed reviews.
One reason for the striking disparity in opinion is the story’s simplicity.
It is about an ordinary middle-class Jewish family in Cricklewood in 2005.
Predictable and clichéd at times (one is often able to finish the sentence
of the characters or thinks, I’ve heard this conversation before in my
home), it is this utter normality that, paradoxically, makes the play great.
Similarly, at Persephone Books, we try and publish novels that deal, like 2000
Years, with ordinary families and the everyday details that constitute
their lives.
This does not, by any means, exclude men. William – an
Englishman, Persephone Book No 1 and the subject of our first
Persephone Book Group book, epitomises the theme of the ordinary man’s
life. Earlier this month, twenty-five women spanning six decades in age,
packed the shop and enthusiastically engaged with the story. We had an
illuminating discussion about Cicely
Hamilton (see picture below), how her personal experiences during World
War I informed the plot, and about the powerful themes put forth in the
novel: loss of innocence, disillusionment and coping with the changed realities
of life during war. We ended with one main consensus: despite many people’s
inability to connect with William on a personal level, his experiences
did resonate on a higher level with our own.
A Fortnight in September, that we publish this autumn, epitomises
the theme of ordinariness. RC Sherriff tells
the story of a London family from Dulwich on their annual fortnight’s
holiday in Bognor. No particularly noteworthy events occur, but, like 2000
Years, the novel is profound about family life.
Lastly, I went to the launch
party of Pen
Pusher magazine’s second edition last week. While enjoying a refreshing
glass of Pimm’s in a trendy Shoreditch bar , I met the editors (Persephone
fans) and was pleased to learn they did a lovely review of The
Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita
Laski for the first edition. We look forward to more mentions in this
eclectic literary publication.
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| Cicely Hamilton as Christian Davis,
The Woman Solider, in a 'Pageant of Great Women' |
Emily Hill
Lambs Conduit Street
30 July 2006 | 
