I am finally back home after 10 days of excitement. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon and I’ll be able to catch up with all your blogs in the next few days. I had a very good time at the Cheltenham Book Festival and hope to write a few posts about what I saw in the next few days.
Last night I went into London to see Audrey Niffenegger talk about her new book, Her Fearful Symmetry, with Claire and Rachel. We had a wonderful evening and I thought I’d let you know a few of the most interesting things that Audrey Niffenegger talked about.
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- The title of her book came about as she loved the sound of Philip Pullman’s title, His Dark Materials, and wanted to find something with a similar ring. She found the right words in William Blake’s poem, The Tiger.
- Her Fearful Symmetry is written in British English and it took her a long time to get used to the differences between American English and British English.
- While researching the book she worked as a guide in Highgate Cemetery.
- Audrey Niffenegger is a big fan of graphic novels and her favourite is Fun Home
by Alison Bechdel. I loved it – if you haven’t read it then I recommend you try to get hold of a copy soon.
- Her favourite novel is The Turn of the Screw
by Henry James. I haven’t read it yet, but on her recommendation I plan to get a copy soon. Have you read it?
- She is currently working on a new book called The Chinchilla Girl in Exile which centers on a nine-year-old girl with hypertrichosis, a genetic condition that causes her face and body to be covered with hair.
- She hasn’t seen the Time Traveller’s Wife film and has no plans to do so. She had no involvement with the making of it and was quite upset that it was filmed in Toronto instead of Chicago.
- Her disappointment over the filming in Toronto means that she hasn’t sold the rights to Her Fearful Symmetry yet. She wants to ensure that any filming would take place in Highgate Cemetery before an agreement can be reached.
I was very impressed with Audrey Niffenegger. She answered every question thoughtfully and with an honesty I haven’t seen with other authors. If you get the chance to see her then I recommend you grab the opportunity – she remains one of my favourite authors!
Come back later for a review of Her Fearful Symmetry.
Have you seen Audrey Niffenegger?
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in before her talk.
