Sunday, June 26, 2016

No longer a fantasy: the first real-life Furrowed Middlebrow titles (part 3 of 3)

I admit that I'm still reeling a bit from last Thursday's referendum in the U.K., and I considered delaying this post because I wasn't feeling like putting up a cheerful blog entry after such a momentous event. But as some fellow bloggers have pointed out, perhaps cheerful posts and (particularly) good books are what we'll all need going forward after what the Persephone Post rather shockingly called "the most devastating day for Britain since September 3rd 1939." And indeed that statement, poignantly, perhaps makes today's announcement just a bit more appropriate. I've often taken inspiration, in rough times, from reading about the WWII Home Front and how people bravely soldiered on in the midst of terrible tragedy, so I'm rather glad, for what it's worth, that my last announcement is about one of the very best such books I know.

And so we come to the last of the announcements of the new titles being released as Furrowed Middlebrow Books this October. And I've been excited about all of them, but as I hinted a few days ago, this one in particular is a doozy!

The other two authors I've announced—Rachel Ferguson and Winifred Peck—were both included on my initial "wish list" sent to Dean Street Press. But the third author was not. Why, you ask? Certainly not because I wouldn't have been thrilled at the prospect of publishing her. Rather, it was because I had already been in email contact with the author's son, and knew he was planning to release his her work himself. As far as I was concerned, therefore, she was "off the market," and I was resigned to merely looking forward, as a fan, to the release of her books.

But a few weeks after submitting my wish list to Dean Street, I suddenly thought that it really couldn't hurt to check in with the author's son to see how things were progressing. Purely innocently, of course, and with no ulterior motives… Ahem. I sent him an email, asked how the books were proceeding, and just happened to mention our new publishing venture. And to my amazement and delight, within a few days we had his provisional agreement to let us publish his mother's work!

Now, as I said, I love all the authors we're reprinting (or we wouldn't have pursued them to begin with), but this one is particularly exciting. Because if I had asked you all, a few months ago, "Of all the books I've discussed on this blog, which one do you most wish you could get your hands on?", I'll bet a fair number of you would have replied that you wanted the chance to read this author's breathtaking, gut-wrenching, endlessly entertaining memoir of the Blitz in London.

That's right.

I can hardly believe it.

My first batch of new titles contains my all-time favorite WWII memoir—Frances Faviell's A Chelsea Concerto (1959), a book that absolutely deserves to be appreciated as a classic among WWII writings and among memoirs more generally. I reviewed it (and raved about it at length) here, so I won't reiterate all of my passionate adoration, but suffice it to say the book needs to become a movie ASAP. (I'm torn between Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet in the lead role...) 

I was never able to find the original cover online,
but thanks to John Parker, the author's son, we're
able to share it now; it's also an original
artwork by Faviell herself!

To some extent, in fact, the book is already a recognized classic among researchers and historians, many of whom have relied on it for books and anthologies about the Blitz. Most prominently, Virginia Nicholson featured Faviell prominently in her book Millions Like Us: Women's Lives During the Second World War. In a letter to the Daily Telegraph in 2010, Nicholson referred to the book as one of the finest examples of "Blitz lit" and bemoaned the fact that Faviell's books remained out of print. Happily, our edition of A Chelsea Concerto will contain a new introduction by Nicholson herself!


I know a couple of you have managed to track this book down and read it, despite its very limited availability, but I can't wait for the rest of you to have a chance to read it. Inexplicably, there was never even an American edition of the book.


But Faviell's work doesn't end with this one title. We'll also be reprinting her acclaimed earlier memoir, The Dancing Bear (1954), about her life in Berlin (where her husband had a diplomatic job) immediately after the end of the war. Although the bombs are no longer falling during these years, the human drama is intense and fascinating. As in Concerto, Faviell's intelligence, attention to detail, and sensitivity bring the ruins of Berlin, the struggles of the German people, and the sometimes idiotic bureaucracy of the city's various sectors vividly to life. I learned about numerous aspects of postwar life in Germany that I've never encountered elsewhere, and much of it is centered around one German family the author befriended soon after her arrival. Had she not written one of the most brilliant of all WWII memoirs, Faviell would deserve to be remembered for The Dancing Bear.




And I'm delighted to note that Furrowed Middlebrow Books will also be reprinting Faviell's three critically acclaimed novels—A House on the Rhine (1956), Thalia (1957), and The Fledgeling (1958)—which have likewise been out of print for decades. I haven't yet written here about her fiction, but stay tuned.

Sadly, since Faviell (real name Olivia Parker) died of cancer at the tragically young age of 46, these five titles constitute her entire literary output. I'm delighted, however, to know that we're able to make this underrated author's complete body of work available for the first time in decades.

And that's that! A first rollout of nine titles (plus two related Dean Street Press titles). If your memory needs jogging (and also just as an excuse to see the whole list together, which gives me enormous pleasure), here's the full list of October releases:

Rachel Ferguson, A Harp in Lowndes Square (1936)
Rachel Ferguson, A Footman for the Peacock (1940)
Rachel Ferguson, Evenfield (1942)
Winifred Peck, Bewildering Cares (1940)
Frances Faviell, The Dancing Bear (1954)
Frances Faviell, A House on the Rhine (1956)
Frances Faviell, Thalia (1957)
Frances Faviell, The Fledgeling (1958)
Frances Faviell, A Chelsea Concerto (1959)

Plus, also from Dean Street Press, but not Furrowed Middlebrow titles:
Winifred Peck, The Warrielaw Jewel (1933)
Winifred Peck, Arrest the Bishop? (1947)

After that, our second batch of titles is set for release in early 2017. We have a few titles already confirmed that are among my very favorites (and have been written about here already, though I can't tell you which ones they are just yet) and a couple more authors (also written about) that we're pursuing (wish us luck with rights and heirs!). So, more announcements will follow in due course.

I hope you're even a tenth as excited about these titles as I am.

46 comments:

  1. 2017--ursula orange then?

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    1. Let's just say I definitely still have Ursula Orange on my radar...

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  2. DANCING BEAR is in my library but i only read novels.
    Shelagh Burns

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    1. Actually, Dancing Bear's focus on one German family makes it read a bit like a novel, but regardless, no worries, more novels will definitely be coming along.

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  3. This may be superficial of me, but just the covers of Faviell's novels make them look like something I would enjoy. I can't wait to hear more about them from you!

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    1. Thanks, Lory, and the best thing is that all of the covers (we think) are original artworks by Faviell!

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  4. Oh Scott how brilliant, no wonder you are excited. PS re the referendum thing, most people in England are just getting on with life regardless and not mentioning it and as to the Persephone post statement it is completely OTT and has put me right off them!

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    1. Thanks, Sue! As much as anything, I'm just sad about all the discord and turmoil in the UK now, which bears eerie similarities to our own situation in the US. Ugh.

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  5. This is the reason the blogosphere exists - opportunities like this. I'm so proud of you, Scott, and pleased for you - and for all of us! (And crossing my fingers that Ursula Orange is in that next batch ;))

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    1. Thanks, Simon! And though I can't say anything for sure, trust me that I haven't forgotten about Ursula Orange...

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  6. So excited about Chelsea Concerto. I've wanted to read it for ages as I love Home Front memoirs, diaries, fiction etc. Also the Berlin memoir which sounds wonderful. So much to look forward to! Thank you so much, Scott & DSP.

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    1. Thanks, Lyn! I hope you'll love Concerto as much as I do. We've been doing some final proofing of the text, which has reminded me how good it is. Plus, Andy volunteered to help out and is now engrossed in the book himself!

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  7. Well done, Scott. What else can I say?

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  8. Am fainting on the floor. I am buying everything! So excited.

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    1. Well, do be careful, Erin! I hope you were fainting on carpeting at least... Thanks for your enthusiasm!

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  9. And echoing Simon Thomas's hopes for Ursula Orange, FWIW.

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    1. See my reply to Simon above. So thrilled so many people want to read Ursula Orange!

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  10. Oh what wonderful choices Scott! I can't wait.

    And about the referendum - sorry to disagree with another of your fans but many of us are in complete despair. I feel that the world I have lived in and worked for 70 years has collapsed around me. Persephone have it spot on.

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    1. A couple of missed words and no edit function :-(. It should of course read "...the world I have lived in, and worked for, for nearly 70 years...."

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    2. Thanks for your enthusiasm, Gil. As an American, I think I shouldn't presume to say too much about what's best for the UK, but it's heartbreaking to see so much turmoil and sadness in a place I love so much. And on a more selfish level, it's terrifying to think that very similar issues and rhetoric are at work in the US.

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  11. YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At LAST I can read A Chelsea Concerto!!!!!!! I am going to pre-order this one as soon as i find the info!!!! Thanks for making my Monday!!!!!!!

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    1. So glad you're pleased, Gina. Weren't you one of the people who had said they'd contacted Persephone about it, to no avail? So glad we can finally make it happen!

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    2. Yes, I contacted them but heard nothing back but a thank you for emailing. At last you made it happen! Cant wait for October, I will check Amazon periodically to see if I can preorder. Thanks again.

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  12. I am so happy and excited for you! Her son - WOW WOW WOW!
    Now, aren't you glad you wrote to him - just to see?
    Congrats!
    Tom

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    1. Thanks, Tom! Even more fun because John makes an appearance in Dancing Bear and (in a manner of speaking) in A Chelsea Concerto! So glad he entrusted us with his mother's work.

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  13. This is such great news, congrats Scott!! Thanks for making it easier for most people to read all these. Very excited.

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  14. Your excitement is jumping off the page. I'm so happy for you and all the new readers like me who will get to enjoy these books.

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    1. Thank you, Lucy! Yes, I'm still pinching myself a bit about this whole experience...

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  15. I'm very excited, Scott - and just a little worried about how I'm going to find enough reading hours in the day/

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    1. Thank you, Jane! I know, I am rather heartlessly attempting to add to folks' TBR lists. I just want yours to be as overwhelming as mind is...

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  16. I don't want to wish my life away, but am looking forward to October!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle Ann! Believe me, I can't wait either!

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  17. Clearing space on my shelves, Scott! I'm so glad you're persistent...in the gentlest way possible, of course.

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  18. Scott: Will these books be available through Amazon or just the Dean Street Press website?

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    1. They'll be available in e-book and physical book on Amazon, Melissa.

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  19. Very exciting! I just picked up A Chelsea Concerto from the library (it's been on my TBR list since you first reviewed it) and can't wait to get started.

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    1. I'm impressed by your library, Claire, and I hope you love the book as much as I do. Thanks for the mention on your blog too!

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  20. I love "A Chelsea Concerto" so much that I xeroxed the entire book. I can't wait to buy your edition. And please take note of Faviell's dignified response to the bizarrely negative TLS review. Thanks to the TLS's listing of once-anonymous contributors' names, it's now evident that the individual who wrote it regarded Faviell's masterpiece as competition that required instant quelling.

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    1. Oh Kerry, I'd love to hear more about this review. Do you have a copy? Or is it available online? I tried searching for it but had no luck. Now I'm dying to know who the reviewer was...

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    2. Apologies for the late response. I've done my best to forget about it but think it's by Constantine Fitzgibbon, the author of "The Blitz" (1957), among many other books. Perhaps he's a fine writer, but I loathe him passionately. I'll fossick out my "Chelsea Concerto" folder tomorrow and hope that that dyspeptic, disgraceful notice is still in it. Again, I'm just delighted by your news!

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  21. Hi Scott, I've just finished A Chelsea Concerto, and like you am staggered that it isn't more widely known. I would love to discuss it at length with other readers, but will mention just a few things: Firstly it's such a well written and interesting account; Secondly that FF describes, without being remotely morbid or sensational, the horrific damage done to human bodies by bombs. Thirdly, I was intrigued by the fact that many of FF's near neighbours appeared to be 'ordinary', and certainly not wealthy. You probably know that property in Cheyne Walk and its environs now sells for gazillions or is rented for huge amounts. I would imagine it was pretty 'posh' even back then, but perhaps there has been some kind of further shift subsequently. One last thing; I would love to know what became of some of the people she wrote about - Mrs Freeth, Carla, Catherine and her baby and Penty, for example. I don't suppose we'll ever know. Thank you for republishing this incredible book.

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    1. So glad you liked the book as much as I did! I'm not sure why it remained out of print for so long, but I'm very glad folks are enjoying it again now.

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