Excellent piece, one of my favourite authors as a child and great to read such insight into her life. Two other writers that I loved were Noel Streatfeild and E Nesbit- both had extremely interesting and varied lives , Noel living about 100 yards from where I live now,her father was the minister of Eastbourne Parish Church, she then became an actress , travelling extensively, before writing her famous books about tough, determined girls . E. Nesbit , I have recently discovered, also lived briefly in a village near Eastbourne , she was a Co-Founder of the Fabian Society. Women who were leaders and mould- breakers in other areas as well as writing their captivating books.
Excellent piece, beautifully written. I had no idea about her tragic life. But blaming anyone for a family member's suicide seems unutterably cruel and plain wrong.
AE, though, was a 'difficult' woman, I gather, from locals who knew her casually. She was a friend of my Grandmother's, and, apparently, used to turn up at my grandparent's house, with parties of Americans (to show them round the house), without any warning. It ended their friendship. Or it may have been because she referred to my grandmother as 'Just Like Little Grey Rabbit'- that did not go down at all well. I love AE's writing, especially her wonderfully over-romanticised guide to Buckinghamshire, which makes it sound like a rural idyll- altho', I think it was written in the late '40s, when Beaconsfield still had some of this about it. My grandmother took me to see AE's house in Beaconsfield- I had imagined some sort of bucolic cottage (from her writing) but, from memory, it was a very ordinary redbrick 1930s house in a Suburban road. Anyway. Fascinating series of posts. Thank you. Enjoyed it.
Can see your grandmother's point! I think Alison Uttley was a strong personality - difficult at times - and probably got more so as she lived alone for forty years and there was nobody to rein her in a bit. I would guess old age increased that (she lived to 91). I don't think it justifies her biographer's conclusions though.
The Buckinghamshire guide seems to have been a real labour of love, though one of the few books by her which didn't sell. I do find her descriptions very evocative. I've realised she lived in very much the same patch as the Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising, which portray the area as wonderfully rural and infused with history, so maybe there was still some of that when Alison was living there? I've not visited Thackers, but from the photos it looks mock Tudor, fairly substantial, probably with a lovely garden (she was a keen gardener).
Thanks so much for this comment, and the information.
Funny how your memory plays tricks! I've just google Thackers. Now demolished, incidentally. Sort of similar, but different from how I remembered it. But I got the brick beneath the Mock Tudor beams. And again, from memory, a rather unkempt garden- but I think I may have seen it about a year or so after she died. 1977 or so. Interesting about the Buckinghamshire guide. It's such an evocative book- she makes friends with an old Beaconsfield 'countryman'. But then if he was in his 90s, he would have been born in Beaconsfield when it was still genuinely rural.
And p.s. Many thanks for the Dark is Rising recommendation. Just googled it, and see where it's set. Why on earth don't I know this? Grew up there- I would have LOVED this. Psychogeography in a children's book? Will investigate further. Thanks.
I loved the Dark is Rising growing up. wonderful settings/snow/ and fantasy. Susan Cooper grew up in Bucks and emigrated to the US. I think her books were partly inspired by homesickness.
This series about Alison Uttley has been absolutely fascinating. I have never wanted to read about her, because I had heard she “wasn’t very nice” and I didn’t want to spoil my relationship with A Traveller in Time - the book that made 8-year-old-me determined to study history. Your posts have been sensitive and non-sensational.
Absolutely loved this series. Thank you for writing it. I adore Uttley's work and it's sad to see that she became part of the trend of slurring female authors. One doesn't see it nearly so much with male authors, even with far more egregious behaviour.
Gosh I'm so glad I'm not famous and won't have biographers and critics and reviewers raking over the ashes of my life when I'm gone. I had heard some of the bad stuff about Uttley from my brother. Now I can look back on my happy childhood memories of the little book about Fuzzypeg and her frying pan with a good conscience. Thank you.
Please continue to rescue Alison from the Freudians. No doubt she wasn't always a pleasant person, but she was struggling in difficult circumstances - and who among us could bear such scrutiny? A little Christian, or post-Christian, charity is surely in order. There is probably a lot of posthumous Freudian psychoanalysing out there that needs reassessing - Vivien Noakes' biography of Edward Lear comes to mind. And as for the London Review of Books - my memory of it is that, in among some very good articles, it contained a great deal of Grub Street resentment of successful writers.
Thank you so much – I'm delighted to hear that from an Uttley fan. It's a shame if the negative focus on her life spoils the books, glad to counteract that.
Re the LRB - I used to be a keen reader but they definitely have their prejudices. I don't think the Fitzgerald article was motivated by resentment - she was such a successful writer herself for one thing - and it wasn't as crudely nasty about Alison as some of the other reviews. But in a way her very beautiful and measured language was more invidious, when it was recycling the attack wholesale.
Excellent piece, one of my favourite authors as a child and great to read such insight into her life. Two other writers that I loved were Noel Streatfeild and E Nesbit- both had extremely interesting and varied lives , Noel living about 100 yards from where I live now,her father was the minister of Eastbourne Parish Church, she then became an actress , travelling extensively, before writing her famous books about tough, determined girls . E. Nesbit , I have recently discovered, also lived briefly in a village near Eastbourne , she was a Co-Founder of the Fabian Society. Women who were leaders and mould- breakers in other areas as well as writing their captivating books.
I'm also a Streatfield fan. Once wrote a radio play about her which - almost - got made by the BBC.
I guess you will have read A Vicarage Family about her childhood - if not, highly recommended.
I have, I did some research for a local group and bought everything I could lay my hands on . She deserves more publicity .
Excellent piece, beautifully written. I had no idea about her tragic life. But blaming anyone for a family member's suicide seems unutterably cruel and plain wrong.
Thank you. I agree, people are complex and blame isn't the right thing in this situation.
AE, though, was a 'difficult' woman, I gather, from locals who knew her casually. She was a friend of my Grandmother's, and, apparently, used to turn up at my grandparent's house, with parties of Americans (to show them round the house), without any warning. It ended their friendship. Or it may have been because she referred to my grandmother as 'Just Like Little Grey Rabbit'- that did not go down at all well. I love AE's writing, especially her wonderfully over-romanticised guide to Buckinghamshire, which makes it sound like a rural idyll- altho', I think it was written in the late '40s, when Beaconsfield still had some of this about it. My grandmother took me to see AE's house in Beaconsfield- I had imagined some sort of bucolic cottage (from her writing) but, from memory, it was a very ordinary redbrick 1930s house in a Suburban road. Anyway. Fascinating series of posts. Thank you. Enjoyed it.
Can see your grandmother's point! I think Alison Uttley was a strong personality - difficult at times - and probably got more so as she lived alone for forty years and there was nobody to rein her in a bit. I would guess old age increased that (she lived to 91). I don't think it justifies her biographer's conclusions though.
The Buckinghamshire guide seems to have been a real labour of love, though one of the few books by her which didn't sell. I do find her descriptions very evocative. I've realised she lived in very much the same patch as the Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising, which portray the area as wonderfully rural and infused with history, so maybe there was still some of that when Alison was living there? I've not visited Thackers, but from the photos it looks mock Tudor, fairly substantial, probably with a lovely garden (she was a keen gardener).
Thanks so much for this comment, and the information.
Funny how your memory plays tricks! I've just google Thackers. Now demolished, incidentally. Sort of similar, but different from how I remembered it. But I got the brick beneath the Mock Tudor beams. And again, from memory, a rather unkempt garden- but I think I may have seen it about a year or so after she died. 1977 or so. Interesting about the Buckinghamshire guide. It's such an evocative book- she makes friends with an old Beaconsfield 'countryman'. But then if he was in his 90s, he would have been born in Beaconsfield when it was still genuinely rural.
And p.s. Many thanks for the Dark is Rising recommendation. Just googled it, and see where it's set. Why on earth don't I know this? Grew up there- I would have LOVED this. Psychogeography in a children's book? Will investigate further. Thanks.
I loved the Dark is Rising growing up. wonderful settings/snow/ and fantasy. Susan Cooper grew up in Bucks and emigrated to the US. I think her books were partly inspired by homesickness.
I'm now listening to the Curiously Specific Book Club podcast- on this very subject! Travelling around the locations for the Dark is Rising.
This series about Alison Uttley has been absolutely fascinating. I have never wanted to read about her, because I had heard she “wasn’t very nice” and I didn’t want to spoil my relationship with A Traveller in Time - the book that made 8-year-old-me determined to study history. Your posts have been sensitive and non-sensational.
Thank you so much - I'm glad you enjoyed it. (I know exactly what you mean about not wanting to know about an author for fear of spoiling the book.)
Absolutely loved this series. Thank you for writing it. I adore Uttley's work and it's sad to see that she became part of the trend of slurring female authors. One doesn't see it nearly so much with male authors, even with far more egregious behaviour.
Gosh I'm so glad I'm not famous and won't have biographers and critics and reviewers raking over the ashes of my life when I'm gone. I had heard some of the bad stuff about Uttley from my brother. Now I can look back on my happy childhood memories of the little book about Fuzzypeg and her frying pan with a good conscience. Thank you.
Please continue to rescue Alison from the Freudians. No doubt she wasn't always a pleasant person, but she was struggling in difficult circumstances - and who among us could bear such scrutiny? A little Christian, or post-Christian, charity is surely in order. There is probably a lot of posthumous Freudian psychoanalysing out there that needs reassessing - Vivien Noakes' biography of Edward Lear comes to mind. And as for the London Review of Books - my memory of it is that, in among some very good articles, it contained a great deal of Grub Street resentment of successful writers.
Thank you so much – I'm delighted to hear that from an Uttley fan. It's a shame if the negative focus on her life spoils the books, glad to counteract that.
Re the LRB - I used to be a keen reader but they definitely have their prejudices. I don't think the Fitzgerald article was motivated by resentment - she was such a successful writer herself for one thing - and it wasn't as crudely nasty about Alison as some of the other reviews. But in a way her very beautiful and measured language was more invidious, when it was recycling the attack wholesale.
Thank you!