Virago Modern Classics discussion

A thread to reference how Virago publishing has developed over the last 50+ years.

There was a Backlisted episode where they had Carmen Calill was talking about her favourite book, The Tortoise and the Hare; whilst this is ostensibly about that book, there is a lot here about Virago, the various authors, and the early days of Virago. There are various other Virago books discussed in other Backlisted episodes, but this one has more about the history. https://www.backlisted.fm/episodes/17...

I have relistened this morning, and it really is fascinating.

Hi Tania - thank you. I will listen in to the link. I posted a couple of Guardian articles about Calill. I have to work out how to move them here 😊

Hi Tania -what a pleasure the podcast is - so much fun! And yes it develops fully the themes begun in Rachel Cooke's Guardian article from 2008.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...

I really want to read TheTortoise and the Hare by Jenkins, Elizabeth ( Author ) ON Feb-07-1983, Paperback - I'm just going to check when the group last read it.

And I love Carmen Callil's endorsement of Elizabeth Taylor

If anyone is interested in Themes and connections between books - Callil was friends with Rosamund Lehmann; Anita Brookner and Angela Carter. They referred Callil to books they liked, approved and thought should be republished by Virago.

Callil also met with and interviewed Rose Macaulay; Rebecca West and Storm Jameson - and probably many others. It was authors like these who helped her to bring back into print their books and others they had read. As was pointed out in the Podcast - no Internet back in the 70s and 80s etc. Callil relied on her friends and acquaintances to research and discover all the wonderful women writers - many of whom were out of print.

The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins was listed as the book for July 2023 - but I don't see any discussion. Maybe we can re-do this coming July?

Laura wrote: "The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins was listed as the book for July 2023 - but I don't see any discussion. Maybe we can re-do this coming July?"

There are two thread about the book: with and without spoilers:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I suggest you join those discussions.

We are not doing any re-reads (as a group) - there are too many books we haven't read yet. Of course, you can open a thread and start a discussion about the idea of re-reading the VMC books, perhaps you will find members who would like to re-read.

Or as I've already said - NEW members?

But yes thank you - for pointing out the threads above - I will go and check them.

Ok - I checked the July '23 discussion. 5 members participated - and as there are 400 members currently in the group - with the possibility of new people joining - it would barely class as a re-read.

Sometimes particular books spark people's interest and I was trying to discover the Interest areas amongst members. Very often a more general discussion about books can spark ideas. I thought members were interested in a themes approach but that seems to have been quashed.

I think the main purpose of a group is to discuss the book. And my ideas and suggestions are simply attempts to find out how to encourage and generate more discussion.

Laura, you can discuss how much you want. You can also open new threads, e.g., announcing that you are going to read "The Tortoise and the Hare" and inviting members to join.

The theme approach hasn't been quashed. Perhaps not many members are interested in it.

In my opinion, the group's main purpose is to encourage/help people to read VMC books. Most readers don't talk about the books. I can understand it, to me, reading is mostly a personal experience too. But for those who like to discuss - there is a place for it.

If you want to encourage and generate more discussion - take part in those that are taking place and initiate new one. But you shouldn't expect results in days.

Mela wrote: "Laura wrote: "The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins was listed as the book for July 2023 - but I don't see any discussion. Maybe we can re-do this coming July?"

There are t..."

Thanks for this Mela, similar system in two of my other groups, people reading books previously covered are invited to add to/resurrect existing threads.

Mela - Yes - reading is a personal experience - you are alone while you read. But, when you talk/comment etc about your experience with other readers it can be very enrichening. For me at least I'm always surprised at how much I missed or how other readers can interpret characters in a way that was not apparent to me. Or sometimes other readers emphasize an approach that was not so apparent to myself. I really like these interactions. They often allow me to see the book from many more angles than if I had just read it on my own.

Laura wrote: "Hi Tania -what a pleasure the podcast is - so much fun! And yes it develops fully the themes begun in Rachel Cooke's Guardian article from 2008.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/200......"

Glad you enjoyed it Laura. They have some really interesting book discussions on that podcast. Thanks for the Guardian link, I will take a look when I get a chance.