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About Me
- Anita Burgh
- I am a writer - late developer since I wasn't published until I was 50. I have now written 23 novels, numerous short stories and articles.
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Saturday 31 December 2011
There are times when
publishers are looking for a novel on a specific subject. They then they ask one of their writers if
they would consider doing so. I have
written several at their suggestion - Advances, Molly’s Flashings, Hector’s
Hobbies, the trilogy The Cresswell Inheritance and Clare’s War were all
suggested to me in one way or another. There have been others which, on reflection, I
decided I could not do - either I did not like the subject or was not
interested in it or I felt it was one which was beyond my capabilities or
knowledge. There was never any pressure
but I always felt it was courteous to think about it.
So, I was asked if I would consider working
on a novel set in France during the Second World War, particularly involving
the Resistance. I needed to read a lot around
the subject since most of what we know about France during that period is from
the English standpoint and, it has to be admitted, is not always complimentary
to the French. It was a fascinating
subject to research.
It was by sheer chance, looking through a
magazine that I learnt that of the thousand medals bestowed by the French,
after the end of the war, only six were awarded to women. It seemed a paltry number. Had they done nothing? Unlikely, I thought.
Fortunately I was living in France at the
time, in the Auvergne which, wild and mountainous as it is, was a centre for the
resistance. Memories were fresh as if it
had happened yesterday. On the road
below our house two young men had been executed. Our neighbour’s house, which is higher than
ours had been requisitioned by the Germans as a look out post. The more I enquired the more I learnt; a
farmer’s family, close by, had sheltered a Jewish family for the whole of the
war. We were warned not to patronise a
certain shop since the owner’s father had been a collaborator. The fallout
from the war was all about us, and who had been in the thick of it - the women. It was they kept the network going, delivering
food, printing papers, hiding people, transporting Jewish refugees, nursing the
wounded, always with the knowledge that if they were found out they would be
shot.
So I decided I would write this novel from
a woman’s point of view, but she would be English. I began the novel but after ten thousand
words felt it was not right and started again.
Something told me that it should be in the 1st person. I had never attempted this nor wanted to,
but, it was right for this book and once the decision was made then Clare’s
adventure really began.
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Probably my favourite Anita Burgh novel (although there are many close contenders!)and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in WW2 - or to anyone who just loves a wonderful story well told. Interesting to hear about the background research!
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