darlings
we heard that our friends-at-Virago (in London, England) are celebrating their birthday – and it’s a Significant One (40!)
the Guardian has covered this lovely event here
if you can receive this Transmission from the BBC in your own territory, there’s a Splendid Desert Island Discs* from the vibrantly brave founder: Carmen Callil
*as you may recall we Adore desert-island-discs
when who-we-are-in-RL was a Student (and thus Lacking In Funds), the distinctive green jacket of a Virago book was a Beacon in the back of a secondhand bookshop off the charing cross road or in the nether regions (don’t ask) of kings cross or sometimes in a genteel part of chelsea off the kings road.
it said FREEDOM.
Virago celebrated (and continues to do so but when one was Young it felt so Important to know this) women who had BIG LIVES.
we missed this (because we had already left england) but there were some Special Covers done a few years ago of some of our favo(u)rites:
we would Swoop in on the Virago books in a secondhand bookshop and take them home to nourish our fevered imagination of What Might Happen when we Graduated (a Lot happened but that’s another story).
isn’t the Delafield a pretty cover?
we thought a Lot about her when we wrote this post here as we were starting to write The House On Church Row (now wouldn’t THAT make a delicious Virago book? *farofflooktothehorizon*) and the Lovely Jilly Cooper wrote about her here:
such intertwining is only possible on the interweb, darlings – such fun.
we Thrilled to Virago’s tales of the domestic travails and the hidden-writers-in-the-back-room while the Laundry was being done and children-slept – it all felt Possible.
if you’d like to Immerse yourself in a Virago tale today do stop by their Ms. You Tube channel (how Modern! as william would say)
here’s current Publisher of Virago, Lennie Goodings, talking about their Book Club (we adore a book club, don’t you?)
and the final word must go to Fleur Fisher who writes a wonderful blog post here
because in the end, it’s about those of us who Love To Read.
happy birthday, Virago!
brava!
have you read a Virago today?
do. tell.
I haven’t read a Virago today but I have read your post and all the links and it was at least an hour’s worth of wonderful reading. Actually, that may not be true; I lost track of time.
gosh.
sometimes we get carried away with the links.
but it is so delicious to take advantage of the hyperlinkingnatureoftheweb-ness. non?
*wavingtoNZ*
A web is a thing of beauty, which always needs to be investigated.
excuse my misspellings. a week of short nights and long days lies behind.
Oh MY! Is there a new background? bed linen? champaign silk sheets? ooooh!
and thank you for that charming photo card! :) bisous from berlin
so happy it arrived!!
yes.
tis the bed we languish upon and Write ;-)
nice personal touch :) love it
The Enchanted April…
On some seriously yellowed paper!
But, delicious, nonetheless.
This is exactly the kind of freedom I was talking about yesterday. Harumph.
And I wonder what a teamgloria book club would be like…???
*looksaround*
aren’t we already doing a Book (and Movie) Club?
;-)
we should do g+ hangouts. have you seen felicia day’s vaginal fantasy hangouts? they’re hysterical. totally not the kind of books we read here (or I would ever venture to read, that much snobbism is necessary, yes), but in terms of who-you-are-in-RL-ness you might approve ;)
we are a Tiny Bit apprehensive of the dark forces that lurk behind the g+ environment…….
that’s a way to put it *giggles*
*looksaroundnervously*
;-)