Writers

Anna Wintour has always fascinated me and it’s not because she’s from England. We’re talking waaaaay before The Devil Wears Prada. And it’s weird because I’m not even an eager reader of Vogue — their fashion features are so far beyond what I’d ever wear in everyday life.

Perhaps it’s because I’m a freelance writer, although I only occasionally write for the women’s mags and never for the fashion rags. Wintour is legend in the magazine industry. The one time I visited the Conde Nast building to meet with an editor (not Vogue!), I vacillated between terror thinking about having to take an elevator ride up with Wintour and hope that I’d ride down with her. Neither happened. But I did spot a huge bouquet of flowers marked for Anna in the lobby.

I’ve been thinking about Wintour a lot lately. There’s been a bit of snark in the NY papers about her cutting back and making do, what with the economy and Vogue’s ad pages being down, and she’s been spotted wearing the same dresses, one of which I covet from Oscar de la Renta’s Resort 2009 line. Since I can’t afford $3,000 for a silk frock, I’m planning to sew a copy at considerably less cost (thank you Mom for those sewing lessons!) I’ve also been watching some documentaries on Karl Lagerfeld; in “Signe Chanel,” Wintour makes a brief appearance with Andre Leon Talley (Vogue’s editor-at-large) and you can sense the power she wields in the fashion world, even with Kaiser Karl.

So I was happy to discover, then, there’s a new documentary coming out this fall called “The September Issue” where we’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at Wintour putting the famed fall issue of her magazine to bed. Of course I’m going to love watching this as a journalist, but as an Anna groupie? Heaven! Maybe I’ll be able to watch it in my knock-off Oscar de la Renta, that is if I ever get off my duff to start sewing it.

Canada’s Globe and Mail from last Friday showcases four female authors who influenced novelist Jane Austen’s work. The article’s author, Susan Catto, who has a doctorate in 18th century literature from Oxford, suggests that the work of authors Eliza Haywood, Charlotte Lennox, Ann Radcliffe, and Frances Burney may be successors to the waning Austen mania in popular culture.

In the next couple months, I’ll be writing about one of my favorite Austen-type authors, Georgette Heyer, who wrote prolifically (and wittily) throughout the 20th century about Regency England in her romantic novels. Stay tuned.

The BBC reports today that a very lucky someone purchased the prop portrait of Fitzwilliam Darcy used in the BBC’s production of Pride and Prejudice for a mere £12,000 (roughly $16,500) at auction. The portrait appeared near the end of the film, and could be seen when Elizabeth Bennett’s character toured Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley estate with her aunt and uncle. It’s right before Mr. Darcy jumps in the pond.  You remember that scene, ladies?

The prop portrait sold for double what the auction house expected to receive. Proceeds from the sale are going to charity.

Mike Harling (an American in Britain, and author of Postcards From Across The Pond, which I happened to blurb) and Toni Hargis (a Briton in America, and author of Rules, Britannia: An Insider’s Guide to Life in the United Kingdom) squared off yesterday on which country is better — the US or the UK –  on BBC Radio Scotland. The interview starts about 1 hour and 12 minutes into the broadcast — you can move the pointer to that spot.

Toni wrote on her blog that she didn’t say Americans had zero sense of humor as the host claimed (Toni, I loved your Labrador puppy line!). And I think Mike is turning into a Brit because he never interrupted and he wasn’t all rah-rah-America, but calmly and humorously defended his homeland. Who won? Well, poor Mike was outnumbered and being an American myself … come on, of course America rules! Do we really have to debate this?

I liked the discussion about the difference between US and UK humor. Hargis said she dumped her sarcastic sense of humor years ago because Americans don’t get it — we take everything literally. Hmm. To some degree this is true, especially if you’re kidding around with a Midwesterner or Southerner. But in the Northeast — places like the outer boroughs of NYC, south Boston, or northern New England — sarcasm, irony, and black humor are the gold standards for humor. Indeed, Mike — from upstate New York — gave Britons a little taste of this with his comment about guns being the efficacious way to kill someone, versus stomping on them or lighting them afire as they typically do in the gun-wary UK. And I had to tone down my ironic commentary when I married my husband, an earnest corn-fed boy from Michigan who, along with his family, takes everything at face value.

Nevertheless, I give the British the edge on their collective sense of humor, as well as their conversational skills. And it’s not just because I love the way they sound, I swear.

Anyway, it’s a fun listen and both Toni and Mike spoke their sides very well.

We’re hearing a lot about Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food (not yet available in the U.S.), but did you know that one of England’s most beloved of food writers worked in the actual Ministry during WWII? Her name is Marguerite Patten and she’s something of a national treasure in England. I own several of her cookbooks (she’s written 170!), including a particular favorite, The Basic Basics Jams, Preserves and Chutneys. I want to know how to roast a joint of beef, turn out the best Yorkshire puddings, or simply make a classic English meal, Patten’s who I turn to.

I wasn’t sure if Patten was still alive, but an interview with her appeared in today’s Telegraph. She’s 93 and still cooking, as well as making television appearances. I love that she loves crabapple jelly with her game (crabapple jelly is my favorite confiture to make in the fall) and that her favorite gadget is an ice cream maker … it’s mine too.

I read about Sarah Lyall’s The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British on Bethanne Patrick’s Book Maven blog a few weeks ago, and immediately knew I had to read this book. The night I purchased it, I brought it to bed to read. Within a few minutes, I was laughing so hard my son begged to know what was so funny. I couldn’t explain it to him, as it involved a joke about hemorrhoids and the British penchant for euphemism.

Some background on Lyall: she’s a reporter for The New York Times who was sent to London in the 90s to report on the British. (Nice job, eh?) While there, she met then married an Englishman, so she has something of a unique perspective on British/American relations.

Lyall’s a fine writer with a good eye for detail; it’s clear she’s done her reporting for this book (hanging out at Parliament, running around London with a man who wears gold lamé underpants) and she does a terrific job weaving threads of history, literature, and politics into her stories. Another thing I liked about the Anglo Files is that Lyall doesn’t fall into that trap of disparaging her American roots or making fun of those quaint British folks in their queues — likewise, she doesn’t pit one culture against the other culture. This is much a book about the British view of the world as it is what it means to be an American standing in the midst of that world.

There were chapters in this book that made it worth the price of admission, such as one about Brits and their attitudes toward sex, and another at the end of the book, an analysis of the British stiff upper lip and if it’s going soft (to wit: the mass outpouring of emotion after Princess Diana’s death). I also loved the chapter about the reform of the House of Lords. If you’re fascinated with the British class system and how it works, then there’s a lot in this book that’ll scratch your itch. There’s even a discussion of why Brits love to use the C word.

Other chapters I skimmed or skipped altogether, such as the one about cricket. If cricket is boring to watch, which is Lyall’s initial claim, it’s even more boring to read about. The book is loaded with footnotes, too. I’ve noticed some reviewers complain they’re too distracting, but I thought they added a lighthearted touch.

The Anglo Files is a book I highly recommend to other Anglophiles.

Googling with the Queen. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip tour Google’s London’s office and teachers those young billionaires a thing or two about technology. (The Times Online)

Quantum of Solace. The latest James Bond flick looks like a winner, according to the (London) Times. Opens November 14 in the U.S. Happy birthday to me!

… and when Bond goes wrong. Nigel Kendall discusses Agent 007s forgettable moments. (The Times Online)

Spamalot to close on Broadway in early 2009. After 1,500+ performances … not bad. (Playbill)

British Library acquires poet Hughes’ library. Not sure why the BBC has this news filed under “entertainment,” but I suppose poetry does entertain.

Gordon Ramsay: Hotelier. The foul-mouthed chef has rooms to let … and they sound nice. (Guardian)

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. Debut novel, too. Well done! After reading the amazon.com description, I’m off to order.

Tonight, the winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize (also known as the Booker Prize) will be announced. This prestigious award is only open to novelists who are citizens of the British Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. Novels on this year’s short list are:

Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger
Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture
Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies
Linda Grant, The Clothes on Their Backs
Philip Hensher, The Northern Clemency
Steve Toltz, A Fraction of the Whole

Have you read any of these novels? Sad to say, I haven’t read one of them; however, I tend more toward nonfiction.