No surprise that I'm a devotee of Lost Ladies of Lit, "the podcast dedicated to dusting off books by forgotten women writers." For over two years, hosts Kim Askew and Amy Helmes have covered works by writers I thought I knew (Edna Ferber, Ouida), writers I knew only as names (G.E. Trevelyan Gene Stratton-Porter), and others who were wholly unfamiliar (Kay Dick, Hilma Wolitzer). Always informative, I've looked forward to each new episode.
And so, I was honoured when Kim and Amy invited me to talk about a Canadian lost lady.
Who to choose?
Why, May Agnes Fleming, of course! Our first bestselling novelist, no Canadian writer is so forgotten. With Halloween approaching, I settled on her 1863 gothic novel The Midnight Queen for dusting off.
And then I came down with Covid... Appropriate, really, as Fleming's novel takes place during the Great Plague of London. "Cries and lamentations echoed from
one end of the city to the other," writes Fleming, "and Death and Charles
reigned over London together."
Recorded on an early day in the reign of Charles III, things weren't nearly so tragic when we sat down to speak, though you can hear that the virus still has a hold on my voice.
The podcast episode was posted today:
The Parents of the Children of the Revolution
Soldiering On with Edith Percival
Such a great discussion with you. Thank you again for coming on the show. What a thrill!
ReplyDeleteIt was my pleasure, Kim. Thank you for inviting me. I had a blast.
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