When
one writes a book one shouldn't, I think, have more than the dimmest
idea of why one is writing it. But, having written it, one can
begin to see the point of why it was written - and also certain
threads.
I
wrote 'Miss Garnet's Angel' out of a potent mix: a love of Venice,
and a love of art and also ancient literature. In particular,
I find the very old tale of Tobias, who travels to Medea unaware
he is accompanied by the Archangel Raphael, powerful and evocative.
It has the quality of a myth or fairy story, seeming to mean much
more than its literal sense. And I am drawn to the various paintings,
by artists of all ages, on this theme.
In
'Miss Garnet's Angel' I tell the contemporary story of Julia Garnet,
a retired school teacher, who comes to Venice prompted by the
death of a friend. She finds the Guardi panels in the Chiesa dell'
Angelo Raffaele (to see one, click on 2 on the map in the Venice
section) which tell the story of Tobias and the Angel and, in
my own language, I tell that story alongside hers. Some readers
have found the two tales difficult to assimilate simultaneously
at first, but most have found they come to accept and then enjoy
the parallels and, finally,with luck, to see the point of them.
The
two tales do in fact reflect and comment on each other (but not
I hope, in obvious ways). This reflects my view that human nature
doesn't fundamentally change, and that problems of moral choice
and issues of good and evil recur throughout all civilisations,
regardless of race, place or time. Another way of putting this
(the old way) is that there are demons and angels, and we can
choose whether or not to be be influenced by them. I also like
the ancient idea - which we find in Homer and Virgil for example
- that when we are helped or hindered by other people they take
on the identity of the gods, or, as in this story, angels or devils.
If
you want to know more about the background of 'Miss Garnet's
Angel' or to learn more about some of the subject matter in
the book, click on the relevant section on the top left of this
page.
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The continued popularity of 'Miss Garnet's Angel' has
led to a reissued classic edition with an introduction
by the
author
and six sample chapters of 'Mr Golightly's Holiday' at
the end. Sales of 'Miss Garnet's Angel' are estimated
to be over
350,000.
To
buy any of the books mentioned on this website,
click on the phrase 'buy from amazon'.
