Novelist or Satirist
We all receive “freebie” newspapers. Some are not too bad, some are dreadful!
We are lucky in my area to have one local paid-for paper the Stratford Herald, and as one may anticipate for the home of the bard this Stratford-upon-Avon and district paper has one of the best Arts and Literature sections I have seen in a local paper. I was therefore very proud when they sent along a photojournalist to Waterstones when I was signing books.
I really should have had a haircut before the visit, and the photo was somewhat “Old English Sheepdog”, but the description under the photo fascinated me.
It read “Novelist or Satirist…? Maurice Abney-Hastings… etc”. The accompanying article went on to say “His latest work, Big Days in Ashthorpe Magna, claims to be a reflection on the 25 plus years he has spent living in rural towns - particularly Alcester, as well as time in Leicestershire and Hampshire.”
“His book, supposedly a work of fiction, centres around a small rural town, but there are strong similarities to Alcester and its traditions, such as the Court Leet. And the Church featured on the cover is very reminiscent of St Nicholas’s though with the addition of an elegant spire. Some of the town’s characters are also identifiable through disguises so thin as to suggest Mr Abney-Hastings’ work is more a satire than a novel.”
Thanks Stratford Herald - I have always considered satire as much more difficult than a pure novel, and would never have been egotistical enough to describe myself as a satirist!! But who now knows…