#9// a lady in 1930s England + heists

diary of a provincial lady

Dear Reader,
July is already here. I had the pleasure of moderating a panel at the Belongg Lit Fest on Political Fiction: Holding a Mirror in Divisive Times. Githa Hariharan and Meena Kandasamy were the panelists and we had a fruitful discussion about political writing. Some thought-provoking ideas—Meena said ‘The middle ground is a place of oppression and neutrality doesn’t help anyone’ in answer to whether writers should think of a middle ground. Githa urged to ‘think about differences and figure out how much you can push/experiment. We have to renew this everyday’ on readers and writers getting past their own prejudices. A recorded version should be up on the Youtube channel later this month. I specially loved the panels on 'Diversity in publishing' and 'Translation and Inclusion'.
 

Read

I had the most wonderful time reading The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield. This book, written as diary entries, provides a glimpse into the life of our unnamed narrator, a 35-ish wife and mother in an upper middle-class family in 1930s Devon, England. This is my second time reading the book. The first time was either a distracted one or one that kept aside the book after midway–because I could not remember anything of what I had read previously.

I was pleasantly surprised to note that I, living in India, could relate to  the provincial lady. She seems to have not read the popular book that everyone has read, or seen the play that is the talk of the season. Her bulbs don’t grow as wonderfully as those of her neighbours and Lady B—whom she slightly despises but always have to invite in—comments that the best bulbs come from Holland. Her life moves through soirees, bathing expeditions, tea parties and dances. (Alright, I cannot relate to THAT, especially in these Covid times). Her small moments, one time admiring the crocuses and imagining herself to be in Elizabeth and the German Garden are interrupted by the cook asking about fish. She is weary of managing her finances (why two tubs of toothpaste are ordered in ten days, she must ask the French governess—PS: remember, this is when the Great Depression hits) . She writes -“Query, mainly rhetorical: Why are nonprofessional women, if married and with children, so frequently referred to as “leisured”? Answer comes there none.” 
 
The provincial lady lives with her husband, a quiet man often behind a newspaper. His correspondence when she is away is limited to updates of the household though he does enquire whether she bought chocolate yet. Her children, Robin (away at a school) and Vicky, are innocent and interrupt her day. She practices wearing evening shoes for a dance party and feels good in her black dress (her husband can never remember what she wore to the last one). But this momentary happiness is squished when her daughter comments she looks lovely, BUT 'why do old people always wear black?' The cook and parlour maids are always threatening to leave. Our lady has appearances to keep, parties to attend, gossips to indulge in. Many characters—school friend, vicar’s wife—come and leave. The lady assigns new topics in old, half written notebooks. (My many many notebooks let out a scream as I typed this). She makes mental notes to read the book that the vicar said was not appropriate. She disagrees with the Book of the Month selections (Isn’t it wonderful that we still have this box service now?). This book is filled with lovely, mundane, precious moments as these. I am sure I will re read the book after I am older, perhaps after ten years?
 
I own a beautiful VMC edition (the introduction by Jilly Cooper is very insightful and charming) but I think these are no longer in print now. On a side note, I am increasingly finding that books are unavailable. Many in my wish list from five years ago are sadly unavailable now. I had hoped to buy them when I have a bigger budget. And recently I had to upturn forests and swim through rivers to find a copy of The Luminaries. I wonder if I will read it. It is too chunky. But I wanted it to be on my shelf whenever I am ready.

Design

Who said covers don’t maketh a book? Beautiful cover designs sweep me off my feet. Here are the best book cover designs of the first half of 2020. It is interesting to note that faces are a popular choice on book covers this year. Also eyes—very expressive or sometimes even dead-like eyes. And BOLD lettering where the title screams out to you to pick it up. Take a virtual bookstore browse through this post.
 

Watch

I love a good heist film. The latest in the category that I enjoyed is Thieves, a South Korean heist film directed by Choi Dong-hoon. It was unbelievably funny, fast with insane twists being bombed at you at rapid intervals. It has been a while since I laughed so much watching a film. I love the Ocean’s 11 series (except Ocean’s 8 which shouldn’t have been made) and I found Thieves just as entertaining.

A group of Korean criminals join hands with a Chinese group of criminals to steal a diamond ‘Tear of the Sun’ worth 20 million USD. The diamond in the possession of Tiffany (Yeh Soo-jung), the mistress of a powerful crime lord—who kills people if they cross him—named Wei Hong (Ki Gook-seo). Their plan is to sell it back to Hong. The Korean and Chinese teams view the other with suspicion—and there are problems bubbling within their own group. AND this operation is led by Macau Park, a Korean criminal based in Macau who might have issues of his own with either gang.
 
There’s a lot of back stabbing, subplots, great action, effortless swinging from buildings—all that. I did not think this funny, clever movie would also make me well up. It did. Something happens on the road. Anything more would be a spoiler. If you are looking to be entertained from start to finish, watch this.
 Thieves is streaming on Netflix

Amazing links

How Indians are having sex in the pandemic (Richa Kaul Padte, Vogue)
"One of the biggest constraints around meeting sexual needs in India is privacy. Spaces for sexual intimacy were always hard to come by, and now, with families at home together for most of the day, and hotels either closed or unsafe, the question of where to have sex—for those with homes in the first place—is often as pertinent as the risk of transmission."

- Translating a Decade of Internet Writing into a Debut Novel (Emily Temple, Lithub)
- Read FANGS by Sarah Anderson for free. It is about a werewolf dating a vampire and it is FUNNY! Also check out some other Best Books of 2020 so far. I highly recommend all ten.
- Thomas Hardy loved “kettle broth — chopped parsley, onions and bread cooked in hot water.” Elizabeth Taylor enjoyed garlic for breakfast. Someone steals all toasters in a town. Dwight Garner on the most important (and literary?) meal of the day (The New York Times)
- The Mystery of the missing soap to help kids understand about washing hands in Covid times is available for free in English, Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Assamese. (Katha)
- Paris Review has unlocked some old articles featuring Gabriel Garcia Marqez this week. Check this interview by Peter Stone and Three days with Gabo by Silvana Paternostro. Also subscribe to their newsletter. They unlock gems every week to read for free.
- Biohoodies, head gear, large rattan shells are more—Fashion in Covid times (CN Traveller)
- Photography : Flamingoes in Mumbai (Priyamvada Mangal, The Alipore post)

Until next time,
Resh x

(This newsletter may contain affiliate links which earn me a very small commission at no extra cost to you)


If you chanced upon this newsletter, you can subscribe here , forward to a friend or share via your favourite social media.