In a recent
article by Julian Barnes in the
Guardian Review of Books, I read that Penelope Fitzgerald, one of the most esteemed English novelists of the late twentieth century, didn't start publishing novels until her sixties, and didn't get real recognition until she was eighty. That's a sobering thought for all of us aspiring writers, but at least she got the recognition she deserved eventually.
I don't know about recognition but I'll be working on getting a 'proper' (i.e. not a guidebook, or a teen fiction) book published next year. I'm not sure I want to be doing this at 60 or even 80. I'm hoping I'll want to take up gardening or something like that then. Ooooh, even reading would be nice. Writing is so all-consuming, isn't it?!
ReplyDelete