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“The pressures on young girls today are enormous. They have to be clever, careerist, popular and have chandelier-swinging sex”
Joanna Trollope, queen of the so-called “Aga saga”, makes two statements within the first few minutes of our meeting that swiftly debunk any myth that she is a cosy, cosseted home-counties figure.
The first is that she has just travelled from her home in Kensington, west London, to our interview in north London by bus in the pouring rain. At 73, no one would have accused her of being a diva had her publicist organised a car. “I absolutely adore public transport,” she coos, shaking off her coat. “It’s fascinating watching people and what they give away about themselves.”
The second is that she is a big admirer of Cheryl, the pop princess and former X Factor judge who started life on a Newcastle council estate. “I think Cheryl has done astoundingly well, and all by her own efforts. Remarkable. I don’t think much of celebrity culture, but Cheryl is a very positive example to young girls of how, with grit and hard work, you can turn things around.”
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She may be known as the Queen of the Aga saga, but Joanna Trollope claims that the moniker is sexist and “damaging” to her literary career.
The author, whose tales of rural intrigue have made her into a household name, said that the Aga saga tag had been applied to her novels as a result of gender discrimination within the literary establishment.
She said: “The whole Aga saga thing has been so damaging. People think I write about cosy rural communities, but I take quite a subversive stance on modern topics that might just help women realise they’re not alone.
“My feeling about it [sexism] is ‘deal with it’. You either think of some put-down or deal with it in a sophisticated, dispassionate manner.”
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Read The Guardian article here.
Welcome! I am so pleased you have found this brand new website – with it’s equally brand new look and news. Its also a great pleasure to me to know that from now on, you will know my news almost as soon as I do myself, and that we can stay in touch on a much more regular basis. The first piece of news is that there will be another novel out in February 2017, with a striking and lovely new look jacket. It’s called “City of Friends” and is about, as the title suggests, women who work and – vital to all of us – female friends. It’s my first novel under the Mantle imprint – part of Pan Macmillan – so there will be a lot of exciting firsts to celebrate next year. And also some very precious constants, most of all my readers. There would be no point, for me, in writing without you, and you have been wonderfully loyal for a very long time. So, apart from launching this website, I want to say a huge thank you to every one of you. And may we go forward together.
Warmest wishes, Joanna
There have been several very kind people emailing, or sending a message via Facebook, to say that signing up for the Newsletter on my website does not work. Huge apologies for this – and it is just part of the general state of the website at the moment. The people looking after my website are well aware of this, but rather than trying to mend a rather tired website, these very talented people are working away at a brand new website which will be launched towards the end of 2016. In the meantime, I’m pleased to say my email has been given a new life, and so do keep in touch with me that way! With my best wishes. Joanna.