Sarah Winman grew up in Essex and now lives in London. She attended the Weber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and went on to act in theatre, film and television. Her first novel, When God Was a Rabbit was an international bestseller, her second A Year of Marvellous Ways was a Sunday Times bestseller and Tin Man was shortlisted for the Costa Novel award 2018.
Today, Sarah Winman is on the blog to answer a few of our questions about her new novel, Still Life. Read on!
Sarah Winman (Photo by Patricia Niven).
Please tell us about your book, Still Life!
SW: It begins in 1944 with a fateful meeting in the Tuscan hills between an ageing art historian Evelyn Skinner and a young globe maker and soldier Ulysses Temper; it’s an encounter that will shape the rest of their lives. The story spans four decades and moves from the hills of Tuscany and Florence to post-war London then back to Florence. Ultimately, this book is about people. About found family and friendships, about beauty and art, love and the everyday unfolding of life.
Can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration for this book?
SW: I had completed a basic course on Renaissance Art back in 2015 and took myself off to Florence as the culmination of that study. I’d just finished lunch in a restaurant when I noticed on the walls photographs of Florence underwater: the flood of 1966. I chatted with the owner who brought out a book for me to look at and who told me about the Mud Angels, the young men and women who came from all over the world to help clean up.
Without doubt, that was the moment the story found me. Over time, the centrality of the flood lessened and over time the landscape of politics in Britain changed greatly. I, consciously, wanted to write a book that was pro-European, joyous and kind – the antithesis of the stories being told in the tabloid press and government. I wanted to write a book about togetherness and opportunity.
There are so many wonderful characters in Still Life – Ulysses, Peg, Kid, Evelyn, Cressy and, of course, Claude the Shakespeare-quoting parrot. How did they all come to be (and do you have a favourite)?
SW: There’s always a magic for me as to how characters appear. They come from within. Sometimes name first. So, in order of appearance, it was Ulysses followed closely by Evelyn. In fact, it was strange because I had no desire to write about wartime again. But there he was, travelling up from North Africa just as my grandfather had done eighty odd years before. I was reading a book called Florentine Art under Fire (Frederick Hartt) at the time, and that influenced the opening section of Still Life. I seem to remember the characters popped up rather effortlessly. Once I had created Peg and her life in the East End, Col and Cress followed naturally after. I loved writing Ulysses’ return to London section. I wrote it fast and with much joy, which is rare! The hard part was when Ulysses left for Italy. I was worried that the momentum created by the ensemble set-pieces would cause the narrative drive to dip. That’s where Massimo came in.
Evelyn would be my favourite. Characters are often formed because they are an expression of our own aspiration. Maybe if I get to be an older woman, she will be my role model.
Many people find art intimidating, or have trouble finding the words to talk about why it moves them, but there’s none of that hesitation in Still Life. Does this stem from your own experience with and appreciation of art?
SW: I think writing about art is tricky. Too academic and you lose people, not original enough and you lose people. That’s one of the reasons why I tried to push this story away time after time, because what was required felt too overwhelming. I love looking at art. I am curious. I feel moved. I can describe my response to certain works. But what I am not is an art historian or someone who has amassed great knowledge over the years. I needed to find someone who was, especially to bring authenticity to Evelyn.
I was very lucky to be introduced to an art historian who came to Florence during the flood of 66 and who never left. Her name was Stella Rudolph. I had her friendship and company for two years and I followed her around the city with a notebook. I learnt what questions to ask her, questions that by-passed her academic mind and went straight to the heart of her and her experience. A lot of Evelyn is what Stella said to me.
‘How I immerse myself in characterisation clearly comes from my acting days. I also went to the theatre a lot when I was writing Still Life and wanted to include a certain theatricality to the book.’
The plot spans decades, from the end of WWII to the late ‘60s and beyond. How much did the tumultuous history of that time shape your writing of Still Life and its characters? What kind of research did you do?
SW: I think history shapes us all. We become familiar with the circular narrative of experience. For instance -The Second World War and Fascism, and then the rearing of the Fascist head again in the ’70s. I knew little about Italy’s history. I knew about the war and I knew about the flood. So I had 1944 and I had 1966. I learnt about the Marshall Plan in the ’50s whereby Italy became the recipient of billions of dollars to help with post-war reconstruction. That brought a great feeling of prosperity to the country, and filtered down to the working classes, so there was a feeling of optimism in the air. This is what Ulysses walked into – poignant after the grey and lack that England was experiencing. An Italian friend told me that politics in Italy became very complicated by the ’90s so best to steer clear, which I did. I ended my story at the end of the 1970’s, as a character was approaching 100. That seemed monumental enough.
You’re an actress, as well as an author. How much inspiration do you draw from the acting world when you’re writing?
SW: It’s all instinctive now. How I immerse myself in characterisation clearly comes from my acting days. I also went to the theatre a lot when I was writing Still Life and wanted to include a certain theatricality to the book – I chose to have a lot of dialogue because I enjoyed the characters interactions. In all my books there is a cinematic element. I also use a roving camera technique to focus on a particular POV. I visualise scenes all the time. What I want the reader to see during a particular scene.
Who do you most admire in the writing world?
SW: So many people. People who’ve had long careers and who are still doing it. People who write under the threat of death or imprisonment by authoritarian regimes. Whose truth will out no matter what they stand to lose.
What is the last book you read and loved?
SW: I read a debut called Moth by Melody Razak. And I re-read my proof copy of Ece Temelkuran’s Together. Both are wonderful.
What do you hope readers will discover in Still Life?
SW: Laughter. Joy. A moment of lightness and belief in the world again after the ravages of the last year and the constant grip of right-wing politics. I like to think that my book is a re-charging of the batteries!
And finally, what’s up next for you?
SW: Not much at the moment. Creative recuperation. Much reading and watching films and simply walking. And swimming if I can get to the sea.
Thanks Sarah!
SW: Thank you!
—Still Life by Sarah Winman (HarperCollins Australia) is out now.
Listen to our podcast with Sarah Winman below!
Still Life
1944, in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa, as the Allied troops advance and bombs fall around them, two strangers meet and share an extraordinary evening together.
Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier, Evelyn Skinner is a sexagenarian art historian and possible spy. She has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the wreckage and relive memories of the time she encountered EM Forster and had her heart stolen by an Italian maid in a particular Florentine room with a view...
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Comments
February 12, 2022 at 9:45 pm
I loved the peaceful nature of this book. Thank you it was lovely.