Joanna Quinn Virtual Event for The Whalebone Theatre - Boswell Book Company

[@janeeaton7025]

Great interview - loved your reference to collage. What happened to me was a collage of personal references that were resurrected by your novel. Thoughts went back to The Windmill Theatre, the Russian artist Tara’s and family took me on a journey back to lifestyles of Augustus John and Alfred Cummings. as well as The Bloomsbury Group. Also resurrected Le Grande Meaunles by Alan Fournier, the avant guard, hedonistic parties, the dressing up, the family and friends putting on little plays for their own entertainment in this period and also prewar. Your explanation re role play within the characters was so significant - role play, theatre and the many identities that make each so individual. The Whalebone Theatre may have taken a long time to come together, but as a debut novel it is truly a wonderful accomplishment. I could ramble on and on but just to finish, the book cover design (UK) was absolutely appropriate with its stylised, advertising style - congratulations to the designer. As an artist I have studied art history and particularly The Bloomsbury Group and creatives that period. Another character that comes to mind is Ottoline Morrell of Garsington Manor and you no doubt remember the story of Duncan Grant and friends dressing and blacking up, boarding a ship acting as foreign royalty and actually fooling everyone - it’s a great story.