THE WORLD OF SUSANNA CLARKE

There's no doubt that english writer SUSANNA CLARKE born Susanna Mary in Nottingham, on the first of November, 1959) will not go down in history as the most prolific writer out there. Private issues aside, a total of two novels and an anthology of short stories in the twenty years gone by since her first book was published, make clear that her work is not exactly about quantity. It is, indeed, about quality, and that shortage of new works is well balanced with the great impact that her body of work has had, at least when it comes to fantasy (with some nuances) literature.

It's hard to write about her work. First of all, because this is the first time I dare to review books, even if that only means voicing my opinion and little more about them (I am, by no means, in a position to conduct a literary analysis, for I would not know how to). I know there are a couple of entries about books on this blog, but they are music-related books and much easier to read than these ones, and I have read them recently. This last bit leads me to the second reason: I've enjoyed all Clarke's three books a lot, but two of them were read a long time ago, around the time they were published, and my memories about them hardly have specific details. One of those books is also a behemoth close to eight hundred pages (depending on the edition), whose enormous amount of details makes even more difficult to remember it. As an anecdote, I have to say that a few years ago, and more than ten years after I had read the book, I watched the TV series (BBC) which adapted that book, and most of the time it looked like something completely new to me, something I hardly knew anything about, given the size of the novel and all the things I did not remember. Her last book is much easier to read anyway, but I read it almost three years ago and well, let's say that Susanna Clarke's work is an acquired taste and not for everyone.

It is the fan within me, and not a scholar (once again, nowhere near close), who is writing, and the idea is to talk about something I like and I consider worthy of devoting some time to. I guess the wisest thing to do now, would be reading those books one more time, and talk about them afterwards, having them still fresh in my mind (much more than I have them right now). But it would not be the same. It would be as if I had to, instead of wanting to, not to mention that it would take me ages to finish this entry. I'd rather do some researching on Clarke's work and write what I do remember about it, and maybe take a quick look at the books to find out if that allows me to have more vivid memories.

But more on those books later on.

After having lived in several different cities in Scotland and the north of England when she was very young, she graduated in Oxford (St. Hilda's College) in 1981, although her studies in philosophy, politics and economy did not foretell a future literary career. However, she spent a good deal of the eighties working in the publishing business, in which she thrived once she had come back from teaching english during a couple of years in Italy and Spain, at the beginning of the nineties. In this next phase she was also involved in publishing, although with no connection with fiction, because she worked until 2003 publishing cookbooks. And yet, it was around that time when she began writing her first novel, JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL, which would not see the light of day until a few years later, in 2004.

She also wrote some short stories, since the mid nineties until the beginning of the current century. All of them but one were published on different media and in several different ways (radio broadcasting included), and also all of them, barring another different one, were published in her collection of short stories called THE LADIES OF GRACE ADIEU AND OTHER STORIES (2006). The only story that was not known until this anthology was JOHN USKGLASS AND THE CUMBRIAN CHARCOAL BURNER, while the only one which was not featured in this book was STOPP'T-CLOCK YARD. This tale was first published in another anthology, THE SANDMAN: BOOK OF DREAMS (1996). The stories in that book are based on the comic known as THE SANDMAN, created by the famous english writer NEIL GAIMAN, who was one of the publishers of Book Of Dreams as well, in which there's also a tale written by the also very well known american singer TORI AMOS (AFTERWORD: DEATH).

The author on a recent picture

It doesn't apply to her entire body of work, given that her most recent output (PIRANESI, 2020) differs a lot from the first novel (and the already mentioned anthology), but Clarke's writing style owes to that of the great english writers from the victorian period. That period spanned queen VICTORIA's regency, between 1837 and 1901, so the most pivotal and referential figure of it would be CHARLES DICKENS. But Susanna is also influenced by some other writers who were close (chronologically speaking) to that period, being her other big influence the a little bit earlier writer JANE AUSTEN. Both Dickens and Austen need no introduction, and as far as I am concerned, I like the fact that Clarke is influenced by Dickens, one of my favourite writers. That, and the peculiarities of that british XIX century, so very well depicted in the work of the immortal Portsmouth-born writer, may be two good reasons why those first two books by Clarke that have been mentioned, drew my attention so quickly.

Clarke's work is usually tagged as fantasy literature, and for a reason, but sticking to just that would mean doing no justice to all that her books encompass. There's much more than meets the eye and, while the fantasy thing cannot be denied, the nuances I mentioned above mean this writer does not venture herself to creating new parallel or make-believe universes (although this last thing needs to be explained as well), but she thrives in some sort of alternative history, or historical fiction maybe. Her books (her work as a whole) focus on fantastic events happening in an actual context, during an specific moment in history, which is Victorian England, as I've said before, in the case of her first two works. Unlike what the concept of alternative history itself suggests, she does not focus all that much on designing alternate landscapes, more or less truthful, within a proper historical moment in time, but on making the fantastic components fit in said historical moment. This idea is strenghtened by the extensive usage of true names of the period at hand, be them people or just things (a newspaper from back in the day, for example), and of events which took place in it, just to provide the fantastic with as much realism as possible. Hence that term, historical fiction.

On the other hand, it needs to be addressed the fact that, although the very definition of fantasy literature may be associated to a certain young age span by many, Clarke's work distances itself from that. There's no need to say there are tons of books of this kind out there which are not meant to be read by children (no need to point out any specific titles), and in this regard, Susanna's books are definitely adult stuff.

Picking up what concerns to her writing style, and leaving the most peculiar Piranesi aside, as I've said before, said style mixes those of several writers from the XIX century, mostly the aforementioned two  (pastiche, they call it). She mimics the style of those authors, but with the intention of paying tribute to them and never to mock them. Jane Austen's influence is evident when it comes to using what is known as free indirect speech (it means depicting some character's thoughts in the first person through the third person who the narrator is), which she was so very well known for, while Clarke herself acknowledges the inspiration of the legendary english writer when is time to depict intimate, secluded and chatty moments. However, there are some critics who only see shallow similarities when it comes to compare both writers, because while Austen goes straight to the point, Clarke wanders around and delays what she's hiding, as if she was threatening to hit but never doing so. She makes it look like she's leaving a very long bait before the reader.

As for Dickens, his influence (according to Susanna as well) is more obvious during moments of action or more descriptive, as well as in the choice of an assortment of characters who can be labelled as mischievous, such as sycophants with hidden second intentions, rogues, womanizers and the like.

Being Dickens and Austen most likely the biggest influences throught Clarke's first two books, they are not the only ones. She also admits the influence of some other writers who have traversed the genres she has, and who have even devoted themselves to children's literature. ALAN GARNER or ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF are some of them.

Besides combining those previous influences, Susanna Clarke uses some genres which appeared during the Romanticism, such as the comedy of manners (ironic depiction of certain social classes, mostly the bourgeoisie), the gothic tale (themes revolving magic, enchantments and so on), the military novel and some of the subjects tackled by WALTER SCOTT and LORD BYRON (the defiant, barefaced and bitter antihero, but honest at the same time, in this last case). All this is blended with the fantasy novel and with some more modern influences, like the omnipresent TOLKIEN or CLIVE LEWIS, for example. But, once again, it needs to be emphasized that, while those authors create worlds of their own, what Clarke does is to locate herself in a completely real Great Britain and, from that on, to add her own creation. This turns her work into something closer to the reader, who is able to identify facts and people who are shown in the story and to combine what they already knew (or have just learnt about them) with everything that the author suggests.

Susanna Clarke

As mentioned, everything that's been talked about applies only to her first two books, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and the anthology The Ladies Of Grace Adieu And Other Stories, which works just fine as a companion piece to its bigger brother. As for her second novel (third and last book, for the time being), Piranesi, everything changes, for the final producy has little to do with the two previous works, beyond the obvious fantasy element in all three. More on this later, but what Clarke does concerning this book is using certain references and allusions to other works, instead of allowing herself to be influenced by other writers. But if there is just one inspiration that needs mentioning, when it comes to talk about Piranesi, that would be, according to Clarke's own words, that of argentinian writer JORGE LUIS BORGES.

JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL

Black cover of the first harcover edition

Clarke's first novel, published by BLOOMSBURY in September 2004, is the one she owes the fame and success achieved during the last twenty years. Not my intention to discredit Piranesi, or the previous collection, for I love them both, but while Piranesi was her long awaited second novel and the short stories made her achieve cult status (before this first novel was published, of course), Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell not only showed the world who Susanna Clarke was, providing her with said fame and success, but it also was the reason why it was worthy to compile all those short stories and show them to a bigger audience, and the reason why the world at large has been so eager about the publication of Piranesi. I hope she carries on writing and publishing new books in the near future, but I think is a safe bet to say this first novel will be the one she will go down in history for.

This is a gigantic work (split in three parts), which blends fantasy, alternative history and historical fiction, whose plot is located in the early XIX english century, during the NAPOLEONIC WARS. The story circles around the relationship between the two men the novel is named after, and the resolve of them both to bring back the magic that had once existed in England. They are also surrounded by a good host of more or less important characters.

It looks like, according to Susanna's own memories, the idea about writing a book like this first came to her while still in Spain, in the early nineties, thanks to a dream she had, and paired with another reading of THE LORD OF THE RINGS (entirely published between 1954 and 1955), by Tolkien. Writing this novel took her a good ten years, and in the process she even met writers like COLIN GREENLAND (who ended up becoming her husband) or the already mentioned Neil Gaiman, besides having some of her stories (some of them written while preparing this novel) published in the saga of anthologies known as STARLIGHT (three volumes, published in 1996, 1998 and 2001, respectively). This got Clarke cult status among fans of the fantastic.

*A small break now, only to take advantage from the occasion and recommend the reader Neil Gaiman's work (or at least what I've read of it). I'm not a big fan of the famous novel AMERICAN GODS (2001), for instance, but I can't help myself from recalling all the fun I had while reading books like NEVERWHERE (1996), and above all, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK or CORALINE (2002).

For the same reason, I have to say that in two of the three Starlight volumes there are stories written by the american writer TED CHIANG. Quite interesting his two anthologies of short tales, STORIES OF YOUR LIFE AND OTHERS (2002) and EXHALATION (2019). The first one is where the story known as STORY OF YOUR LIFE can be found, which is the one the movie ARRIVAL (2016), the great film by canadian filmmaker DENIS VILLENEUVE (already mentioned on this blog) is based on.

The image which headlines this entry, with both
magicians: Strange on the left and Norrell on the right

As explained, Clarke worked during those days publishing cook books, and the lack of time and the sheer size her own book was gaining made her doubt whether she would be able to finish it or not. She tried to adjust to a very tight schedule and to her own work ethic, aware as she was of the fact that she was writing for herself and for no one else. That's why this book was written with no specific order, not from the beginning to the end, but as an enormous bunch of isolated parts which would eventually find their own order. And that's why it took her so very long to finish the task, concerning which she admits that had her known it would take her so long, maybe she would have never started. But she strenghtened her will thinking that, most likely next year, or the next one at most, the novel would be finished. It took more years than expected, but she did finish it.

There were still some issues to resolve, of course, for her agent tried to sell (with no luck) the manuscript, still unfinished, to two different publishers, before Bloomsbury bought it at the beginning of 2003. The book was published, as mentioned, in September 2004 (on the 8th in the States, and on the 30th in the UK; the 4th of October was the date chosen for the rest of the countries). The dismal illustrations were drawn by the artist named PORTIA ROSENBERG.

Regarding myself, I recall one birthday, years ago, on which I got from my mum, as a present. I do not remember which book it was and I was interested in reading it, but I chose returning it to the shop and got a different one instead, because what my mother had bought was the second installment of a saga and we could not find the first one. I think this happened in 2004 and the year after my mum managed to achieved the most unlikely and unexpected thing: she gave me exactly that very same book as a present once again. It does not get any more surreal and difficult. You know mums' stuff. I remember going to the shop to return that book (again) that same evening and something quickly drew my attention.

There was a big stand with the name of the book and the very nice cover which adorned the spanish edition issued by SALAMANDRA, with a text which said something like this was some kind of The Lord Of The Rings meets Harry Potter, or something of the like. I've already said I have not read any books of the latter, but I've read a lot of Tolkien in the past, and in fact I think that most of the books by him that I've read, were read before the hype the movies directed by PETER JACKSON brought (they were all premiered between 2001 and 2003). I don't remember any of his books that I did not like, including short stories and assorted stuff, but in spite of liking all three films as well, by the time I discovered Clarke's book, the overexposure to everything Tolkien-related had gotten to a point that, if a sentence like the previous one was meant to be a convincing deal-closer, it did nothing to me in that sense. And even less the Harry Potter part, given that's one saga I'm not interested in, at least in principle. I thought that combination made no sense, as it was made clear once I finished the book, but I guess you have to sell your product the best way you can, don't you? But the important thing here is that I decided to give this big boy a chance after reading what was on the back cover. We both got along with each other very well and from the get-go.

That cover on the Salamandra edition

There is no point in explaining in detail the content or the characters, for this is a book worth reading and, if possible, with the least previous knowledge about it. And I would never dare to ruin the experience of reading it to those interested (hence, besides not quoting any other characters, I won't post images of them). Not that I remember lots of details, as I've just said, but I do remember more vividly something about some recurring balls (dancing), that part about vice-admiral NELSON with regards to a naval engagement and, above all, what is told about the statues in York's cathedral. This is a book that, perhaps because of the fond memories I keep from the time when I read it, is quite suitable for an autumnal or wintry reading, during cold and rainy days and all that. Truth is, the book itself, and its inherent connection to England, suggest anything but sun and good weather. Not in vain, the book's atmospherere has been described as wintry, sinister and bleak.

But there's something that is worth discussing, as a curiosity and also as a warning to those who want to read this novel: they need to know this is not only a long (very) book, but is far from being a quickly and easy reading as well. There are tons of characters and details, and there are also those narrative detours Clarke uses and which have been already talked about, but the most striking thing is the fact that the author uses as many as one hundred and eighty five footnotes (many of them invading most of the pages they are on), which are taken advantage of to document a whole history of the english magic of Clarke's own creation. This is what I meant, back at the beginning, when I said that this writer fitted fantasy within a specific time frame, but without creating parallel worlds of her own, although this also needed to be put into context.

Those footnotes tell stories of magicians of the past, tales related to magic and so on, and all that from the voice of the same anonymous storyteller who operates as master of ceremonies when it comes to the main text. According to Clarke, said narrator is someone who is all-knowing and also a woman, and not someone related to the plot who is telling the story from a near future, as pointed out by many, because this little detail has also been subjected to debate.

Given that everything concerning the writing style of this book, and the genres it encompasses (and those of the anthology which somehow goes hand in hand with it), has already been discussed, it is time to talk about the themes it deals with.

One of them is the difference regarding what was deemed as usual in the specific time period at hand. For example, Clarke examines the minority roles of black people, women or lower classes of that time.

England, and everything pertaining it, is another theme. This is not only about Clarke's writing style and her influences, but about the country itself, its people, the way they act and think, their prejudices and also England's mythology and folklore, in contrast to those of the neighbouring countries.

The relationship between reason and madness (the latter connected to the supernatural), more than the eternal fight between good and evil, is also dealt with, but above all, this novel talks about friendship, or at least about the rapport between the two main characters, which form one of those textbook ood pairings. But there have also been some critics who have stated that the true star of the show is the library both men adore, even more than those two main characters themselves.

The two magicians

As for the book's reception, there are some fun facts, predating its publication, that need to be told. Because Bloomsbury not only accepted to purchase an unfinished manuscript, but also this publisher was so sure of the book's success that advanced a million pounds to Susanna. That to begin with.And also, two hundred and fifty thousand hardcover copies were issued in the States, UK and Germany, while began its translation to seventeen different languages, even before its very first edition in english had been published.

All this led to a gigantic advertising campaign which included all kinds of oddities which I won't explain in detail (book delivery by carriage, limited editions with was seals, etc). The effort paid off, for Clarke had to get involved in a promotional tour herself due to the book's success and its demand, and different editions succeeded. Not every review was unanimously positive, but they were very good overall, and someone like Neil Gaiman said this was the best english book of the fantastic in the last seventy years. Canada's critic and writer JOHN CLUTE went as far as to say that was Clarke capable of finishing what she had only started with this book, she would have written the best english novel ever about both english and fantasy's mythologies, and the relationship between the two of them. It seems like both authors, when saying what they said, had in mind one novel called LUD IN THE MIDST, written by english author HOPE MIRRLEES, as the cornerstone of english fantasy. This book, whose existence I've just known about, makes me feel curious about it.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell monopolized the best sellers lists and even won a few awards (while being shortlisted for some others) between 2004 and 2005, standing out the year's best novel for TIME magazine, in 2004, and the HUGO as best novel, already in 2005.

Not much else to say about it. Clarke's herself entertained the idea of writing a sequel, focused on some other characters of the novel and located some years after the end of this story, but this was almost twenty years ago, before she got ill (more on this later on) and had to cast the idea aside almost definitely. There were also negotiations in order to adapt the book to the big screen, but it's been a long time as well and, the understandable enormous effort to make something like this happen, was joined by the closure, some years ago, of NEW LINE CINEMA studios, which had purchased the rights in the first place, but without revealing anything regarding the cast, etc.

So nothing about it so far. What it was indeed finished was the TV show that I mentioned before, by the BBC, shaped as a seven episode miniseries. It was first aired in May, 2015, and the cast involved was mostly unknown to me, although I did know english actor EDDIE MARSAN, a usual sidekick, as Norrell. Strange was played by the also english (what a surprise) BERTIE CARVEL. I bought it on DVD back in the day and I really enjoyed it, although as mentioned, I would have liked to have more vivid memories of the book back them.

As fun fact, let's say that Clarke's husband (and former mentor of hers), Colin Greenwald, did not read the book until it was published, despite how long it took for her to write it, and the fact that they had been together as a couple since the mid nineties.

And there's also this thing about Clarke not being sure at all about her publisher allowing her to publish all that world she created through all those discussed footnotes. She has avoided them herself when doing some public reading and even the audiobook version of the novel includes them with a single track for each of them, just in case the reader plans to skip them, so they can do it without interrupting the story. I'm not discrediting this aspect of the book. Not at all. I'm just mentioning this fact and, once again, saying that maybe something like that is not for everyone. In fact, the criticism towards said audiobook use to focus on the footnotes slowing the pace of the story down. But in the end, it is an audiobook what we are talking about.

THE LADIES OF GRACE ADIEU (AND OTHER STORIES)

Cover of the first edition

This anthology, a much more affordable affair than its older brother, is comprised of eight stories and one prologue, and it was also published by Bloomsbury, in October, 2006. The similarities with Clarke's first novel are obvious, for the writing style, the genres explored and the time frame these tales are located in are more of the same. And what's more, there are some cross-references between both books and there's even one character from the novel doing a special appearance around here. It makes perfect sense, given that the story the book is named after, for example, was written while the author was also working on Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I do not think is a good idea to compare both works though.

For starters because, leaving the enormous size of the novel aside, which contrasts with the length of  eight stories which do not even amount to two hundred and fifty pages all combined, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell focus mostly on the two main male characters, while these tales are starred by women and the usage they do of their powers. This is some sort of female (or feminist, according to some critics, although I do not know about the hypothetical differences between both concepts, or what kind of feminism could manage a novel from almost twenty years ago whose stories are set in the Victorian Period; I'd need to read the book one more time to find out, also keeping in mind the era we are currently living in, definitely much more prone to hysteria than that of twenty years ago, regarding certain subjects) take of the previous book.

It also needs to be said that this anthology is such thing not only because of being a collection of tales with no apparent connection among each other (besides the obvious similarities), but also due to the fact that they are presented not as Clarke's own stories, but as the work of several fictional writers. This is quite cool, to be honest, although I must admit I had to read about it to realize it because, as much as the brief introduction works as the prologue written by some invented scholar, the names of the hypothetical writers are not shown before each story, and neither are the name of those who tell them (I'll put this into context later on, when I talk about the stories themselves, and of course, I did not remember anything about this).

American artist CHARLES VESS was in charge of the inner illustrations and, despite my recent purchasing of a copy of the book in spanish, again published by Salamandra and with a very nice front cover, when I first bought it was some months after it was published (driven by the eagerness to read more of the author, after the great impression that the first book had caused), and I bought an english copy like the one in the above picture. That image is the same one which is on Salamadra's front cover, but in different colours and embossed on top of a hardcover edition. That cover was created by a certain PETRA BORNER. You just get the sensation of holding a very old book, from another time, in your hands, maybe one in the vein of those who were published in the time these stories are set.

As it has probably been noticed, the spanish edition does not mention, neither on the cover, nor on the title, the sentence and other stories of the original version, which perhaps could lead to some confussion concerning what the reader is about to read. As if it was just another ordinary book, when what is actually being shown is just the name of only one of the stories the book is comprised of. Same with the two Ted Chiang books I already mentioned. Both are called, at least in their spanish versions, like one of the stories they compile, but none of them mentions the fact that they both include some more.

Clarke dedicates this book to her parents.

Cover of the spanish edition, which is oblivious of any indication
about this book containing a collection of stories

As for the tales themselves (as already explained), all of them had already been published in different anthologies. All but the eighth and last, John Uskglass And The Cumbrian Charcoal Burner.

- INTRODUCTION: by fictional professor JAMES SUTHERLAND and dated in April, 2006. That professor, before tiptoing his way through every story and their content, explains that their golas are, on one hand, to shed some light on the development of english magic through the years, and on the other, to inform of the several ways it can have an impact on everyday's life. He also remarks the, according to him, complete disinformation about magic which reigns supreme through every single era of british history, and he hopes that with this book, those who are interested in it, can get some knowledge of its complexity and so on.

- THE LADIES OF GRACE ADIEU: Clarke's very first story to be published, written while the previous book was in the making. Her intention was that these three women (MRS. FIELDS, MISS TOBIAS and CASSANDRA PARBRINGER) and their connection to magic had their own space within said book, but she declined, for historical authenticity's sake, aware as she was of women's secondary role within the society this story takes place. In return, besides the publication of this tale in another anthology, called STARLIGHT I (1996), and the revenge that female magic got due to the publication of this book, this story, born of an assignment (she mentions this in passing in the special thanks part) she got while in a writing workshop she signed up for while she was writing the big book (thanks to which she eventually met her partner and also Gaiman), has its own space in the footnote number forty three of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and so explains Sutherland in the prologue.

- ON LICKERISH HILL: This tale travels further back in time and tells how MIRANDA SOWRESTON resorts to some tricks when dealing with certain situations. Special contribution by some JOHN AUBREY, famed antiques dealer and philosopher from XVII century's England. As Sutherland says, this is about the relationship that his english and scottish ancestors had with magic and goblins.

- MRS. MABB: about VENETIA MOORE's efforts to get her fiance back after he had abandoned her. Sutherland praises the main character's instinct to sense how certain things work and how to handle herself according to what circumstances.

- THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON MISPLACES HIS HORSE: this one relates to the STARDUST novel (1999), by Gaiman (no idea about this before I did some researching, given I haven't read that book and I didn't even know it was a story set in the XIX century, contrasting with the author's usual modern stories), for it takes place in a village called Wall which is in said book. There, a wall separates the world we all know from the magic world, although it is adviced to not cross it. According to Sutherland, this tale tells about that duke's (well known military man and politician from the XVIII and XIX centuries) clumsiness when dealing with magic. Enters needlework as well, in the shape of a woman who operates similarly to the lady that poet ALFRED TENNYSON devoted his famous poem THE LADY OF SHALOTT to. I'll take advantage of the situation to leave here a link to the musical adaptation that the incomparable LOREENA MCKENNITT made of it on THE VISIT (1991).

THE LADY OF SHALOTT / LOREENA MCKENNITT

This sentence can be found on the back cover of the
 book's first edition. I do not remember whether it belongs
 to one of the stories or not, an if it does, to which one

- MR. SIMONELLI, OR THE FAIRY WIDOWER: this tale belongs to a certain ALESSANDRO SIMONELLI's very own personal diary, or diaries, for Sutherland, who doesn't seem to be very fond of this person, says Simonelli spent the XIX century going back and forth his memories for times on end to, in an opportunistic way, give the spotlight to (according to the professor) his most recent obsession. Sutherland also says that, in order to avoid distortions in reality, what this story tells belongs to the first edition of that diary, hoping that it is trustworthy. This is about Simonelli's relationship with an aristocrat from the world of the Fairies.

- TOM BRIGHTWIND, OR HOW THE FAIRY BRIDGE WAS BUILT AT THORESBY: professor Sutherland remarks the interest of this story to those interested in magic, although beyond that statement, his opinion about it is not very good; he abides by a report he himself did on this subject back in 1999, and he also says that said report can be read in the prologue to the story.

This story, which had already been published in 1820 in an edinburgher magazine (as Sutherland reports) is about another chapter of the friendship between Brightwind, a goblin, and DAVID MONTEFIORE, a jewisg doctor from the XVIII century.

- ANTICKES AND FRETS: as with On Lickerish Hill, what Sutherland explains about this story in the introduction is that it also depicts the immediate connection with goblins and magic. Back to a more distant past and historical characters here, for this tale tells about one episode in which are involved, among others, MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, former queen of Scotland, and ELIZABETH CAVENDISH (BESS OF HARDWICK), a famed english socialite from the XVI century who was married (among others) to GEORGE TALBOT, who was for a while guardian of the aforementioned Mary when she was a prisoner. Needlework is once again important and in the prologue, the professor explains how Mary left Scotland in 1568, towards english soil, where her cousin, queen ELIZABETH I OF ENGLAND, had her imprisoned.

- JOHN USKGLASS AND THE CUMBRIAN CHARCOAL BURNER: this last story is attributed by Sutherland to a gentleman called JOHN WATERBURY and, as he says, is a medieval tale in the vein of stories sucha as ROBIN HOOD, where the lower classes triumph at the rich and powerful expense. Thus, Uskglass, a prominent individual from the north of medieval England, will get himself involved in an unexpected situation. In the introduction to this tale, the professor states that, given its similarities to the before discussed ancient folklore, its historical basis is doubted

This illustration by Charles Vess
precedes the fist story

In conclusion, an anthology which works just fine as Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell's companion piece, because of everything that has been already explained, but which has a life of its own at the same time, and which, on the other hand, is a much more affordable affair to read than that previous novel. If memory serves, there is a bigger amount of humour here than which can be found in Clarke's darker first work. Overall, the reception of this book was quite good, although there were some who wasted no time in comparing it unfavorably to its bigger brother, which I find ridiculous and unfair. As I said, Clarke's work after a debut like that, will be always judged having said debut as the template, and that is not appropiate, for it's something very difficult to match at all levels, and might lead the reader to an constant frustration when realizing they are expecting something that might never be fulfilled, and that they are not appreciating each work for what it is. In this particular case, the comparison between both books should end once the reader is aware that the length of these stories does not allow the immersive experience in the reading that Strange and Norrell do. The time period is almost always the same, and so are the styles and genres, and even the tone of the storytelling, but that is all that there is. It's not fair to expect the same amount details and everything that a book that big proposes.

Someone compared these tales to those famous footnotes from the previous novel, as if they were more of the same, but longer. What has already been explained when discussing the story this book is named after, in connection with Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, goes in that direction.

Trivia: Mrs. Mabb was adapted to be broadcast on the radio (BBC) in 2008. Venetia Moore's fiance, known as CAPTAIN FOX, was played by Bertie Carvel, who was already mentioned when I said that he would end up starring (as Strange) the TV series which adapted Clarke's first novel.

PIRANESI

Front cover on the UK's first edition. The detail that can be found
at the feet of the creature that dominates it is remarkable: a novel

Sixteen years after Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell's publication, Piranesi, Clarke's second novel, was published (once again by Bloomsbury, in September, 2020). In this book, the main character tells (as if he was writing a diary or a travel log) his adventures inside a strange parallel reality in which there's nothing but enormous halls, with many statues, through which water flows, changes in the tide and the current included. That person does not know who he is and doesn't seem to remember anything, therefore his consciousness starts from scratch in that place. This starting point is the explanation behind the book's title, which refers to XVIII century's italian artist GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI. This person produced, halfway through that century, a collection of sixteen prints named CARCERI D'INVENZIONE (IMAGINARY PRISONS), on which gigantic, subterranean and full of stairs galleries could be seen. The world in which Piranesi is carried out as a novel looks quite similar to what Piranesi (the artist) had created.

The funny thing about it is that Clarke designed something like that ahead of the global pandemic brought by the COVID 19, and that said world was bound to see the light of day in the shape of a novel soon after that pandemic, when everything related to it was yet to end. In this sense, the sensations of isolation and mostly of loneliness, that the main character experiences are obvious, and they are also in line with the then very recent quarantine in which the whole planet had been trapped into, as a consecuence of the before mentioned virus.

I guess the question to be answered this deep into the entry is the next one: what takes a writer, with an obvious talent for her craft, who had apparently gained momentum after publishing a very successful first novel, publishing the already reviewed anthology soon after, so long to publish something new? The explanation is the illness she had to endure and that I briefly advanced when I finished talking about Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, which, among other things, blew every possibility of said book having a sequel (the author ruminated on a story focused on some characters with a lesser social status than those in that book, and located some years after the events which took place in it).

When she finished her first novel, Clarke got ill due to something which was loosely diagnosed, to be later on identified as chronic fatigue, something which crippled her almost entirely to carry on with her work as a writer, given that she wasn't even able to make the most simple decisions, like continuing a story one way or another, etc. That made her to forget about the sequel to the first novel, because if it was supposed to be similar to the novel itself, Clarke was in no condition to face something that demanding.

Later on she chose to follow a much more simple path, when she resumed an unfinished story which would end up as Piranesi, because it was more affordable and almost no research was needed. There was also the fact that this novel is not brimming with an endless parade of characters in need of their own life and features. She herself admits that, after having gone through a very rough patch when she realized about all the time she had been inactive, a visit to the set where the BBC series which adapted her first novel was being shot, gave her bacl her trust in her abilities as a writer.

She dedicated the book to her partner this time around.

Front cover of Spain's first edition by Salamandra, which does
 not include the note which could be seen on the original one

Besides everything that has already been written about Piranesi, the italian artist, Clarke admitted (as already explained) in an interview having been influenced by Borges, mostly by one short story of his called THE LIBRARY OF BABEL (first published in 1941), in which the famed argentinian writer created an alternate universe designed as an enormous library. Funnily enough, my favourite bookshop around here is also called the same way. Now I know why. That's a place worth visiting by those who are fond of reading and visit Palma.

LA BIBLIOTECA DE BABEL

Susanna Clarke also includes in this story several references to the saga known as THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, by Clive Lewis, and some similarities with those books, although there is nothing I can say about this (I did not even know it, obviously) for I haven't read them. This bond includes a quote taken from one of those books and which can be read right before Piranesi begins: I am the great scholar, the magician, the adept, who is doing the experiment. Of course, I need subjects to do it on. Together with it, there is also another one which is better to say nothing about, to allow those interested in reading the book to dive into the story without much previous knowledge.

This time I wasn't aware of this book's existence until at least one year after its publication. Not that I had lost track of the writer, but I knew there was nothing new written by her (I did not know about  her illness) and somehow, Piranesi's publication flew under my radar. I don't remember how I became aware of this book, but once I saw the front cover I realized that, most likely, it was not going to have a lot in common with the two previous books. A devil-like creature blowing a double trumpet on top of some kind of pedestal did not indicate the novel was going to deal with english magic and so on. Piranesi is, like the previous anthology, once again affordable regarding its length (less than three hundred pages), but truth is, it took me a while to get fully immersed in it, and it did not help to find constant entries to that supposed diary which were headlined like this or similar: First day of the fifth month in the year the albatross came to the south-western halls. Well, this story may not be for everyone, and is kind of an acquired taste for most (pretty much like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, to be honest), but little by little I hit my stride and it did not take me very long to realize that Susanna Clarke had done it again. This is something praiseworthy, and something the reader will not stop thinking about. You read and you find yourself imagining that world the book keeps, creating images in your head of what those halls and statues could be like, regardless of your having already seen any pictures of those prints by Giovanni Piranesi with which this book seems to be related to. Or at least that is what happened to me. Furthermore, I recall some videogame with scenery and landscapes similar to those that I created in my head, and that led me to link those images with each other. I don't know to what extent a writer can previously have something like this in mind. I mean, writing something with the goal that the reader can get so involved in it, that they create their own mental version of the scenery in which one story is told, but if Clarke wrote Piranesi having this in her mind, she couldn't have done it any better.

This book was very well welcome, with the critic using descriptions like smart or close to perfection, and talking about the unintentional bond between the story and the then very recent global lockdown. Clarke even won, thanks to this book, the very prestigious british award known as WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION, in its 2021 edition. As for myself, more of what I've just mentioned above: Piranesi gets better and better and you just have to let it do its job. Susanna Clarke, incidentally, proved she could get out of her comfort zone and do something different, with nothing to do with the until then usual victorian tales in which everyday real life merged with fantasy, despite that, according to her, the easiest thing to do was to resume something like Piranesi, instead of writing something as demanding as her first novel. Although it was all mostly due to her illness, which I hope she's already left completely behind. It's also true that Piranesi's starting point is completely fantastic, but what I meant is that this novel is not another story set in a time which reminds, once again, of Dickens or Austen.

Right now I do not recall whether this image had
 something to do with the story or not...

There is some interesting trivia related to this book:

- A radio version of this novel for the BBC was again created in February 2022.

- There's also the audiobook version of Piranesi, with the peculiarity that this time, instead of the voice actors who are usually in charge of things like these, a Hollywood actor, no less, was resorted to. We're talking about CHIWETEL EJIOFOR. I know, a tad weird name that maybe does not ring any bells by itself, but he is a black actor whom most people have probably seen on the big screen a few times without even knowing what his name was, but he has even been nominated to an Academy Award as leading actor, in 2014, because of STEVE MCQUEEN's very good film, 12 YEARS A SLAVE. In fact, he's the one who can be seen on the movie poster.

- This year 2024, in June, it was known that LAIKA animation studios had purchased the rights to make a movie from this book. These studios were responsible of the great film adaptation that was made in 2009 of the aforementioned Gaiman's book, Coraline. That film is one of the best of its kind that I remeber having seen, so this is very good news. It seems like the director will be a certain TRAVIS KNIGHT, an experienced fella within this craft, for he was the one who directed one of Laika's greatest movies, KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (2016).

- Piranesi's story has been compared to PLATO's ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE, which can be found in the seventh book of the REPUBLIC, written in the IV century before Christ. In said allegory, one character, without any kind of knowledge of the outside world, is imprisoned in a cave in which there are only shadows cast on the cave's walls. These shadows are images of real life. In Piranesi, the main character finds himself trapped in this world full of halls, water and statues, without knowing how he got there in the first place, and with no further knowledge of what he encounters. I do not know whether Clarke had Plato in mind when writing the novel or not.

Clarke, in an older picture

Susanna Clarke's work as a writer ends here, for the time being, so there's not much else to be said.Anyway, last January she announced she was working on a new book whose plot would be set in Bradford, England. That's all I know about it.

Besides all that's been said about her books, and the possibility to read Stopp't-Clock Yard (her one and only short story which is not to be found in The Ladies Of Grace Adieu) in Neil Gaiman's above mentioned book (something I haven't done yet), I notice there are still a couple of things under her name:

- A tale which I think still remains unpublished, and that was just narrated by someone else for the BBC in 2007, called THE DWELLER IN HIGH PLACES, about the adventures of a twelve years old lady named LUCY MANNERS, during the Napoleonic Wars.

- THE WOOD AT MIDWINTER: it seems to be another short story I did not know anything about, and which followed the same path as the previous one, having been read for radio broadcasting purposes by the end of 2022, but which is apparently set to be published in no time, maybe during this October, 2024. This is about a very peculiar little girld called MEROWDIS SCOTT, capable of talking to animals and trees.

The narration for the BBC can be listened here:

THE WOOD AT MIDWINTER, NARRATED BY SOPHIE MCSHERA

And this is all that there is. I hope you guys like it.

See you soon!