Literatuur Zonder Leeftijd. Jaargang 6

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Margery Fisher to Joke Linders

Margery Fisher is zonder twijfel een van the grand old ladies of English children's literature. Sinds 1951 schrijft zij over kinderboeken in recensies, essays en studies. Intent upon reading, essays over per genre geordende kinderboeken, Matters of Fact, een studie over het informatieve kinderboek, en haar Who's who in Children's Books over beroemde verhaalfiguren, hebben haar internationale bekendheid bezorgd. Haar levenswerk, Growing Point, een tijdschrift met uitsluitend recensies, heeft ze na dertig jaar moeten beëindigen. De kosten begonnen de baten dermate te overschaduwen dat het niet langer verantwoord was het werk voort te zetten. Omdat een dergelijke inspanning niet onopgemerkt mag eindigen schreef ik haar een brief met vragen die zij nauwgezet beantwoordde.

The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature says: ‘After marrying the naturalist and author-publisher James Fisher she became a reviewer of children's books and wrote Intent Upon Reading (1961).’ This is easily said, but lots of questions rise from it. How did you get involved in children's books? Had it anything to do with your teaching experiences or rather with your own reading? Perhaps even with you getting married and moving away from teaching? In what magazine or newspaper was your first review printed and when exactly?

‘How did I get involved with children's books? Before, during and after the war I was teaching. I took an MA and B.Litt at Oxford in 1936 and had hoped to become an English tutor/lecturer, was shortlisted for two university posts but in 1939 coming war and a baby put an end to this. Through the war I taught English at Sixth Form level at a boys' public school and after the war took pupils for university entrance and scholarship. I wanted to write and had one novel published in 1951, but two more were rejected and as I had been asked to review

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books for a women's magazine, Housewife (at first travel books and adult fiction, later children's books) I found an earning capacity in journalism rather than being a novelist.’

Where you a keen reader in your childhood? What kind of books did you like and have your experiences and taste as a child influenced your critical attitude?

‘My critical attitude is possibly affected by my own childhood reading. I was particularly addicted to Beatrix Potter, John Masefield and E. Nesbit, a bit of a mixture. As books for children were not easy to get in New Zealand (we emigrated when I was 8 and I could only take a few of my own books), I read familybooks pretty early and have always been addicted to adventure (Stanley Weyman, Alexander Dumas). From the books sent to me for reviews I probably liked the ones in my favourite categories best, but I have always tried to see each book on its own merits, to find the author's intention rather than say what he/she ought to have done in my opinion.’

How did you decide to write the critical survey Intent upon Reading? Did people ask you to do that of did you initialize such a thing yourself? How long did it take you to collect the information and find a good way of putting things in the right order?

‘I wrote my first critical book Intent upon reading at the instigation of a publisher/editor who had visited me to discuss a review of one of her publications. She commissioned a “book on children's books' and I did three or four years” work finding out my gaps and trying to find a new arrangement by categories instead of the usual chronological history then available.’

Can you remember what you were looking for when reviewing your first children's books? What was the children's book field like in the sixties? Showed people (parents, teachers, publishers) more interest in reading matters for children than these days? Which important developments have you seen passing between the sixties and the nineties?

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‘It is hard to pinpoint the decades. I would certainly say that the reviewing of children's books blossomed in the fifties and sixties, when there were far more outlets than there are now. I also feel that the last two decades have concentrated (logically and often valuably) on the child's view of the world and of books in a way that has led to too much simplified prose and an obsession with fun and entertainment, while the craft of writing and the actual literary values of books at all reading ages seems to me to be less important than it should be. I have always felt that writers should write what they want to write and that it is our job to help children to approach books, not to write what children might like or understand. You learn by making an effort, though it need to be a pleasant effort certainly.’

In May 1962 you started Growing Point? How did this all happen? Were you stimulated by some institute or person or did you have to organise it all by yourself? How did your family react and was their attitude important to you? (By the way did your children become keen readers too?) How did you finance everything? As a private person? I suppose you never made a lot of money out of reviewing. If that is true, how was it possible to go on for such a long time? Most of the reviewing you did yourself. Why? Weren't other people qualified for the job? Have your views on reading and the reviewing of children's literature changed over these thirty years? Do you regard yourself as a reviewer or a as critic?

‘Growing Point was started because I felt there were too few outlets for the reviewing of children's books even in the sixties - at any rate I wanted more space to write about children's books and more access to new works (I was at the same time writing more critical books: Matters of Fact, Who's who in Children's Books etc). I planned the magazine with help from my husband on size, shape and so on and launched issue Vol. O no. O, which was printed locally. I sent out about 3000 copies and got about 500 firm promises of subscription, as well as promises of material from most of the current children's books publishers. My children were all readers but they weren't too keen on addressing envelopes and I soon found they made mistakes I preferred

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to make myself. I don't think their opinions of books were ever of first importance to me but naturally they appreciated a constant supply of new books (there were 6 of them by 1953). I chose to do most of the reviewing myself for practical reasons - the difficulty of getting contributions on time, correcting other people's mistakes etc., but I have over the years employed specialist reviewers now and then. Apart from anything else, Growing Point never made enough money to employ outside help either in secretarial or reviewing jobs; it has made small profits now and then, usually broken even. I have always had other (small) sources of income form lecturing, articles etc. I would like to be called a critic rather than a reviewer and greatly enjoy chances to write at greater length about books or themes.’

In your last letter you suggested that working hard was an ethic you have accepted from your parents. Would you describe yourself as an idealist as well? What kind of literature do you prefer? Is there time for other arts in your life: music, painting...?

‘I suppose I inherited the Puritan work ethic from my father who was still working in a managerial capacity when he was over 80 (I don't know of course what his staff thought about this). I don't think I am particularly an idealist; my chief intellectual pleasure is working with words. I enjoy almost all fiction, historical writing and biographies and return to Dickens or Trollope whenever I feel I am getting twee with too much reading in the juvenile sphere. I have always loved music and was once a reasonably good amateur pianist but arthritis has put an end to that. I also like gardening but vegetables, not flowers. I like looking at flowers but prefer to grow fresh food. Rheumatism is drawing my gardening life to a close, unfortunately.’

Just to get a good picture, could you describe a normal working day? When are you reading and writing? How many hours a day? You are also a good cook, I remember, and a keen gardener? So, is there any time left for social activities or don't you care for that?

‘I don't structure my working day too closely but the morning is my best time. I get an early post (7.30) and try to get

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letters done by nine. Then on to reading and writing, but much depends on deadlines. Living in a small and rather inactive village, I would say my social life is pretty limited, especially in the last year since I have become very lame and don't get out much. I see a lot of my children and grandchildren -my eldest daughter lives half an hour away and my eldest son has a house at the other end of the county; the Liverpool daughter visits often but I would like to see more of the Utrecht daughter and my son in Sydney. I have in the past been used as a refuge for grandchildren studying for exams though the supply is dwindling a bit now. There are 14 grand-children and one grand-grand-daughter. They have all had gifts of books over the years and the paperbacks I got for review have been a useful source of revenue for the village school fêtes and church sales....I keep a large reference collection of fiction and non-fiction’

Except for Intent upon Reading you also wrote Matters of Fact and Who's Who in Children's Books. Which of the three do you like best? And why? Looking back (not in anger, I hope) which moments in your professional activities did you like best? And why? Did you ever consider to write fiction for children yourself? Did you get any official praise for your activities?

‘I am most attached to my Who's Who and have tried several times to get a reprint with additions. I am also attached to my last big book The Bright Face of Danger, a study of adventure stories, adult and junior. This was not properly marketed (the publishers were in chaos at the time) and is now more or less vanished. I wish it could be reprinted but there seems no hope. I once tried to write a story for children but it was a total failure. I shall always regret that I didn't take on as a novelist. Apart from the pleasure and pain of wrestling with words, which I think is my basic reason for what I do, I particularly enjoyed my visits to Athens, Zurich, Bordeaux, Bratislava on international juries, the chance of meeting new people and new attitudes and feeling in a rather larger pond than the usual one. Incidentally, in Europe I was always very conscious of Britain being an island and perhaps a bit parochial.’

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You wrote me that there are still a few part time activities ahead. What kind of activities are that? What are you going to miss most or enjoy best after the last issue of Growing Point? Do you have any desires for spending your time and energy in the coming years? How does it feel to be without a proper job? Does that mean you are an old lady now? And what is that like?

‘I have reviews and articles in prospect for the future and one or two larger plans, but I don't want to say any more about them just now; I just want to go on reading and writing and welcome any opportunities to do so. I am, I suppose, an old lady (just 79) but except physically don't feel especially old. I certainly want to stay independent -don't all old people feel this? I miss my frequent journeys to London and meeting friends, but some come my way now and then.’

Then for the future of children's books and children's books criticism. Are there things you feel need to happen? More reviewing, more academic studies, more training for educational people, more or less books, more exhibitions, public activities etc?

‘As to the future of children's books, my chief wish is that children should be given books to stretch them and plenty of them.’