Love, Nina (31 page)

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Dear Vic,

Crisis with dissertation. I've written the whole thing along the lines of Carson McCullers had to live a reclusive life because no one liked her gloomy portrayals. But she didn't care because she was disabled with ill health and reclusive and didn't need approval of the bigots…

These ideas were based on my reading about CMC in a couple of books on Southern American writers. And reading between the lines in her novels.

But now, just as I'm finishing the dissertation (albeit hurriedly) and have enlarged a portrait of her face looking miserable and odd to put as a cover, I've found a book in the library which may as well be called
Carson's Fun Life as a Popular Writer.

This book implies that lots of people actually enjoyed the books and famous people of the day wanted to be friends with her and invited her to glittering events. And critically acclaimed films were made starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Doobrie and she was always gadding about on film sets with her husband, Reeves, and Montgomery Cliff. It was only a few boring bigots that didn't like her. Basically this book contradicts all the major points in my dissertation.

I say McCullers was a recluse. The book says the idea that she was a recluse is the common misconception of the ill-informed.

I say she was disabled due to ill-health. The book says she made light of her illness and smoked and drank and socialized.

I say the public resented her portrayals and critics panned her morbid interest in the grotesque. The book says the books had instant appeal and ignited a whole new interest in the ordinary and marginalized in society. And that critics of repute were quick to praise.

And so on. It pretty much contradicts everything I say and not only that. It says anyone who thinks what I've said is true is an idiot.

Told Stella this.

Me: So according to this new book Carson McCullers was the life and soul.

SH: Oh.

Me: And mates with famous people of the day.

SH: Oh, that's not the impression you give.

Me: I know.

SH: What are you going to do?

Me: Steal the book.

Stella was critical of my solution, saying it was immoral. But I don't care. I've worked hard on my dissertation and don't want to look an idiot just because some MA student has chosen McCullers' life for their dissertation (and put a glossy spin on it) and some publisher has published it.

It's all right for Stella. Her dissertation just states the obvious about what a grump Philip Larkin was and how he seemed a bit anti this and that but was good at adding shocking twists to his poems. And chucks in the odd line or two for illustration.

I'm determined to finish mine (dissertation) by end of Tuesday and hand it in on Wednesday. Then Finals start next Monday.

Hope all well with you.

Love, Nina

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June 1987

Dear Vic,

Nunney came over. His Finals are all over and he's feeling confident.

He is particularly pleased that his thesis supervisor was positive about his thesis and very pleased with the methodology.

Nunney: He liked my research methods.

Me: What are they?

Nunney: The way I gathered research and then handled the data.

Me: Oh, you mean all the questionnaires?

Nunney: Yeah.

Me: So all the questionnaires were fine?

Nunney: Yeah, but I had some surprising outcomes.

Me: So you keep saying.

That probably means that Stella and me filled them out wrong. Maybe we varied our responses too much—or something—when we should have had everyone ticking the same boxes. Nunney has mentioned the “surprising outcomes” a few times. He might be giving me meaningful looks when he says it, but I can't tell because I deliberately look away when we're on the subject of his thesis.

Nunney can't decide whether to stay in higher education and do an MA or get a job or go traveling some more only in a van (to avoid the hitch-hiking, I suppose).

It depends on many things (his words).

I haven't given much thought to what I'll do after the summer. But definitely not an MA or traveling in a van. I might get a job.

Hope all's well with you.

Love, Nina

Copyright © 2013 by Nina Stibbe
Cover design by Julianna Lee
Cover art by Emily Robertson
Cover copyright  © 2014 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

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First United States ebook edition: April 2014
Originally published in Great Britain by the Penguin Group, November 2013

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ISBN 978-0-316-24340-7

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