Let's Talk Books (Rooms of Their Own) by Brenda Leyland

 

 

TITLE: Rooms of Their Own, Where Great Writers Write
AUTHOR: Alex Johnson
ILLUSTRATOR: James Oses
PUBLISHER: Frances Lincoln, London (UK), 2022
HARDCOVER: 192 pages, $29.99CAN Amazon.ca
KINDLE: $17.32CAN Amazon.ca
SUBJECT: author biography, creativity, work spaces

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"Any spot is good for daydreaming so long as

it is in an obscure corner and the horizon is vast."

Victor Hugo

I was immediately drawn to that enchanting illustration on the front cover of Rooms of Their Own, Where Great Writers Write. I wanted to be there—sitting at that desk with its familiar old typewriter in front of that lovely window.* With the click of a button, the book was added to my shopping cart.

In his collection of fifty well-known authors, Alex Johnson focuses on the writing spaces where these famous people worked. He researched details that pique our curiosity of the writers behind the books, transporting us 'to the heart of their writing rooms'. Bios at the backs of novels are usually so brief, there is no way to get a feel of the person who wrote them. Alex Johnson, with well chosen particulars, fills in the blanks for us.

I love these kinds of books. They give me a sense of connection to the individuals who wrote the works that inspire me. I love to envision what they place around themselves, what items spur them on, what they do to keep creativity flowing. Sometimes I'm inspired to try something in my own writing space. Maybe like doing what Michel de Montaigne did: writing his motivational quotes directly on the walls, well, he actually had his quotes on the ceiling above his head.

Margaret Atwood writes her novels wherever she happens to be - in a plane, at a café, lying on her bed. Maya Angelou often booked into a quiet hotel to write. D.H. Lawrence considered the outdoors amongst the trees his writing room. And E.B. White spun out his tales from his writing shed on Allen Cove, Maine, sharing his sea-facing spartan room with a mouse and a squirrel. So many others I wish I had time to tell you about, include authors like: Isabel Allende, W.H. Auden, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Hilary Mantel, Dylan Thomas, William Wordsworth, to name a few.

The engaging essays in this book are paired with some wonderful sketches done by illustrator James Oses. With his pencils and paints he gives us charming glimpses of the rooms and spaces where the authors worked. Below is one picture that caught my eye; I actually got to visit this writing room several years ago.  

 

 Vita Sackville-West's writing room 

My husband and I, during our trip to England, visited Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens where well known gardener and author Vita Sackville-West once lived. Her gardens were breathtaking, but the place that most intrigued me was her writing room in the tower overlooking the gardens. She'd climb the narrow stairwell to this room where she created a wonderful place in which to write her novels and garden books. Something about standing in that space made me feel alive, a little in awe, certainly inspired—as I saw her books on the shelf, her chosen pictures on the wall, and how her things were arranged for her comfort and use.

If I had a bucket list, it would include visits to other famous or not so famous work studios of creators I admire, people like Charlotte Brontë, Emily Dickinson, Beatrix Potter, and Mark Twain. And, yes, their writing rooms are included in this collection. In the meantime, I am savouring this book. And I happily recommend Rooms of Their Own to you. 

Alex Johnson, author of several other books, is also a journalist and blogger. He is married with three children and lives in Herfordshire, UK. You can read more about him HERE.

James Oses is a London based illustrator 'specialising in drawing and painting from life'. You can learn more about him HERE.

*Note: The illustration on the front cover (top) is Sylvia Plath's writing room at Court Green in North Tawton, Devon.

Inspired by the beauty of God's world around her, Brenda Leyland writes from her home in northerly Alberta, Canada. She loves writing on her blog It's A Beautiful Life and occasionally posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.