Author Tracy Chevalier finds inspiration in history
From the Dutch artist Vermeer, to British poet and artist William Blake, and now to a 19th century British fossil collector Mary Anning.
Author Tracy Chevalier, who won international acclaim in 2000 with her novel "Girl with a Pearl Earring" that was made into a successful film, said she is intrigued by historical figures with story ideas coming to her instinctively.
Her fifth book, "Burning Bright," tells the tale of Blake and the lives around him as he writes his famous "Songs of Innocence" in 1789.
Chevalier, 44, who was born in Washington D.C., majored in English literature at Oberlin College, Ohio, before moving to Britain where she took up work as a reference book editor - and met her English husband which whom she has an 8-year-old son.
She spoke to Reuters recently about her writing as she embarked on an eight-city tour of the United States:
Q: Why did you focus on Blake?
A: "I love him. I think he is very mysterious. I wanted to try to explain the power he has over us, particularly in England where children learn his poetry at school. Artists here refer to him all the time and say he is a huge influence. His artwork is scary and dark, but his poetry is quite simple."...
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Author Tracy Chevalier, who won international acclaim in 2000 with her novel "Girl with a Pearl Earring" that was made into a successful film, said she is intrigued by historical figures with story ideas coming to her instinctively.
Her fifth book, "Burning Bright," tells the tale of Blake and the lives around him as he writes his famous "Songs of Innocence" in 1789.
Chevalier, 44, who was born in Washington D.C., majored in English literature at Oberlin College, Ohio, before moving to Britain where she took up work as a reference book editor - and met her English husband which whom she has an 8-year-old son.
She spoke to Reuters recently about her writing as she embarked on an eight-city tour of the United States:
Q: Why did you focus on Blake?
A: "I love him. I think he is very mysterious. I wanted to try to explain the power he has over us, particularly in England where children learn his poetry at school. Artists here refer to him all the time and say he is a huge influence. His artwork is scary and dark, but his poetry is quite simple."...