Really interesting, and something I hadn't really thought about, Laura. One of Matthew Bourne's ballets has dedications from members of the company to their parents, which I thought rather nice.
In A Summer Season is one of my favourite books. Didn't know that little detail, which is intriguing!
Wonderful and fascinating! It reminded me of Woolf’s Orlando, which is dedicated ‘To V. Sackville- West’.
I just looked up Du Maurier’s Rebecca, thinking that there must be an interesting or mysterious dedication attached, but it seems not to have one (unless someone else has a copy that says otherwise). Perhaps a lack of a dedication speaks volumes too…
Thank you - and I agree that no dedication sometimes tells a tale - I think I did the same check on Rebecca at some point. It's an interesting subject, I feel I've barely scratched the surface...
I have a particular interest in dedications because the Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon dedicated his best known novel, Sunset Song, to my grandmother. It sparked a lot of speculation because Grassic Gibbon was a pen name and people wondered if it was actually my gran who had written the book. She hadn’t, but she liked to say she had inspired it. And no, they weren’t having an affair either!
This resonates so much. I dedicated The Hesitant Architect to a friend who passed away too soon, and was part of our little group of eight graduates living in a college house, like pigeons, each in their pigeonhole but so very connected.
As for future books, I am toying with the idea of omitting a dedication altogether. Saves one from a lot of close ones taking umbrage.
BTW The typex reference is brilliant! Cracked me up, and I thought: quite!
This is such a lovely post, Laura. Dedicating a book to a dog is much wiser than to a person, unless—as you wisely said—that person is a permanent fixture of your life. I dedicated my one and only published book to my nephew, but his mother (my sister) and I stopped speaking eight years ago. Didn’t see that coming at the time of publication. Perhaps when he grows up and leaves home he will appreciate the dedication.
Happy Belated Birthday and enjoy every minute of your well-deserved holiday. Bravo for finally finishing the book from hell!
Dear Petra THANK YOU. I do feel approximately 100 yrs younger (even more so when they pay me for it…) Sorry to hear of those vexed circs but I have no doubt at all that your nephew will treasure that dedication. It is a lovely thing for anybody to have. My darling mother is my only living dedicatee and I know she is delighted about it!!!
Happy Birthday! Hope you’re having a lovely time on your holiday.
This is fascinating - I always look at dedications, although I’ve noticed that as more books include quite lengthy Acknowledgements pages, they tend to be undedicated - this is just my impression, I don’t actually know if fewer writers think of dedications than before. In any case, I have a much better chance to appear in Acknowledgements (and have twice already), than have a book dedicated to me.
If I ever do (self)publish my book(s), I’d also be tempted to dedicate it, at least the 2nd one, to my beloved dog, Dill. I hope he also lives to 18.
I did mention it already in reply to one of your Notes, but ICYMI, your name crops up quite early on in the first episode of a new Christie podcast, Westmapod.
How fascinating. There surely must be some mileage in essays on book dedications! How did I miss your birthday? I hang my head in shame. Happy belated birthday from me. 🎂💐
Oh June thank you!!! You prob didn't get the offer email as already so generous 🙏 And I agree about dedications, I think there's a LOT more to say - my selections were very random 💕
Was Gaston Palewski also the inspiration for Charles-Edouard de Valhubert in "The Blessing" and "Don't Tell Albert"? The womanising, the wartime service with de Gaulle, and the postwar life with an English woman to whom he doesn't consider himself really married all fit.
It's so interesting to see how you choose your dedications.
I find them a bit exhausting, really, as I write two books a year and there's only so many ways to dedicate a book to living relatives. As the novels are all historicals, I dedicate them to people in my family who are connected with the theme of the story. So the one about Spitfires was dedicated to Stanley and Jack (two RAF pilots in my family who sadly didn't survive the war), the one about evacuees was dedicated to my stepgran who was evacuated, and the one which features a dangerous transatlantic crossing was dedicated to my partner's grandad who was in the merchant navy during the war and survived being torpedoed twice!
Dedicating your book to your dog is so sweet! My favorite dedications are in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events ("For Beatrice—You will always be in my heart, in my mind, and in your grave."; "For Beatrice—Dead women tell no tales. Sad men write them down."; "For Beatrice—No one could extinguish my love, or your house."; "To Beatrice—Darling, dearest, dead," etc.) because of Snicket & Beatrice both being characters in the actual story whose relationship is gradually unfolded.
because of your post re Neville Heath, I picked up TAKEN AT THE FLOOD from my shelf of paperback Agathas. I reread it with a dim sense of having read it before. I studiously applied my scant knowledge of Neville Heath to the character David Hunter, but I had trouble telling apart all the Cloade siblings and spouses. so I'm readying it yet again, and I'm stunned, stunned by its brilliance.
there are silly reasons for FLOOD being down-graded in the canon, like first-cousin incest and a violent love object, or two. but there's so much social history, and astute observation about money and its effects, and the disintegration of the English country families. besides the genius of the plot's founding psy op. this seems like AC's most audacious fiction. but only on the third read-through.
I couldn’t agree more. I think there is SO MUCH in it, the disorientated post-war atmosphere is extraordinary. Neville Heath-David Hunter was just a random thought of mine so probably worth ignoring but I’m really glad if it took you back to this novel!!!!
I'm all about random thoughts! your insight filled out that character for me. I had no notion what a Commando was, but slowly, slowly, David Hunter's desperate NOIR character penetrated my consciousness. the whole conception is profound, but for instance, his dialogue with Rosaleen over breakfast is a total non-starter if you don't know the SECRET.
Really interesting, and something I hadn't really thought about, Laura. One of Matthew Bourne's ballets has dedications from members of the company to their parents, which I thought rather nice.
In A Summer Season is one of my favourite books. Didn't know that little detail, which is intriguing!
Glorious novel isn’t it, I read it regularly! That’s very charming about the Bourne ballet. Thank you Christine, so glad you enjoyed
Wonderful and fascinating! It reminded me of Woolf’s Orlando, which is dedicated ‘To V. Sackville- West’.
I just looked up Du Maurier’s Rebecca, thinking that there must be an interesting or mysterious dedication attached, but it seems not to have one (unless someone else has a copy that says otherwise). Perhaps a lack of a dedication speaks volumes too…
Thank you - and I agree that no dedication sometimes tells a tale - I think I did the same check on Rebecca at some point. It's an interesting subject, I feel I've barely scratched the surface...
It’s surprisingly fascinating! I just did a quick search and found this post by Penguin books on “10 of the most intriguing book dedications in fiction” https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/articles/best-dedications-in-fiction
One of them is in The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (1922)
“To all those who lead monotonous lives, in the hope that they may experience at second hand the delights and dangers of adventure.”
Yes! Isn’t that lovely… Hope somebody picks up the dedication baton and does another post?!!???
I have a particular interest in dedications because the Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon dedicated his best known novel, Sunset Song, to my grandmother. It sparked a lot of speculation because Grassic Gibbon was a pen name and people wondered if it was actually my gran who had written the book. She hadn’t, but she liked to say she had inspired it. And no, they weren’t having an affair either!
Wonderful story! Thanks Alison
This resonates so much. I dedicated The Hesitant Architect to a friend who passed away too soon, and was part of our little group of eight graduates living in a college house, like pigeons, each in their pigeonhole but so very connected.
As for future books, I am toying with the idea of omitting a dedication altogether. Saves one from a lot of close ones taking umbrage.
BTW The typex reference is brilliant! Cracked me up, and I thought: quite!
Thanks so much Maria
This is such a lovely post, Laura. Dedicating a book to a dog is much wiser than to a person, unless—as you wisely said—that person is a permanent fixture of your life. I dedicated my one and only published book to my nephew, but his mother (my sister) and I stopped speaking eight years ago. Didn’t see that coming at the time of publication. Perhaps when he grows up and leaves home he will appreciate the dedication.
Happy Belated Birthday and enjoy every minute of your well-deserved holiday. Bravo for finally finishing the book from hell!
Dear Petra THANK YOU. I do feel approximately 100 yrs younger (even more so when they pay me for it…) Sorry to hear of those vexed circs but I have no doubt at all that your nephew will treasure that dedication. It is a lovely thing for anybody to have. My darling mother is my only living dedicatee and I know she is delighted about it!!!
Happy Birthday! Hope you’re having a lovely time on your holiday.
This is fascinating - I always look at dedications, although I’ve noticed that as more books include quite lengthy Acknowledgements pages, they tend to be undedicated - this is just my impression, I don’t actually know if fewer writers think of dedications than before. In any case, I have a much better chance to appear in Acknowledgements (and have twice already), than have a book dedicated to me.
If I ever do (self)publish my book(s), I’d also be tempted to dedicate it, at least the 2nd one, to my beloved dog, Dill. I hope he also lives to 18.
I did mention it already in reply to one of your Notes, but ICYMI, your name crops up quite early on in the first episode of a new Christie podcast, Westmapod.
A dog is a very worthy dedicatee!!! Thanks so much Anna. Wishing yours a long and healthy life
How fascinating. There surely must be some mileage in essays on book dedications! How did I miss your birthday? I hang my head in shame. Happy belated birthday from me. 🎂💐
Oh June thank you!!! You prob didn't get the offer email as already so generous 🙏 And I agree about dedications, I think there's a LOT more to say - my selections were very random 💕
Was Gaston Palewski also the inspiration for Charles-Edouard de Valhubert in "The Blessing" and "Don't Tell Albert"? The womanising, the wartime service with de Gaulle, and the postwar life with an English woman to whom he doesn't consider himself really married all fit.
Yes! Somewhat idealized in physical appearance, of course....
I assume Nancy was seeing him through the eyes of love :-)
Assuredly!
It's so interesting to see how you choose your dedications.
I find them a bit exhausting, really, as I write two books a year and there's only so many ways to dedicate a book to living relatives. As the novels are all historicals, I dedicate them to people in my family who are connected with the theme of the story. So the one about Spitfires was dedicated to Stanley and Jack (two RAF pilots in my family who sadly didn't survive the war), the one about evacuees was dedicated to my stepgran who was evacuated, and the one which features a dangerous transatlantic crossing was dedicated to my partner's grandad who was in the merchant navy during the war and survived being torpedoed twice!
Thanks Helen. Those are great dedications!
Dedicating your book to your dog is so sweet! My favorite dedications are in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events ("For Beatrice—You will always be in my heart, in my mind, and in your grave."; "For Beatrice—Dead women tell no tales. Sad men write them down."; "For Beatrice—No one could extinguish my love, or your house."; "To Beatrice—Darling, dearest, dead," etc.) because of Snicket & Beatrice both being characters in the actual story whose relationship is gradually unfolded.
Happy belated birthday!
Thank you! The Beatrice dedications are charming, not least because the choice of name makes one think of Dante.
because of your post re Neville Heath, I picked up TAKEN AT THE FLOOD from my shelf of paperback Agathas. I reread it with a dim sense of having read it before. I studiously applied my scant knowledge of Neville Heath to the character David Hunter, but I had trouble telling apart all the Cloade siblings and spouses. so I'm readying it yet again, and I'm stunned, stunned by its brilliance.
there are silly reasons for FLOOD being down-graded in the canon, like first-cousin incest and a violent love object, or two. but there's so much social history, and astute observation about money and its effects, and the disintegration of the English country families. besides the genius of the plot's founding psy op. this seems like AC's most audacious fiction. but only on the third read-through.
I couldn’t agree more. I think there is SO MUCH in it, the disorientated post-war atmosphere is extraordinary. Neville Heath-David Hunter was just a random thought of mine so probably worth ignoring but I’m really glad if it took you back to this novel!!!!
I'm all about random thoughts! your insight filled out that character for me. I had no notion what a Commando was, but slowly, slowly, David Hunter's desperate NOIR character penetrated my consciousness. the whole conception is profound, but for instance, his dialogue with Rosaleen over breakfast is a total non-starter if you don't know the SECRET.
what a woman!
Yes indeed.
Great piece. Always love the book covers too!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!
Thank you for this! You give us more scope for our dedications, going forward!
Thank you Marian - it is a very intriguing subject. Tales within tales.
A lovely piece!
Really kind, thank you
Fascinating read as always. Enjoy your holiday Laura.
Thank you Gina