Ann, thank you for the story behind the name. I’ve read many Virago books over the years, always with pleasure in their distictive, art-driven design. THE FOUNTAIN OVERFLOWS was a favorite and TESTAMENT OF YOUTH is one of those special books I’ve urged on friends for decades. It runs out of steam towards the end, so I advise first-time readers not to feel guilty about bailing on the last hundred pages or so. But I will never forget the scene in which young Vera, adjusting the hat she has bought to celebrate Roland’s leave from France, is interrupted by the telegram that changes everything. Remembering Vera’s hat shakes me all over again.
Many thanks Rona, and it still surprised me slightly, recalling Testament of Youth, that it was one of Virago's nonfiction successes. Shows how Callil's mind was working - discovering hidden gold. I first read it probably with the TV series, but your comment reminds me to dig out my old copy.
And she set the moment up with exquisite precision that built suspense. You knew this would not end well; the only question was how the blow would fall.
I enjoyed this very much, Ann! I tend to enjoy the hidden histories of publishers and editors, but this one is especially interesting because I have loved the name Virago - that was an inspiration - and 1970s feminism always strikes me as one of the most muscular movements. There was so much to change, and the accomplishments of that time are phenomenal. Not complete, but giant just the same. Thank you for this informative look at one act of optimism that spread so far.
Many thanks, Tara, and what a great description 'one act of optimism that spread so far.' It was probably an unintended consequence (but a positive one, in my view!) that it produced such an appetite for 'new' old books and changed the canon.
Thank you Sarah - I probably should have made it clearer that Spare Rib was a separate publication - but inspired Callil to try to do something about the male-driven publishing world. Coincidentally I've been reading Hilary Bradt's new memoir, and she also started up her women-led publishers at that time (producing low-budget travel guides).
Thank you Victoria, I did enjoy finding out more about their story. Someone I know met Callil and apparently she was pretty fierce and uncompromising - but I guess she had to be.
What a wonderful essay to start my weekend—informative & inspiring! It is such a testimony to the vitalized legacy of allowing the resonant voices of women to escape a compartmentalized enclosure to speak to all readers & enrich their lives with conviction, honesty, and a call to empowerment shaped by empathetic engagement in the world. Thank you!
Many thanks for expressing this so well. I agree about the point of Virago Classics being less a promotion of feminism per se, than women's writing being freed from the enclosure of 'genre' so that it can be seen though the eyes of modern readers, and appreciated.
In the late 70's, my British school in Italy briefly had a little bookshop within the school, which offered the unsold books to my father, the school librarian. He bought most of them for the library, but brought home a box full of of Viragos for me. I can still remember the joy of taking possession of those books, and this week am passing the best loved of them on to another teenage girl. Some of them are, quite honestly, falling to pieces, having been read and reread so many times, but I hope she'll discover all the worlds of women that I did in their pages.
A fascinating history which makes clear how important one publisher -- one editor -- can be in changing the whole literary landscape. A shout-out, too, for Wendy Mulford's Virago Book of Love Poetry (1998), a very wide-ranging anthology for its time!
What a terrific piece, so interesting to find out about their history and CC must've ben a force to be reckoned with. The green spines are so iconic - emblematic now of a forgotten writer or a long-searched for favourite. Those green spines in second-hand bookshops introduced me to the glorious Barbara Comyns as a 'job lot' of six titles in my local Oxfam shop. I haunt the shelves for Virago!
Thanks June, and that was an impressive haul of Barbara Comyns! Love your description of haunting the shelves. Sometimes paperbacks seem ephemeral, but Viragos didn't.
Thank you for this, I love looking for the distinctive green spine of the VMC in secondhand shops, because I always know they'll be a great read. Interesting to see how the reputations of the authors have changed since this republication, even, according to whims of reading fashions.
Yes, I discovered one of my favourites that way - FM Mayor's The Rector's Daughter. And it's very interesting, as you say, that certain authors seem to fit different times and fashions. I always enjoy the modern introductions too (but read them afterwards, in case of plot spoilers!)
Thanks for this great back story, it reminded me of each one if my early Virago books that held me sane when I was a young woman struggling to move away from constraint and hoping to find a home and book shelf to hold them.
Yes, it's interesting when there's a confluence of ideas, isn't it? I love the idea of eyes being opened to new possibilities through the arts. Thanks for your great comment, Wendy.
I loved this Ann - and the mention of so many old 'friends' . Angela Carter's 'Wayward Girls and Wicked Women' stares at me from the shelves this minute and she happens to be about a foot away from my copy of 'Testament of Youth'. I remember the BBC production well, someone once mistook me for Cheryl Campbell shortly afterwards. As others have said, it was informative and deliciously readable. Thanks.
How wonderful, Liz, to be mistaken for Cheryl Campbell! Glad you’re a fan of Angela Carter too. She’s one of those writers who changes the way you see things after you’ve read her, I think.
Thanks so much, Ann, for this comprehensive information about Virago's "mission". I came to Cambridge in 1981 (from Buenos Aires) for my year abroad and remember being introduced to Testament of youth and the whole enseing discussion about it, which I absorbed like a sponge and relished at the time. It was 1982 and I am pleased and grateful that you have written and shared about it all now.
Oh, I'm so pleased you liked my post, Christina! And what a great memory to have, reading Testament of Youth while you were in Cambridge. A very sad story but I'm full of admiration for Vera Brittain's achievement in writing it.
Startling and important. Added note: My favorite Angela Carter story I refer to in my memoir up here: "I recall an Angela Carter short story, the whorl of a shell gone wrong, as if we see it mirrored, no way to know what is what or who is who, “Reflections,” from a book that sits on my shelf in my condo in D.C" In this late chapter: https://marytabor.substack.com/p/the-last-place-you-look-chapter-43 should you have time to take a glance.
I have so many Virago books on my shelves, Ann, including Frost In May, Surfacing, and I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. All favourites. Thanks for this fascinating history of the company.
Oh, that is so thoughtful of you, Ann. Thank you so much!
Virago's books had a massive influence on me. I also remember going for an interview with them once when they were looking for a press officer. Didn't get it, unsurprisingly; PR wasn't really my thing. Later, when I was at Just Seventeen magazine we collaborated with Virago on a collection of first person accounts of teenage life. Think I still have that somewhere.
That is so interesting, Wendy. Hope you write about that collaboration, I'd love to read it. The teenage years were such vivid times, and your articles bring me right back to that era. Did you ever read the Ann Patchett essay about her magazine writing days? Will post a photo on Notes!
I did, Ann! You mentioned Ann Patchett previously (ages ago in Substack timescale) and I sought out her book of essays. Really interesting. Thanks for the tip.
Ann, thank you for the story behind the name. I’ve read many Virago books over the years, always with pleasure in their distictive, art-driven design. THE FOUNTAIN OVERFLOWS was a favorite and TESTAMENT OF YOUTH is one of those special books I’ve urged on friends for decades. It runs out of steam towards the end, so I advise first-time readers not to feel guilty about bailing on the last hundred pages or so. But I will never forget the scene in which young Vera, adjusting the hat she has bought to celebrate Roland’s leave from France, is interrupted by the telegram that changes everything. Remembering Vera’s hat shakes me all over again.
Many thanks Rona, and it still surprised me slightly, recalling Testament of Youth, that it was one of Virago's nonfiction successes. Shows how Callil's mind was working - discovering hidden gold. I first read it probably with the TV series, but your comment reminds me to dig out my old copy.
YES. It's unbearable. I remember reading that and thinking what courage and control it must have taken to write it.
And she set the moment up with exquisite precision that built suspense. You knew this would not end well; the only question was how the blow would fall.
Exactly so. Oh God it's so terrible but beautifully done.
I enjoyed this very much, Ann! I tend to enjoy the hidden histories of publishers and editors, but this one is especially interesting because I have loved the name Virago - that was an inspiration - and 1970s feminism always strikes me as one of the most muscular movements. There was so much to change, and the accomplishments of that time are phenomenal. Not complete, but giant just the same. Thank you for this informative look at one act of optimism that spread so far.
Many thanks, Tara, and what a great description 'one act of optimism that spread so far.' It was probably an unintended consequence (but a positive one, in my view!) that it produced such an appetite for 'new' old books and changed the canon.
Fascinating account! Thank your for sharing it! And I’m so glad they ditched the early name Spare Rib. Virago is so much better.
Thank you Sarah - I probably should have made it clearer that Spare Rib was a separate publication - but inspired Callil to try to do something about the male-driven publishing world. Coincidentally I've been reading Hilary Bradt's new memoir, and she also started up her women-led publishers at that time (producing low-budget travel guides).
PS Listening to the audio of THE ADVENTURES OF MISS BARBARA PYM—not at all the life I’d imagined!
It's great, isn't it? Quite racy at times!
A perfect blend of informative and entertaining— and a great tribute to its subject. Thanks, Ann!
Thank you Victoria, I did enjoy finding out more about their story. Someone I know met Callil and apparently she was pretty fierce and uncompromising - but I guess she had to be.
What a wonderful essay to start my weekend—informative & inspiring! It is such a testimony to the vitalized legacy of allowing the resonant voices of women to escape a compartmentalized enclosure to speak to all readers & enrich their lives with conviction, honesty, and a call to empowerment shaped by empathetic engagement in the world. Thank you!
Many thanks for expressing this so well. I agree about the point of Virago Classics being less a promotion of feminism per se, than women's writing being freed from the enclosure of 'genre' so that it can be seen though the eyes of modern readers, and appreciated.
In the late 70's, my British school in Italy briefly had a little bookshop within the school, which offered the unsold books to my father, the school librarian. He bought most of them for the library, but brought home a box full of of Viragos for me. I can still remember the joy of taking possession of those books, and this week am passing the best loved of them on to another teenage girl. Some of them are, quite honestly, falling to pieces, having been read and reread so many times, but I hope she'll discover all the worlds of women that I did in their pages.
What a lovely comment, Louise - and a great legacy to pass on. There's something about an old, falling-apart paperback that is very touching, I think.
A fascinating history which makes clear how important one publisher -- one editor -- can be in changing the whole literary landscape. A shout-out, too, for Wendy Mulford's Virago Book of Love Poetry (1998), a very wide-ranging anthology for its time!
Thanks very much, Jeremy, and I will look out for that anthology. I wonder if Clare Bucknell mentions it in her book The Treasuries?
What a terrific piece, so interesting to find out about their history and CC must've ben a force to be reckoned with. The green spines are so iconic - emblematic now of a forgotten writer or a long-searched for favourite. Those green spines in second-hand bookshops introduced me to the glorious Barbara Comyns as a 'job lot' of six titles in my local Oxfam shop. I haunt the shelves for Virago!
Thanks June, and that was an impressive haul of Barbara Comyns! Love your description of haunting the shelves. Sometimes paperbacks seem ephemeral, but Viragos didn't.
Thank you for this, I love looking for the distinctive green spine of the VMC in secondhand shops, because I always know they'll be a great read. Interesting to see how the reputations of the authors have changed since this republication, even, according to whims of reading fashions.
Yes, I discovered one of my favourites that way - FM Mayor's The Rector's Daughter. And it's very interesting, as you say, that certain authors seem to fit different times and fashions. I always enjoy the modern introductions too (but read them afterwards, in case of plot spoilers!)
Thank you for this really interesting history of Virago books. The green spines are still one of my ‘go-to’ books to look for in secondhand
shops.
Thank you Kathryn! They are always such good choices. Glad Virago brought the green spines back.
Thanks for this great back story, it reminded me of each one if my early Virago books that held me sane when I was a young woman struggling to move away from constraint and hoping to find a home and book shelf to hold them.
Such exciting times. Before Spare Rib & Virago it was the Brontes & Dickens! They opened my eyes to so many possibilities. Thanks for reminding me.
Yes, it's interesting when there's a confluence of ideas, isn't it? I love the idea of eyes being opened to new possibilities through the arts. Thanks for your great comment, Wendy.
I loved this Ann - and the mention of so many old 'friends' . Angela Carter's 'Wayward Girls and Wicked Women' stares at me from the shelves this minute and she happens to be about a foot away from my copy of 'Testament of Youth'. I remember the BBC production well, someone once mistook me for Cheryl Campbell shortly afterwards. As others have said, it was informative and deliciously readable. Thanks.
How wonderful, Liz, to be mistaken for Cheryl Campbell! Glad you’re a fan of Angela Carter too. She’s one of those writers who changes the way you see things after you’ve read her, I think.
Thanks so much, Ann, for this comprehensive information about Virago's "mission". I came to Cambridge in 1981 (from Buenos Aires) for my year abroad and remember being introduced to Testament of youth and the whole enseing discussion about it, which I absorbed like a sponge and relished at the time. It was 1982 and I am pleased and grateful that you have written and shared about it all now.
Oh, I'm so pleased you liked my post, Christina! And what a great memory to have, reading Testament of Youth while you were in Cambridge. A very sad story but I'm full of admiration for Vera Brittain's achievement in writing it.
Startling and important. Added note: My favorite Angela Carter story I refer to in my memoir up here: "I recall an Angela Carter short story, the whorl of a shell gone wrong, as if we see it mirrored, no way to know what is what or who is who, “Reflections,” from a book that sits on my shelf in my condo in D.C" In this late chapter: https://marytabor.substack.com/p/the-last-place-you-look-chapter-43 should you have time to take a glance.
Thank you Mary, I'm looking forward to reading that. What a great image that is.
I have so many Virago books on my shelves, Ann, including Frost In May, Surfacing, and I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. All favourites. Thanks for this fascinating history of the company.
Thanks Wendy! Great choices. Have just pledged to your Substack (forgot to do it before, apols).
Oh, that is so thoughtful of you, Ann. Thank you so much!
Virago's books had a massive influence on me. I also remember going for an interview with them once when they were looking for a press officer. Didn't get it, unsurprisingly; PR wasn't really my thing. Later, when I was at Just Seventeen magazine we collaborated with Virago on a collection of first person accounts of teenage life. Think I still have that somewhere.
That is so interesting, Wendy. Hope you write about that collaboration, I'd love to read it. The teenage years were such vivid times, and your articles bring me right back to that era. Did you ever read the Ann Patchett essay about her magazine writing days? Will post a photo on Notes!
I did, Ann! You mentioned Ann Patchett previously (ages ago in Substack timescale) and I sought out her book of essays. Really interesting. Thanks for the tip.