Cultural life: Fay Weldon, novelist
'I've been catching up on Breaking Bad and Orange is the New Black. I'm glued, long into the night'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Books
An article by Isobel Colegate in Slightly Foxed led me to The Strange Death of Liberal England by George Dangerfield [1935]. I couldn’t put it down – the personalities, the drama! Dangerfield wrote that historical writing ‘by its very nature eventually reaches the reality of fiction. And that is the highest reality of all.’ He proves the point.
Films
I watched the original 1933 King Kong on iPlayer. The plot’s absurd, the dialogue corny, the special effects creaky, the scale of the monster variable. But who cares? I found myself speaking the final words of the film aloud: ‘No, it wasn’t the airplanes killed him. It was beauty killed the beast’. They must have been lurking in my subconscious for decades.
Television
Having belatedly discovered Netflix, I’ve been catching up on Breaking Bad and Orange is the New Black. Hollywood movies are now so noisy, formulaic and humourless, these US TV specials are a far better bet. I’m glued, long into the night, episode after episode.
Music
Very live music at my birthday party. My husband Nick’s scratch band included B J Cole on pedal steel, Pete Brown the Cream lyricist, Cleo Sylvestre who in the 60s made a single with the Stones, and Richie Brunton, once Dr John’s guitarist. The ghost of J J Cale sat in with them as the guests danced on the lawn.
The New Countess, third volume of Fay Weldon’s Love and Inheritance trilogy – will be published by Head of Zeus on 7th November. She’ll be appearing at the Essar Chester Literature Festival on 20th October at Chester Town Hall.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments