Description
A GLOBE AND MAIL GLOBE 100 BOOK
Carmen is vigorously polishing one of our three telephones. I am just twenty-five, Canadian, new to Britain and in awe of this formidable woman but as there are only two of us in the office I feel emboldened to ask: “Why did you start Virago?” She looks up and without missing a beat, replies “To change the world, darling. That’s why.”
I know I am in the right place.
Following the chronology of the press where she has worked nearly since its founding, Lennie Goodings tells the story of the group of visionary publishers and writers who have made Virago one of the most important and influential publishers in the English-speaking world. Like the books she has edited and published—by writers ranging from Maya Angelou and Margaret Atwood to Sarah Waters and Naomi Wolf—Goodings’s contribution to the genre breaks new ground as well, telling a story of women in the world of work, offering much needed balance to the male-dominated genre of publishing memoirs, and chronicling a critical aspect of the history of feminism: how women began to assume control over the production of their own books.
Part memoir, part literary history, and part reflection on more than forty years of feminist publishing, A Bite of the Apple is a story of idealism and pragmatism, solidarity and individual ambition, of challenges met and the battles not yet won—and, above all, a steadfast celebration of the making and reading of books.
Praise for A Bite of the Apple
“Ego belongs to the writer, [Lennie Goodings] declares in her pensive and surprisingly poignant memoir of her years at Virago, A Bite of the Apple. Editing is ‘a backroom job’ — and has anyone ever seemed giddier at that prospect? This book glows with the gratitude of doing this work, and in doing so, finding oneself occupying a front seat to feminist history.”—Parul Sehgal, New York Times
“As a cultural history, A Bite of the Apple is clear. As a reminder of female artists’ ongoing fight for space and respect, it’s necessary. As a riff on writers and writing, it’s essential.”—The Guardian
“A Bite of the Apple is essentially a romance story about the power of storytelling and the passion required to sustain a precarious literary dream for more than four decades … This is an immersive, lovingly written memoir, whose story resonates beyond publishing.”—The Sunday Times
“This memoir confronts the realities of the publishing world and her work as an editor collaborating with authors including Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood and Sarah Dunant.”—The Globe and Mail
“A Bite of the Apple: A Life with Books, Writers and Virago, has most of the characteristics of highly enjoyable memoirs, but it is also a fascinating exploration of the women’s movement from the 1970s to almost the present day.”—Literary Review of Canada
“Lively, frank, fascinating—and above all, inspiring. A celebration of boldness: of wanting something better and making change happen.”—Sarah Waters
“There is so very much to enjoy—and learn about—in this engaging book. We meet a young Lennie from Canada, in love with books, who lands a job at Virago and over the years survives and steers many of its changes to ensure its safety and vibrancy. Along the way, we track the changes in the publishing industry, in feminist thought and practice, and encounter the magnificence of Virago authors. A wonderful memoir and such a great read.”—Susie Orbach
“An indispensable piece of feminist history; nothing less than the exciting story of how women found their voice—and made society listen. I enjoyed it hugely.”—Caroline Criado Perez
“Behind every great book there is a great editor. And behind every feminist press, a remarkable set of women. Lennie Goodings is one of both.”—Sarah Dunant
