Peter Tolhurst
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You set up Black
Dog Books in 1996 - ostensibly to publish ‘East Anglia –
A Literary Pilgrimage’? I’m surprised that such a
delightful book hadn’t already been snapped up?
To be honest I didn’t approach anyone else – it would
have taken too long, I would have lost control over
images and layout and it would have been financially
far less rewarding. |
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Was BDB named
after Black Shuck?
Yes I was living in Bungay at the time. |
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In your
experience, is there a ‘real’ market for books connected
with regional literature?
The three volumes of short
stories have done well on a sliding scale. If the
material is good enough and the books look attractive
enough then ‘Yes’. |
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I understand that
you worked for many years as a Historic Buildings
Officer. Did this help to stimulate your interest in
literary landmarks?
Yes to an extent but, having lived in Norfolk a long
time it was more a question of accumulated knowledge
about the region’s literature and landscapes that have
inspired it. |
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How would you rate
the current crop of Norfolk writers?
With a few glorious exceptions – Rose Tremain and
Ronald Blythe for instance – probably lightweight – but
I don’t read them much. |
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We are lucky
enough to have two talented ‘nature writers’ living in
the county: Richard Mabey and Mark Cocker. Do you think
that ‘nature writing’ is an undervalued genre?
It seems to be very fashionable right now in the
light of green issues. We had three until the untimely
death of Roger Deakin. |
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Has the influence
of the UEA helped or hindered distinctive writing in the
region, do you think?
Both – it has produced a few
outstanding novelists and, I suspect, rather more
struggling to break through. |
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I notice that
you’ve published a number of books by Ronald Blythe. How
would you assess his importance in terms of East Anglian
creative output?
Obviously, ‘Akenfield’ was a seminal
piece of work. He is the only truly great regional
writer and not the product of a creative writing course.
He is also at the end of a peculiar vein of English
pastoral literature. People like Richard Mabey are his
natural successors but their genre is the wildlife
essay. |
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You’ve now
released three volumes of ‘Dead Men Talking - Stories
from East Anglia’. Have these books have helped to focus
attention on overlooked authors such as Mary Mann? ?
I certainly hope so. |
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Do you think there
is something unique about Norfolk’s literary heritage?
If so, how would you define it?
Not really although
the UEA writing course has given it added impetus. It
may be more strongly developed than in some other
counties but each has its own literary heritage. |
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Many publishers
get pestered by inappropriate submissions. Has this been
your experience? What advice would you give to local
writers seeking publication? And, are you actively
looking for new writers?
Yes I do and I’m not
especially interested in discovering new writers. My
advice would be – ‘Get an agent’ |
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You recently said:
‘For how much longer, in the relentless clamour for yet
more houses, retail parks and road schemes, will this
‘otherness’ survive, and will its demise spell the end
of a distinctive literary tradition in the region?’ How
worried are you?
Pretty worried. |
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What plans do you
have for Black Dog Books in the future?
To continue to
publish books on subjects that interest me in an
attractive, mainly hardback format. |