In this episode, we discuss Wide Sargasso Sea with writer Victoria Smith. Commonly referred to as the prequel to Jane Eyre, it does tell the story of Antoinette (Bertha in Jane Eyre) but works beautifully as a stand-alone read in its own right.
Victoria Smith is the author of brilliant books Hags and Unkind and is one of the significant feminist voices of our time, so we were delighted to hear her thoughts on this highly acclaimed work.
This is what some of the critics have said about the book:
Angela Carter, novelist and critic:
“The best post-colonial novel of the twentieth century. It’s not just a prequel to Jane Eyre — it’s a complete reimagining of what literature can do.”
The New York Times Book Review:
“Brilliant… A work of fierce poetic intensity, richly imagined and quietly devastating.”
Diana Athill, editor of André Deutsch publishing house:
“Jean Rhys wrote it as though it had to be written — and it did. It’s that rare thing: a work of literature that also rights a moral wrong.”
Time Magazine (Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century):
“A hypnotic and hallucinatory vision of the Caribbean — Rhys reclaims Bertha Mason’s voice and in doing so, reshapes the entire legacy of Jane Eyre.”
Jamaica Kincaid, novelist and critic:
“Rhys understood the cruelty of colonialism and the way madness can be imposed, not born. Her writing is laced with beauty and fury.”
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