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Helen Fielding was born in an industrial town in the north of England, studied at Oxford University, and went on to work in television at the BBC. Her first novel, Cause Celeb, was based on her experience while filming documentaries in Africa for Comic Relief. Her other books include Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination, as well as a book of short stories in aid of Oxfam entitled Ox-tales. She divides her time between London and Los Angeles.
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Reproduced with the permission of the publisher, Viking Books.
Did anything in particular strike you about the reaction of American
readers?
I was very surprised that the book took off in America. Before I left, there was
an open letter in the paper saying "Don't go there, they won't get it,
Americans don't understand irony and self-deprecation." There's a strong
culture of self-improvement in America, which is both good and bad. The idea of
getting up at five and whizzing from the gym to the board meeting, of getting
your bottom down to size and suddenly deciding your soul needs work. I think
it's rather a joyless way of being for women, but it seems to have infected us
on a global scale. I think that's what people latched on to most.
Why did you write Bridget as a diary?
The best advice I ever had about writing was to do it as if you were writing for
a friend. The diary form's very good for that, very direct and intimate. Because
it's an imaginary character, you can hide behind a persona. It also allows you
to write the sort of shameful thoughts that everyone has but no one wants to
admit to, since you're not trying to make anyone like you. A diary is an outlet
for your most ...
Melissa Bank was an American author. She attended Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and had an MFA from Cornell University. Her works include The Girls' Guide to Hunting, Fishing, a volume of short stories: The Worst Thing a... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Bridget Jones's Diary
Try:
The Girl's Guide To Hunting & Fishing
by Melissa Bank
Iona Grey has a degree in English Literature and Language from Manchester University, an obsession with history and an enduring fascination with the lives of women in the twentieth century. She lives in rural Cheshire with ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Bridget Jones's Diary
Try:
Letters to the Lost
by Iona Grey
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