John Mitchinson

Let's hear what Geoffrey Archer made of the bookshop.

Far be it from me to suggest that Geoffrey Archer didn't like the bookshop because it failed as a business.

Because she didn't read the market correctly.

Do you know what really is the capper on that?

A.N.

Wilson was one of the people who spoke at her memorial service.

What a nice chap.

Shall we hear from Mrs Fitzgerald?

Penelope Fitzgerald's first book was a biography of Edward Burne-Jones and her second book was a biography of her father and three of her uncles called the Knox Brothers.

And here she is discussing...

Apparently one of the things about Mrs Fitzgerald, George, is that she would rarely give you a straight answer to a straight question.

So here she is.

The interviewer has just asked her about the differences between writing biography and fiction.

Did that tell you that?

Yeah.

That's wonderful.

Lucy, one of the things that was said, or is said, and was said in reviews repeatedly, almost became a cliche about her, certainly her later novels, how does she do it?

How does she manage to condense so much detail in a way that allows, in short books, that allow loads of space for the reader to wander around in and explore the world, a world about which they didn't know they were going to be fascinated, right?

What are some of the hallmarks of her style?

She has a Nancy Mitford-like eye for people's foibles, but an un-Nancy Mitford-like generosity of spirit.