Downton Abbey Episode 3-The Hunt/Mary meets Pamuk

Exceeding all expectations....

         
                                                                 

Turks in top hats

Episode 3 of Downton Abbey featured a "gorgeous Turk" - the Earl's words, not mine. But I do agree, Kemal Pamuk [ played by Theo James ] was gorgeous.  It isn't hard to work out where Julian Fellowes got the name, only in 1912, Turks used a patronymic, not a surname so he would have been Kemal,   ...son of   ---    Never mind, by any name, Kemal Pamuk stole the show, along with Lady Mary's heart.

As I watched - and drooled - it did cross my mind that perhaps Julian Fellowes had read my story April and May and been inspired by my Kerim Pasha, another Turk who speaks perfect English and who wears a top hat.

                   

April and May

                                                             

But no, that's just wishful thinking. Probably he was inspired by photos of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who was known as 'Golden Head' in his young, party-going days on the social circuit in several countries. He looked as good in the old Ottoman officer's cap as he did in a top hat.

                                                                               
                                   

                                                  Which headgear do you prefer?

Finding inspiration

                                                              ARLES

Our stop in Arles was intended to break a long car journey. We had time to visit the Museum [see previous blog entry] and in addition allowed ourselves another hour for a meal and a short walk in the old town. It was a sunny day, hot enough for everyone to walk in the shade of the massive plane trees that lined the road. The cafe terraces were crowded and the open air restaurants pretty full as well.

Right opposite the Espace van Gogh [what was the hospital when he lived in Arles] we found a small restaurant where we sat under a parasol and ate lamb tagine followed by fromage frais with honey and red fruits. The atmosphere was peaceful, the food was good and the pace of life distinctly leisurely.

                            The Espace Van Gogh, a colourful square surrounded by shady arcades.
There was just time for a short stroll to the nearby Place de la République to see the 'pyramide' and the marvellous carved figures on the façade of St Trophime cathedral.

                    
The impression we gained is that Arles is a town where it is good to live. And we only saw it on an ordinary day. There are many traditions, many festivals. At such times the city is vibrant and recalls its long and rich history.

Plenty there to set the imagination working.

                     

                   

Inspiring... Arles, the Rhone and Julius Caesar

                                                         Arles centre and the Rhone

                     

The Rhone River: Memories of Caesar.

 This stunning exhibition is currently on display in the Musée Départemental Arles Antique.

For the last twenty years archaeologists have been working underwater, pulling out of the murk and silt of the mighty River Rhone over seven hundred objects that bear witness to to the importance of the city in Roman times. In addition to everyday items and evidence of trade in every type of material, there are artefacts which show the wealth and culture of Arles in the Roman era.

The highlight of the exhibition is this bust of Julius Caesar. The carved head seems so real, so immediate that it is easy to feel this is a man you could meet round the next street corner [on his way to the theatre or the arena... sorry, imagination running away with me there...]

More intriguing for me, was the metal statuette placed next to Caesar - and at a lower level - of the Gaulish captive. This man, stripped of his clothes, hands tied and forced to his knees before the conqueror of his country, is a poignant reminder of the power of brute force, perhaps more so with all the trappings of wealth and ceremony surrounding him.

   

I'm left with the feeling that his tale must be told....

Caversham Court Gardens. Using and adapting local elements in stories

Imagination is what keeps a writer writing but a lot of "what ifs" are triggered by facts, events and places in our daily lives. Recently the Reading Chapter of the Romantic Novelists' Association writers met up to discuss historical research and to visit Caversham Court Gardens. This site has just reopened after a major renovation.

The medieval manor that existed here from the early 1200s was improved into a beautiful Tudor wooden beam and plaster building called "The Striped House". Further additions followed and a total makeover took place in the 1820s, giving the house crenellations and a mock gothic facade. The gardens remained as lovely as ever, with a long terrace and a lower lawn running down to the river Thames.

        

At the back of the gardens the crinkle-crankle wall has been preserved through the centuries. The winding shape both holds back the earth of the hill behind and collects heat which encourages the plants in the kitchen garden to grow well.

The house was demolished in the 1930s but thanks to restoration by the 

                                   Friends of Caversham Court Gardens   

there is now a brick "footprint" of the house, with plaques showing which room was which. Here are some of our writers /researchers, taking tea in the drawing room.

                             

As I live in Caversham, I used this lovely setting in April and May. 

Rivercourt, home of the heroine's aunt, is based on Caversham Court. It is a thrill to adapt something in this way but sometimes I wonder if it blurs reality and imagination a little too much....?

My heroine, Rose, stays with her uncle and aunt at Rivercourt. Rose is artistic and she finds plenty to paint in the grounds of the old house. But her aunt and uncle are antiquarians and more interested in ancient Egyptian civilisation than in keeping their home in good order. While Aunt Emily tries to decipher hieroglyphics, Rose worries about restoring the crumbling plaster, and curing the damp.

                                                                April and May

Latest review of "April and May"

The August 2010 edition of the Historical Novels Review says of April and May

  [after a brief description of the plot]    ....an unusual setting, a tense love story against a background of political intrigue and deadly danger. Some of the details of life in a Turkish household are lovingly described, especially the gorgeous fabrics, but I would have liked more about the city itself and its life. Similarly, the final danger Rose encounters is muted, over almost before it began. Nevertheless, this is a good read and a satisfying love story for those who like suspense and physical danger alongside the romance.

Ottoman elements

The first section of April and May takes place in a wealthy seaside Turkish home, called a yali. These mansions were mainly built of wood and the upper stories overhung the ground floor. They had many windows and so were light and airy inside. The ground floor would only have windows in the inner walls, around the courtyard. On the upper floors lattices covered the windows to ensure privacy.

 The Selamlik was the salon where male visitors would be received for a meeting with the man of the house.
The Harem was the women's quarters and the only men admitted into those rooms would be members of the close family.

This picture of ladies in their part of the house is by Osman Hamdi Bey. He went to Paris to study Law but gave it up to become an artist, studying under two French Orientalist painters. If you like his style of painting, type his name into Google for a marvellously rich series of portraits. He was not only an artist but an incredibly talented statesman and archaeologist.