![]() ![]() IS: I've read plenty of fairy tales (and reworked fairy tales) and love high fantasy - so it's a natural place for my imagination to wander. Where did the story of the Peach King, the Orchard Queen, her gardener and his daughter come from? PP: Whilst Mr Wigg is an intrinsically Australian novel, we find ourselves dipping into European folklore in some parts. ![]() Mr Wigg took on his own character as the book evolved - one quite a way from my own grandfather - but some of Mr Wigg's stories about the old days are borrowed from my family. A character began to take shape, and I was calling the novel Mr Wigg long before I started writing. When I travelled to rural France and saw the way people live - with their village plots and walled orchards, and so much emphasis on growing and cooking and sharing food - I wondered if my grandfather had been living out of that part of his genetic heritage without having ever been to France. Wigg is the family name of one of his French ancestors, which really stuck in my head. ![]() He grew magnificent peaches! White ones especially, which I've never tasted the like of since. IS: To an extent, my paternal grandfather. I can see it too! Was there anybody in particular who inspired you to write this wonderful character? PP: I laughed when I read that you thought Peter Cundall (of Gardening Australia) would make an excellent Mr Wigg should a movie be made of your book. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |