Interview with Angela Garry - Author & Helene Hanff Biographer

Ladey Adey Show

It is wonderful to meet Angela Garry who is an author in her own right and as a biographer of Helene Hanff.

The Book Academy members had read 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff and although Helene is not with us any longer were delighted to find Angela had set up a facebook group dedicated to Helene and is in the process of writing her biography.

This was the first book to be reviewed by The Book Academy

Angela became interested in Helene Hanff’s writing when she was university and joined the Cinema Society. One of the films shown was 84, Charing Cross Road which had been released the year before, This was back in 1988, and Angela says,

“I loved the film and at the end of the film, I sat and watched the credits as you do, to realise it was based on the book by her Helene Hanff, she's was real person. And I rushed out and bought the book. This book was coupled with the book of the Duchess of Bloomsbury Street in one small volume. The latter is Helene’s diary of traveling to London, on the strength of publishing 84. And then I returned to the bookshop another day and found more of her books and just started buying whatever I could of her six books for adults. This was the start of my relationship with this author – as a reader.”

Angela went on to write to Helene and then met her in New York.

In this podcast Angela reveals more about the visit and her continual interest in Helene Hanff’s legacy.

https://www.angelagarry.com/helenehanff

Scattered Leaves by Angela Garry about the life of Helene Hanff will be published later in 2022.

Angela’s own books are worth considering too. I would like to quote from her short story collection “Twisted Tales” In it Angela says, “Being a writer isn't something you just do. It's something you are, it comes from within”

Later for my birthday in April, my daughter Abbirose and I visited the site of 84 Charing Cross Road (now a MacDonalds) and the plaque is there.

Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/ladeyadeyshow.

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.