If you’re obsessed with Anna Funder’s new book, Wifedom, check out more books by the author to read next.
‘One of the most startling explorations of life-writing in recent times . . . a genre-bending tour-de-force that resurrects an invisible woman.’
Give the gift of the perfect book this Father's Day.
A powerful blazing genre-bending masterpiece to discuss with your book club.
Anna Funder's book Wifedom has wowed some of the most plugged-in people in the book industry. Here's what they had to say.
Out now! Available here: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/wifedom-9780143787112 Looking for wonder and some reprieve from the everyday, Anna Funder slips into the pages of her hero George Orwell. As she watches him create his writing self, she tries to remember her own… When she uncovers his forgotten wife, it’s a revelation. Eileen O’Shaughnessy’s literary brilliance shaped Orwell’s work and her practical nous saved his life. But why – and how – was she written out of the story? Using newly discovered letters from Eileen to her best friend, Funder recreates the Orwells’ marriage, through the Spanish Civil War and WW II in London. As she rolls up the screen concealing Orwell’s private life she is led to question what it takes to be a writer – and what it is to be a wife. Compelling and utterly original, Wifedom speaks to the unsung work of women everywhere today, while offering a breathtakingly intimate view of one of the most important literary marriages of the 20th century. It is a book that speaks to our present moment as much as it illuminates the past. 'Simply, a masterpiece. Here, Anna Funder not only re-makes the art of biography, she resurrects a woman in full. And this in a narrative that grips the reader and unfolds through some of the most consequential moments - historical and cultural - of the twentieth century.' - Geraldine Brooks ‘There’s exhilaration in reading every brilliant word.’ – Chloe Hooper
We caught up earlier this year with Anna Funder to discuss her upcoming book Wifedom, and how it explores marriage and art as a piece of 'counter-fiction'.
Find out which Penguin Random House authors will be attending writers festivals in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney this May.
