Essie Fox
The Goddess and the Thief is a story that grew in my mind over several years. It all started when, quite by chance, I came across the history of the Koh-i-noor diamond, after which I was inspired to read more of the sacred Indian stone; its curses, myths and prophecies.
In the Victorian era the diamond was owned by Duleep Singh, the boy Maharajah of Lahore - for whom the stone was said to be his kingdom’s sovereign symbol. But, after the second Anglo Sikh war, when the British annexed the state of Punjab, the diamond was brought to England and gifted to Queen Victoria - as was the deposed and glamorous prince who became quite the English aristocrat. But Duleep was always an exile. He was never fated to belong, either here, or in his homeland.
Although my dramatised Duleep only plays a small part in The Goddess and the Thief, his story is central to its plot and all of the other characters.
Please tell us about the character of Alice.
Whereas Duleep Singh really did exist, Alice is entirely fictional. However, her plight does echo his - having also been born in India and looking upon that place as her home when brought to be raised England.
Alice is another conduit through which the plot develops and flows - as other characters around use her isolation to further their ambitions. But, as she matures and the story unfolds, as it draws on myths of Hindu gods and reveals her growing psychic sense, Alice proves her own resilience.
The book has been compared to Sarah Waters, so how does this make you feel?
I am extremely honoured. Sarah Waters is one of my favourite authors; one whose books I always anticipate with the greatest sense of excitement. As far as similarities go, well, we are both female writers whose stories expose the darkness and hypocrisy rife in Victorian times. And, in true nineteenth-century ‘Sensational’ style, we both have mysterious twists and turns to enhance our complex plots. However, I think that our differences are also very obvious, in that I often draw on ‘other worlds’ with references to myths or fairy tales, and my stories can blur reality with scenes where ghostly things occur - or are they the visions of troubled minds - or dreams brought on by opiates?
What is the appeal of the Victorian novel for you?
Oh, where to begin? Such a fascinating era! The discoveries in science and industry were really quite astounding, with new inventions occurring so fast that it must have been dizzying at times - simply to wonder what might come next. It was in the Victorian era that electric light was developed. There was the wireless telegraph, and later on the telephone to aid communication over enormous distances. Steam powered trains and ships made travel and commerce much swifter and easier. And then there was photography: all that led to the modern film industry.
I enjoy the way that, when looking back from what is our more informed age, a writer can play with beliefs then held, such as the cult of spiritualism, or the fact that established Christian faith was seriously undermined by the writing of Charles Darwin. And then, there is the role of women, and the way that their lives were restricted in matters of sexual equality, in employment, and in politics. But then, such restrictions are a gift when seeking to place a heroine in situations of peril. Today, with TV and radio, never mind the use of mobile phones, it is a much more difficult thing to achieve that isolation.
How much has your English literature degree affected your writing?
Enormously. It was while at university that I first became truly immersed in nineteenth century literature. The love I discovered for those books has remained with me ever since. It is such a pleasure to try and create my very own version of that world.
Please tell us about your time with the Telegraph Sunday and Allen and Unwin.
When I graduated from Sheffield I came to live in London and took up a position as an editorial assistant with the Telegraph Sunday Magazine. It was a very strange time, being the early eighties when London seemed to be full of excess. Every day would see invitations to film and theatre premieres or openings at galleries. At lunch time, for a princely 30p, we could go to the Telegraph restaurant and have a three course meal with silver service waitressing. I had no idea that that sort of thing was not the ‘normal’ London life. I had quite a shock when I moved on to work for Allen & Unwin. Being no longer based in an airy modern office, I found myself at the very top of a converted Georgian house with no more than a sputtering gas fire to keep me warm in the winter months - well, that, and the piles of manuscripts that towered precariously around.
But it was a fascinating job, with Allen & Unwin being then the publisher of Tolkien. I adored the illustrations commissioned to enhance those texts, or else to produce glossy picture books. I discovered the artwork of Alan Lee. He brought Tolkien’s world to vivid life.
Why did having your daughter spur you on to pursue your passion for illustration?
It was seeing such illustrations that inspired me to try my hand at making my living in art and design. And then, when my baby girl was born, it seemed to be the natural time to give up the day job and work from home. I was very lucky and found success, being in the right place at the right time. The range of design for greetings cards was not as sophisticated as now. Soon I was providing work for cards, for giftwrap, for wallpapers, for ceramics, and for fabric design. That career lasted twenty years until, one day my daughter left home and I looked at my life and realised that all I really wanted to do was return to the world of publishing. But not at the editorial desk. I longed to follow a long-held dream and write a novel of my own.
What is next for you?
I don’t think there will be any change of career. I haven’t picked up a pencil or brush since the very first day when I started to write. I had always loved reading and fictional worlds. I always had stories in my mind. If only it had occurred before that the dramas unfolding in my head might find their way onto the page. Writing is my passion. Writing is almost like painting with words - but much much more satisfying.
So, next for me is another book - though not this time Victorian. I feel the need to progress in time, to enter the twentieth century, where the worlds of science and art combined to create the medium of film. I have such a lot of research to do, but I’m itching to get started...