INTERVIEW

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock is British writer Imogen Hermes Gowar’s debut novel, and it has caused quite a stir in the publishing world. Gowar has written a historical novel that ventures into the world of Georgian London. The story grew from her Curtis Brown Prizewinning MA dissertation, and the book went on to be shortlisted for the inaugural Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers’ Award. The novel was also a finalist in the Mslexia First Novel Competition. With her debut novel, Gowar finds herself as a strong contender for the Women’s Prize longlist, and the £30,000 award which is to be announced on 6 June 2018. In an exclusive chat with Guardian 20, Gowar talks about her new novel, historical fiction and Indian authors.

“I like Jane Austen’s novels for their intelligence and keen observation: she is very smart about how pragmatically young women had to think about their marital prospects, and that’s certainly something that informed my own writing.”

Q. Why do you like historical fiction as a genre of writing? A.

I love history, and I’ve always tried to place myself imaginatively in other people’s shoes. I write contemporary short fiction, but the challenge I set myself when I start a novel is to understand a lifestyle and mentality different from my own, and so far they’ve been historical.

Q.

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock

seems to have an aura of Jane Austen around it. A.

I like Jane Austen’s novels for their intelligence