Laura Varnam at Fowey
Last week saw Univ鈥檚 English lecturer Dr Laura Varnam once more in Cornwall for the Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature as it celebrated its 21st birthday.
Laura has been presenting at the Festival since 2010, contributing to a variety of events including lectures, reading groups, and panel discussions, mainly focusing on the Festival鈥檚 primary theme, the life and works of Daphne du Maurier.
Daphne du Maurier: Sur les traces de Rebecca聽(“In the Footsteps of Rebecca”), a biographical documentary of the author to which Laura contributed, aired at the Festival on Friday. It was followed by a panel discussion, chaired by Professor Helen Taylor of Exeter University, with Laura, the film鈥檚 director Elisabeth Aubert Schlumberger, producer Patricia Houtart, and biographer Tatiana de Rosnay, contributing.
“I was delighted that we were able to show the film to du Maurier fans in Fowey”, Laura comments, “and it was great to take part in the panel discussion about the making of the film. I was interviewed here at Univ in May 2016 and the Winter Common Room provided a wonderfully atmospheric background to some of the scenes focusing on Manderley, the house at the centre of du Maurier鈥檚 most famous novel,聽Rebecca.”
Laura also took part in another sell-out event at the Festival, an interview with Tatiana de Rosnay about her new biography of du Maurier: Manderley Forever. Laura explains: 鈥淔irst published in French in 2015,聽Manderley Forever聽has just been published in English in America and will be published in the UK in the autumn. A unique portrait of du Maurier by an extraordinary writer, de Rosnay鈥檚 book is fascinating, sensitive, and engaging. It is a must-read for all du Maurier fans and will contribute significantly to our efforts to redefine du Maurier鈥檚 public reputation as one of the twentieth century鈥檚 most significant writers.鈥�
Laura will be contributing an article about her work on du Maurier to the next edition of聽The Martlet.
Further details of the Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature can be found聽.
Published: 16 May 2017
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