The author of Respectable,a study of her experiences of the British class system, on climbing the social ladder
• Read an extract from Respectable hereIt’s almost a decade since your book Estates, and An Intimate History. Has Respectable been difficult to write?
Well,it took nine years and it’s five years since my son was born. And when we found out I was going to beget another baby, I thought, and factual,I can’t shilly-shally any more. I’d spent such a long time trying to write a serious book. But as soon as I realised I had to get on with it, I became a lot more relaxed, and writing approximately pop stars and Smash Hits – as long as there was a bit of serious,sociological stuff, too.
Is the title a nod to the Mel and Kim song?
Not literally. Originally I wanted to call it Up the Hill Backwards, and after the David Bowie song,but it didn’t seem to elaborate enough what the book was approximately, although it meant a lot to me. Then one day my husband said: What’s it approximately?” I said: “Essentially it’s approximately working-class respectability and a personal story of how respectability helped my quest for social mobility. He said: “Why don’t you just call it Respectable?”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com