"I WANT TO LIVE LIKE MUSIC SOUNDS."

A series of essays.....

Author, Eva Ibbotson

.....as seen through my eyes!



By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

First of all, I would just like to say how much I love what I do! 

The Austrian born author, Eva Ibbotson, is the perfect example as to why so many of us rise early in the morning, words swirling around in our heads like iridescent butterflies, with so many ideas begging to be captured on the tiny little screen of an iPad!  Well, in my case an iPad, anyway.

Having two young, seven-year-old granddaughters who are voracious readers, it is interesting that their age group has fallen into what I refer to as the 'crack of oblivion' when it comes to the major and lucrative promotion of the Harry Potter books written by J.K. Rowling.  That's not to say that they won't be influenced by them in the near future considering the Harry Potter series targets the YA, or young adult, niche.  I think they just got lost in the shuffle, for now.

I do recall the observation of literary critics who had found similarities between Ibbotson's "Platform 13" in her book entitled The Secret Platform 13 published in 1994 and J.K. Rowling's "Platform 9 3/4" in her Harry Potter book series from 1997, both located at King's Cross Station in London.  According to Wikipedia, the journalist, Amanda Craig, has written about these similarities.  "Ibbotson would seem to have a good case for claiming plagiarism......, but unlike the American author, Nancy Stouffer, currently suing Ms. Rowling, Ibbotson says she would, 'Like to shake (Rowling) by the hand.  I think we all borrow from each other as writers.' "

My point here is to recognize the heartwarming character of this interesting individual and author, as she publicly comes to terms with life, career and human nature.  She not only recognizes the propensity of writers to 'borrow' from one another (chalking it up as a supreme compliment, perhaps), but offers her congratulations to Rowling for a job well done!


Eva Ibbotson, born Eva Marie Charlotte Michelle Wiesner, in Vienna, Austria in 1925, was the daughter of non-practicing Jewish parents.  Her father, a physician who pioneered human infertility treatment and her mother, a novelist and playwright, were divorced when Eva was only three.  Her mother went to Paris in 1933 and left when Hitler banned her work.  Eventually settling in North London, she sent for her daughter along with other family members who ultimately avoided the worst of the Nazi regime.  The experience of fleeing Vienna was a strong thread throughout Eva's life and work, according to Wikipedia.  Eva passed away on October 20, 2010 at the age of eighty-five after editing the proofs of her new children's book, One Dog And His Boy, and beginning another ghost story, The Abominables, published posthumously in 2012.

Known for her writing of children's fantasy novels and historical fiction, her career took off when she was nearly forty-five years old and spanned from 1965 through 2010. 

Logging-in more than a dozen books for children, they include Which Witch?, The Secret of Platform 13, Dial-A-Ghost and Journey to the River Sea.  The latter was written in memory of her late husband, Alan Ibbotson, a former naturalist and professor at Cambridge University.  You may recall that President Obama made a surprise visit to the independent bookstore, Prairie Lights Books in Iowa City back in 2010 where he picked up a copy of Journey to the River Sea for his daughters.

President Obama at Prairie Lights Books

As an author, grandmother and avid reader.....I know what is in store for me.  Once I begin reading the novels of Eva Ibbotson, I totally expect to love them completely and will want to read all of them!  Recently, a blogger reviewing Journey to the River Sea and discovering Ibbotson's books for the first time exclaimed, "I am considering tracking down a copy of every one of her books, building a fort, and hiding out there to read and read and read until I have devoured Eva Ibbotson's entire collection.  I want to hand out copies of Journey to the River Sea to every child I meet!  And probably a few adults, too! I loved it that much."  Oh boy!!  I am in for the long haul.....I can just feel it!

My journey into the life of this interesting female author began because of a quote I had seen online that struck me as one of the best 'writing prompts' I've seen in a long while.  Spoken by her character, Ruth, in the novel, The Morning Gift, Eva Ibbotson wrote, "I want to live like music sounds."  There's something quite magical in this statement.  How does this interesting quote affect you?  Are you conjuring up all sorts of pictures in your head right now like I am?  From the four most recognized notes (Big Bang Introduction) of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 to the haunting dirge called A Prayer sung by Madeleine Peyroux from her album Dreamland.....and all of that 'life' filling in the huge area in between, our lives are surrounded by the sounds, noise and notes that swirl and collect around us every moment of our existence! 

Does our arm merely rise into the air as we wave hello to a friend or does it drift upwards to hang above us while a 'blues note' floats along an invisible breeze until we catch it in the smooth palm of our hand?  I hear lullabies playing in a baby's room and feel the reassurance of a calm, sleep filled night as 'gentleness' is carried along on puffs of air to be inhaled as innocent breaths, and eyes begin to softly close....close.  Drum solos executed by the likes of John Bonham, Neil Peart, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich boom, bang and clatter until our hearts burst from the cadence and rhythms of anticipated fear, extreme adventure, lust for life....!!

Can you sit still as the music plays?  I cannot.  I will not!

For her entire life, Eva Ibbotson had said she disliked "....financial greed and lust for power" and often created antagonists in her books who have these characteristics.  Certainly this contributes to her reaction of the literary critics with regard to similarities found in the J.K. Rowling's books. 

Even though her more recent collections feature writing for children, Ibbotson was also noted for several works of fiction for adults.  Two of her acclaimed books are set in Europe at the time of World War II and reflect her experience of the time: The Morning Gift (1993) and A Song For Summer (1997).

While researching additional quotes attributed to the many characters  found in her numerous works of fiction, I discovered how they serve to delight the senses and entertain the mind, as well.  I want to share some of them with you and deservedly give credit to meetville.com for such pretty packaging, or not!?!


'A Countess Below Stairs'



'The Star of Kazan'

 

Preview Magazine interviewed Eva in the Fall of 2001 and the results of this interview reinforced everything I had been feeling about this amazing Lady!  Passionate, Modest, Sensitive, Talented and Caring.....Words that describe Eva Ibbotson completely.

What were you doing when you found out that your first book was going to be published? "Cooking supper for my husband and children. My agent phoned and I shouted and we all danced about, except my husband who saw to it that the sauce did not burn."
What did you treat yourself to afterwards?  "My first money as a writer came from a short story in a magazine.  It was a very small sum, and I bought Mars Bars for everybody in the family."

'The Dragonfly Pool'

'A Countess Below Stairs'

A wife, mother of four and award winning author, Eva Ibbotson's humble life was a lesson of Love for all of us.  Even though its roots were based in divorce, unhappiness and impending war in Europe or, because of ALL the above, the Guardian, publishing her story upon her passing in 2010, proclaimed her "A self-confessed 'happy endings freak.'  She expressed some bemusement at trends for darker children's fiction and her books always reassured young readers that good would be rewarded and that spoilt brats and greedy grown-ups would get their comeuppance."

Taking cues from her character, Ruth, in The Morning Gift, I truly believe that Eva Ibbotson lived her life like music sounds....

Copyright © 2015 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved