I am often asked where I get ideas from. "You must be very imaginative," people say. Well, not really. Most of my ideas come from real life, that is - real situations, real conversations (often overheard conversations) and real people - past or present. For example, meet Cora Pearl (nee Elizabeth Emma Crouch) a 19th century courtesan who, although born in England, crafted a career for herself in France. She became the mistress of several aristocrats, for example: the Prince of Orange and the Duc de Morny.
In 1864, Pearl was living in a chateau in the Loire region of France. One evening she decided to have some fun with the aristocratic guests sitting around the dinner table. First, she dared the group to "get stuck in" to the next dish served. This "dish" was Cora herself. Carried in by 4 large men, she was presented on a very large silver platter, stark naked and sprinkled with parsley.
One of my early short stories (Carla's Birthday) was inspired by a short article on the inside pages of a regional newspaper. It concerned an Italian schoolgirl who, having failed her exams, was sent to bed by her mother. She lay in bed for more than 10 years until neighbours, who eventually wondered why they had not seen the girl for such a long time, alerted the police. This story of an outrageous mother committing an outrageous act was read on BBC Radio in 1996. Cora Pearl will probably play a small part in future writings - perhaps served up with the cheese and biscuits.
A good example of truth being stranger than fiction?
Posted by: Christopher Goddard | 08/06/2017 at 01:00 PM
Absolutely!
Posted by: Robert Goddard | 08/07/2017 at 10:55 AM