Maggie O'Farrell

Elspeth Barker

In the tradition of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, a darkly humorous modern classic of Scottish literature about a doomed adolescent growing up in the mid-19th century—featuring a new introduction by Maggie O’Farrell, award-winning author of Hamnet.

Janet lies murdered beneath the castle stairs, attired in her mother’s black lace wedding dress, lamented only by her pet jackdaw…

​Author Elspeth Barker masterfully evokes the harsh climate of Scotland in this atmospheric gothic tale that has been compared to the works of the Brontës, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edward Gorey. Immersed in a world of isolation and loneliness, Barker’s ill-fated young heroine Janet turns to literature, nature, and her Aunt Lila, who offers brief flashes of respite in an otherwise foreboding life. People, birds, and beasts move through the background in a tale that is as rich and atmospheric as it is witty and mordant. The family’s motto—Moriens sed Invictus (Dying but Unconquered)—is a well-suited epitaph for wild and courageous Janet, whose fierce determination to remain steadfastly herself makes her one of the most unforgettable protagonists in contemporary literature.

A Novel

O Caledonia

Écosse, au milieu du XXe siècle. Janet, seize ans, est retrouvée assassinée au pied de l’escalier de la demeure familiale, vêtue de la robe en dentelle noire de sa mère. Ce qui commence comme un roman policier sera en fait le récit rétrospectif de la courte et triste vie de Janet. Dans une région battue par les vents, elle grandit entourée de frères et de sœurs plus beaux et plus brillants qu’elle. Incomprise par les adultes, rejetée par les autres enfants, Janet trouve refuge auprès des animaux et dans les livres, qui deviennent autant de remparts contre l’hostilité du monde. Farouchement déterminée à rester elle-même quoi qu’il en coûte, cultivant une imagination sauvage et merveilleuse, Janet parviendra à connaître quelques instants de grâce, avant de finir sa vie tragiquement. D’une plume mordante et pleine d’esprit, qui rappelle à la fois les sœurs Brontë, Edgar Allan Poe ou encore Edward Gorey, Elspeth Barker signe avec Le Champ des soupirs un conte gothique magistral.

Le Champ des soupirs

Una de las grandes joyas del siglo XX de la literatura escocesa. O Caledonia, la excepcional primera novela de Elspeth Barker, evoca el frío implacable del calvinismo y el clima de la inhóspita Escocia rural. Es un mundo de aislamiento y soledad, donde Janet, la joven protagonista de Barker, recurre cada vez con más ahínco a la literatura, a la naturaleza y a su singular tía Lila, que ofrece a la niña pequeños remansos de paz en una vida por lo demás miserable. Personas, pájaros y bestias se mueven al unísono en una alegre a la par que macabra danza a través de un paisaje abatido, en una historia tan rica y atmosférica como ingeniosa y mordaz. El lema de la familia, Moriens sed invictus ("Morir no conquistado"), es un epitafio apropiado para la salvaje y valiente Janet, cuya determinación siempre la hizo permanecer incólume, incluso cuando la fuerza de los acontecimientos parecía superarla. «Una vez decidí hacerme amiga de alguien por el simple hecho de que mencionó O Caledonia como uno de sus libros favoritos.» Del prólogo de Maggie O'Farrell «Ingeniosa y divertida.» Ali Smith «Una novela extraordinaria: original, hermosa y dura. Barker debería ser considerada una de las escritoras más importantes e influyentes de Escocia.» Financial Times «Maravillosamente escrito, un debut excepcional.» Times «Fascinante y precisa.» New York Review

Oh, Caledonia

In Notes from the Henhouse, you will find: A Gothic castle, a draughty Norfolk farmhouse and a malevolent Aga A pet pig, Portia with a penchant for drama, an obsession with geraniums and an addiction to wine (the Bulgarian vintage) George Barker, poet and beloved husband, warbling cowboy songs into his glass and declaiming Hopkins and Houseman in The Drinking Room Five entrancing baby cherubimos, rolling and bouncing about in a big brass bed, before growing up at breakneck speed The ecstasy of writing, the dither of procrastination, and the endless adventures to be had in the wild realms of the imagination The outrage of death, the loneliness of widowhood, and then the surprising joys of dereliction: of moving very slowly round the garden in a shapeless coat, planting drifts of narcissus bulbs for latter springs.

Collected Essays

Notes from the Henhouse

Janet lies murdered at the foot of the castle stairs, oddly attired in her mother's black lace evening dress, lamented only by her pet jackdaw. This classic story also comes with a selection of short stories.

Elspeth Barker

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