Noel is the son-in-law of Rosemary Say, who died in 1996. She had always meant to write her war memoirs.
"A publisher was interested, but even though she ghosted books, and was the theatre critic of the Sunday Telegraph, she never managed it.
"In her sixties, my mother-in-law started a small draft," says Noel. "She was keen to unburden herself, and Julia and I began to interview her. She was really glad when we started to help her. Julia and I wrote the book together. We’d read and correct each other’s work. That worked well."
Who is Noel Fursman?
Date/place of birth: May 10, 1958/London.
Education: Marylebone Grammar School. Then Sussex University, for a BA and MA. St Anthony’s College Oxford. D Phil on Argentine History.
Home: Kenmare. County Kerry.
Family: Wife, Julia, and son, Max. 16.
The Day Job: We’ve been running a bookshop, Noel and Holland for the past 13 years.
Hobbies: I sing in a band with a pianist. We play Cole Porter and Gershwin.
Favourite Writers: I read biography and history. I love reading the late Roy Jenkins. He had a wonderful style.
Second Novel: We’re working on another biographical idea. We hope to firm it up soon.
Top Writing Tip: Accept criticism from someone you trust or from a good editor. It will make your writing better. If you co-write, work apart.
Web/Twitter: Neither.
THE DEBUT
Rosie’s War by Rosemary Say and Noel Holland. Published by Michael O’Mara Books at €23.75; Kindle, €6.49
When World War Two broke out, Rosie Say, then 19, was working as an au pair in the South of France. By the time she recognised danger it was too late to escape. She was in Paris when it fell. She spent time in a Nazi Internment camp before escaping through Spain and then Ireland.
The Verdict
A fascinating account of wartime France seen through the eyes of a brave young English woman.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, August 06, 2011
