Tribute to Penelope Fitzgerald

Julian Barnes writes about Penelope Fitzgerald for The Guardian -- "How did she do it?" 26 July 2008: 2.

From the Article:

"About 10 years ago I appeared on a panel at York University with Penelope Fitzgerald. I knew her slightly, and admired her greatly. Her manner was shy and rather distrait, as if the last thing she wanted was to be taken for what she then was: the best living English novelist. So she comported herself as if she were a jam-making grandmother who scarcely knew her way in the world. This wasn't too difficult, given that she was indeed a grandmother, and also - one of the minor revelations in her forthcoming Letters - a jam (and chutney) maker. But the disguise wasn't convincing, since every so often, as if despite herself, her rare intelligence and instinctive wit would break through."