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Sara maitland biography

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Sara Maitland Biography

Britishnovelist and short-story writer, born in London, educated at Oxford University, where she became interested in reconciling feminist principles with Christianity. Her first novel, Daughter of Jerusalem (1978; Somerset Maugham Prize, 1979), was a feminist reworking of Old and New Testament stories and concerned women and fertility. Feminist themes were similarly explored in her novel Virgin Territory (1984) and in a collection of essays, A Map of the New Country (1983), examining the role of women in the Christian Church. Three Times Table (1990) is set in a London house during a single night, in which three women of different generations reflect upon the choices they have made and the significant options open to them. Home Truths (1993), which probes the dynamics of a large family and unravels self-deceipt, was followed by Hagiographies (1996). Maitland has also published several volumes of short stories, including Telling Tales (1983), which includes a feminist version of the Creation myth and an account of the life of a female Pope,

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An introduction: Exploring the silence

I have led a very noisy life. I was born in 1950 and grew up in large, highly articulate family: the six children were close together in age (in 1968 when every newspaper in the country was ranting about the dreadful-ness of teenagers, my parents had five of them.) Unlike the stereotypical British household ours was not one of repression and sulks. There was a great deal of shouting and yelling and door slamming as well as a great deal of affection which mainly expressed itself in competitive banter. Most people find my family in large doses nearly impossible to take – it is unimaginable to most people that any group can talk so loudly, so rudely and all at once and still blatantly love each other.

I went to a girls’ boarding school; the ethos depended on no one ever being allowed to be alone except as a punishment, and where the inevitable din created by 200 female adolescents was amplified by vast rooms without carpets or curtains. I emerged into adulthood at university and threw myself wholeheartedly into the noisy

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Growth from Silence: An Interview with Sara Maitland

13th April 2020

For many of us, the social isolation measures being imposed by Governments around the world in the fight against COVID-19 are difficult. While we practice what’s required to prevent the spread of the virus, isolation presents challenges of its own; how do we manage relationships remotely, stay motivated, improve productivity and crucially, maintain physical and mental wellbeing?

For renowned writer, Sara Maitland, this is not an unfamiliar lifestyle. For the past two decades Sara has been living alone, remotely – and joyfully pursuing her deep fascination with silence. Two of her books, How to Be Alone and A Book of Silence, are filled with experiences of personal growth from her time spent in solitude and we are delighted to share the following interview with her, written especially for The Arts Club community. Through her experience, we too can learn to utilise this period for reflection, development and personal progress.

What led you to live a life of solitude?
I didn’t really, it sort of h

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