Jilly Cooper is a phenomenon. Though Britain's longtime best selling novelist, she is virtually unknown in the States. To rectify this I have written this piece to introduce her stunningly readable recent novel "Wicked!" to the American public. For this to be as effective as possible - to open it up so to speak - I have employed the technique of keeping three points of view simultaneously on the subject : personal, critical, and historical, the result I hope being nimble and fun. It includes in its scope novelists such as Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson and most particularly Henry James' in his famous essay "The Art of Fiction" to see how Cooper relates to his standards which for me, explains why her own work is in its way, quite a miracle.
Like many writers I live and breathe on the internet and email and I put "Jilly Cooper and the Art of Fiction" online being especially interested in having feedback from those who care to email me.
To read the esssay follow this link!
