Interview about historical fiction with Deborah Swift, author of novels based on Samuel Pepys’s diary (audio)

Dr Kate Loveman interviews Deborah Swift, a historical novelist who has written gripping and carefully researched stories about seventeenth-century women. These include a trilogy of novels based on the women in Samuel Pepys’s diary of the 1660s (Pleasing Mr Pepys, A Plague on Mr Pepys, and Entertaining Mr Pepys). 

The topics Kate and Deborah discuss include: the appeal of the seventeenth century for historical novelists; the opportunities and challenges of writing fiction about women’s lives; Deborah’s approaches to Pepys’s diary in her trilogy; depictions of sensitive subject matter, such as marital abuse and racism; and tips for aspiring historical novelists.

This is an edited version of an interview recorded on 3 May 2022. It lasts 30 minutes. The interview was conducted as part of the ‘Reimagining the Restoration’ project, funded by the AHRC.