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

<p>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 (<em>Pleasing Mr Pepys</em>, <em>A Plague on Mr Pepys</em>, and <em>Entertaining Mr Pepys</em>). </p> <p><br></p> <p>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.</p> <p><br></p> <p>This is an intelligent transcript of an audio recording, which is publicly available. The interview took place on 3 May 2022. It was conducted as part of the ‘Reimagining the Restoration’ project, funded by the AHRC.</p>