As well as being renowned for it's beauty and as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution Shropshire has a fine literary heritage. I featured the War Poet Wilfred Owen in an earlier article and this month I would like to look at the work of Edith Pargeter.
Edith Pargeter became something of a superstar in her seventies. When her Brother Cadfael novels were adapted for TV starring Derek Jacobi the name of Ellis Peters ( Edith's pen name) became even more famous. Boosted by the TV series her stories about a world wise monk and herbalist working in Shrewsbury Abbey became best sellers. Always popular, with a hard core fan base, and winner of a number of literary prizes the increase in popularity became, briefly, something of a phenomena. Through it all Edith Pargeter remained a Shropshire writer and was a prominent member of Wrekin Writer.
Edith Pargeter was born in 1913 in the Shropshire village of Horsehay and died in the village of Madley in Shropshire in 1995. She was a pharmacist's assistant and during the war she served in the Women's Royal Navy Service.
Although first published in 1938 it was not until 1951 when she started the Felse mysteries that she attained some success. In 1977 the first of the Brother Cadfael series, A Morbid Taste for Bones, was published. In this and the following books we meet and get to know Brother Cadfael. Before becoming a monk he had been a soldier and sailor and had fought in the Crusades. Now in 12th century Shrewsbury he solves crimes.
Pargeter was very interested in Shropshire history and this is clearly shown in the books with much of what happens in the stories tied into actual historical events. She evokes life in medieval times brilliantly and whilst the crimes have a "cozzie" feel to them she does not shy away from the brutality of the period. The books are written in the great English mystery style of Agatha Christie and there are always a number of possible culprits and a liberal scattering of red herrings.
I hope this brief article provides enough interest to encourage you to check the links below and to read some of Edith's books.
Until next month best regards from Shropshire.
John Neill Copyright 2000
Further information
Brief biography and book details http://user.chollian.net/~ankhesen/e-ind...
The Cadfael Quest an interactive exhibition at Shrewsbury Abbey http://www.go2.co.uk/quest/index.html
Site dedicated to Brother Cadfael http://www.digizen.net/members/vwilding/...
Background to the Civil War
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