In my latest interview, I’m in conversation with the author Harriet Baker, about Harriet’s new book, Rural Hours. 

Press the play button below to listen to our conversation:

Rural Hours is a group biography that examines the creative opportunity of country living through the lives of Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner and Rosamond Lehmann.

Harriet describes her biography as ‘a book rooted in place – not just the landscapes through which these women moved, but the domestic spaces they carved out for themselves.’ She looks at often overlooked periods of these women’s lives, when they were each struggling with anxieties about their work.

In 1917, Virginia Woolf arrived at Asheham on the Sussex Downs after a health breakdown; in the early 1930s, Sylvia Townsend Warner bought a cottage in Dorset and embraced a sexual and political awakening; and finally, during World War Two, Rosamond Lehmann sought refuge in a Berkshire village.

Rural Hours explores the key role country living played in each woman finding greater freedom in her creative expression. Given my own move from London to the Yorkshire countryside, I find this topic hugely compelling. Harriet’s book is beautifully written and meticulously researched, and it was a joy to chat with her about the inspiration behind her book and about the lives of these three great women writers.

I hope you enjoy settling down with a cup of tea (or perhaps heading out for a leisurely country walk!) and listening to our conversation.