And So Did I

by Malachi Whitaker, Valerie Waterhouse (Foreword), Catherine Taylor (Introduction)

In 1939, Malachi Whitaker was living with her family in the Yorkshire manse she had coveted since childhood. After years of poverty, her life of comfort — and success as a writer — had been hard-won. With war looming in Europe and worried about her ability to continue writing, she feared that this pleasant existence could vanish overnight. Aiming to capture the moment, she began keeping the journal that would become And So Did I.

Spanning the years 1937-1938, And So Did I is both a record of daily existence and an impressionistic account of Whitaker’s life told through memories, speculations, and daydreams. Decades ahead of its time, it is a precursor to the genre-bending work of writers like Annie Ernaux and Deborah Levy.

‘What is the use of life?’ when danger lurks all around, Whitaker asks. Her determination to find joy in plants, insects, children, music, food and books will resonate with readers asking similar questions today.

Genres: Nonfiction

177 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 28, 1987

About the author

Malachi Whitaker was the pseudonym of Marjorie Olive Whitaker née Taylor, (1895–1976). She was a Yorkshire-born writer, noted for her short stories (she was known at one stage as ‘the Bradford Chekhov’) and an autobiography. She wrote nearly 100 stories published in four collections by Jonathan Cape in the 1920s and 1930s. Her talent was recognized by contemporaries: Vita Sackville-West compared her to Katherine Mansfield. Following the publication of her memoir ‘And so did I’ in 1939, she retired from writing. This memoir, and a story collection,’The Fountain & Other Stories’, were made available again in the late 1980s –and they are well worth seeking. Marjorie Olive Taylor was born in Bradford in 1895. The eighth of a local council bookbinder’s family of 11, she lived in Bolton Villas. After her education at Belle Vue Girls’ Grammar School, she worked for her father until 1917 when she married textile businessman Leonard Whitaker. They later adopted a daughter, Valerie, and a son, Michael. For a short while they lived in America. She also adopted the writing name of Malachi from the Bible. Her reputation as a writer of short stories spanned the years from 1929 to 1949; and 26 years passed until her next book in 1975 when she was 79. Sadly, she died soon afterwards.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really strange collection of writings - some incredibly modern insights however most of it I was left wondering why I was reading it. Shall persevere with her short stories they may make more sense.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my review of this remarkable memoir by Malachi Whitaker. Read it here: https://open.substack.com/pub/tosh/p/...