Q&A with Carla Kaplan

  

Photo by Robin Hultgren

 

Carla Kaplan is the author of the new biography Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford. Her other books include Miss Anne in Harlem. She is the Davis Distinguished Professor of American Literature at Northeastern University, and she lives in Boston and on Cape Cod.

 

Q: What inspired you to write a biography of writer and activist Jessica Mitford (1917-1996)?

 

A: I was looking for Mitford long before I ever found her. I wanted to tell the story of a funny female activist – to put the lie to the myth that women activists are grim and grey. 

 

And I needed, after my last book – Miss Anne in Harlem – to be able to tell the story of a successful ally, of a white woman who was incredibly effective in civil rights struggles.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: Mitford was often called a “troublemaker,” as progressives so often are.  And I think she took a certain pride in that moniker, in being seen as someone with the power to stir things up and make a change.  I love that about her.

 

Q: In a New York Times review of the book, Alexandra Jacobs called it “a repository of astounding resourcefulness; a detailed curriculum vitae; a crack against the soft rump of the modern screen-addled slacker.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: It’s a wonderfully flattering description of the book and I take Jacobs to be saying that that Mitford’s long career and all her hard work is a kind of crack – or response – to those who may think they can change society but don’t really want to make the effort. 

 

She shows that you really do have to make the effort. And she shows how much good can come of that.

 

Q: How would you describe Jessica Mitford’s relationships with her sisters, and what do you think accounts for the ongoing interest in the Mitford family?

 

A: I think it was very hard for her to leave her sisters behind – and that is one reason she kept the nickname “Decca” which they had given her perhaps. She learned so much from them about language, and storytelling, and the importance of play, and of following your nose and being curious. They were all denied education and they educated each other. 

 

She couldn’t bear their politics, but I think she genuinely loved them. In my view, their inability to really see how fulfilling her choices were was a source of great heartbreak for Decca.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Among a number of new projects, I am putting together a collection of Jessica Mitford’s essays, and especially the essays which have never been republished before. I think they are wonderful reading and important models for the current moment especially.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Thanks for inviting me to participate and thanks for helping shine a light on Jessica Mitford.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Carla Kaplan.