Back in 2019, I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing a lovely anthology of writings about dogs from Notting Hill Editions. It was a real treat to read, particularly as I am a huge animal lover; so I was really delighted to find out that they were issuing a sister volume to that one in the form of “On Cats”, which was released earlier this month. The book, which is edited by Suzy Robinson, comes with an introduction by Margaret Atwood and contains photographic illustrations of lovely moggies by Elliot Ross; and as it’s one of NHE’s lovely clothbound hardback editions, it’s a thing of great beauty in its own right.
Atwood’s introduction, exploring her own relationship with the cats of her life, is lovely enough to start with; and the range of authors featured is wide and impressive. There’s Tove Jansson turning up again (she was in the Ghosts anthology I wrote about recently); this time with as piece from “The Summer Book”, rather than anything Moomin. Ernest Hemingway appears with a letter to his ex-wife, updating her on the amount of cats he owns; Ring Lardner worries about the tendency of cats to produce so many kittens; Edward Gorey explores the topic of writers and their cats; and Bohumil Hrabal goes down the same route as Lardner. It’s worth pointing out that the life of a cat is not always easy, and the many kittens they produce are not always destined to make it through to a happy adulthood. The book doesn’t shy away from these darker aspects, so be aware of this if you’re sensitive about cat fates…
The roll-call of amazing authors continues, however! The extract from Rebecca West‘s “Why My Mother was Frightened of Cats” was a particular stand-out for me, relating her long experience alongside her cat Pounce; a piece from Muriel Spark‘s “Robinson” (which I wrote about here) reminded me just what a wonderful author she was; Ursula Le Guin takes a different angle on things, exploring life from the point of view of the cat Pard, relating his ‘life so far’, which is very entertaining; and Caitlin Moran tackles the passing of a family pet, how devastating that can be, and just how attached we get to the animals who share our lives.
If you have, or have had, small children in your life, you may well have spent time reading the Mog books to your offspring; mine were particularly fond of them, although less than happy with the final book in which Mog crosses the rainbow bridge to that great cattery in the sky… A piece by Naomi Fry examining the Mog books is particularly interesting, and I did love this little aside:
As any feline lover knows, all happy cats are alike, but each unhappy cat is unhappy in its own way…
Other authors include Keats, Guy de Maupassant and even Nikola Tesla – this really is a book full of riches. As I may have mentioned before, Mr. Kaggsy and I briefly had a cat pass through our lives in our early days together; we called him Pushkin and regarded him as a real free spirit. Although dogs are pretty much domesticated, I always feel that cats have an independence, only really tolerating being with us much of the time. This beautiful anthology is a wonderful exploration of the feline race, their relationship to humans and how they affect our lives; and it’s a lovely, occasionally sad, read from start to finish. Highly recommended for the cat lover in your life! 😀
*****
November is Margaret Atwood Reading Month, hosted by Buried in Print, and despite my best intentions, I don’t think I will get to one of her novels. But as this book has a lovely introduction by her, I think I will count this! 😀
Nov 16, 2021 @ 08:30:33
I don’t think it will surprise you to hear that I’m sure I’d love this. Such a wide range of authors too. Very tempted. 😸 I had no idea you had a cat. I don’t read a lot of books with animal protagonists as even as a grown-up reading books like the final Mog book you mention get to me.
Nov 16, 2021 @ 10:33:23
I thought you might somehow… It’s sometimes not a happy situation for the cats, but certainly an interesting range of authors and extracts. As for Pushkin, we had him a looooong time ago – he was a lovely cat, a real free spirit…
Nov 16, 2021 @ 09:49:23
This sounds just like something I’d enjoy very much–am linking this review on my cats and books page; how interesting that your cat was called Pushkin–a friend’s cat is called Pushkin!
Nov 16, 2021 @ 10:20:51
It’s a lovely read, if a bit emotional at times! Pushkin was a lovely cat, a real free spirit – and I suspect his name is one cat lovers often use to christen their moggies!!
Nov 16, 2021 @ 10:28:31
Sounds a lovely kitty. Will try and pick up this book as soon as I can.
Nov 16, 2021 @ 10:33:54
😊🐱🐱🐱
Nov 16, 2021 @ 10:45:25
Thank you for making the unhappy fates clear, it’s such a shame but I suppose not all people are as sensitive about that aspect as me!
Nov 16, 2021 @ 11:51:32
Well, I was thinking about you when I put those comments in – I know people *do* get upset about animal suffering in books, and I’m not fond of it myself. The happy bits are really lovely though!
Nov 16, 2021 @ 11:05:26
I have a hard time reading books about animals when bad things happen but would enjoy the other chapters. When we lived in Florida in the 70s and 80s we visited Hemingway’s home in Key West and there are still descenda ts of the cats he had with six toes. He was known for keeping the six toed cats.
Nov 16, 2021 @ 11:50:27
I’m the same, and so there were bits in this one which did tug on the heartstrings. But much of it was joyous, and the Hemingway was intriguing – how fascinating about his preference for six toed cats!
Nov 16, 2021 @ 11:49:19
Brilliant! Thanks.
Nov 16, 2021 @ 11:49:37
Most welcome! 😊
Nov 16, 2021 @ 12:07:10
How lovely! There is just something about that relationship between people and their cats or dogs – something that’s very nurturing and healing. It’s nice to see it explored. And there are so many well-known writers who have/had cats, too. It makes them seem more accessible and more human, if that makes sense.
Nov 16, 2021 @ 12:12:00
You’re right, that realtionship is so special, and has been really essential in some cases during these pandemic times.
Nov 16, 2021 @ 15:38:21
What a wonderful collection – such a range of authors! Although I can only assume Margaret Atwood has never met cats like the ones I’ve been lucky enough to share my life with – a very dopey collection of felines, definitely not intellectuals 😀
Nov 16, 2021 @ 18:52:18
LOL, I know what you mean – I’ve met many daft cats over the years!!
Nov 16, 2021 @ 18:22:43
Love the sound of this, Karen, particularly given the excellent selection of authors featured in the collection. It looks like a beautiful little book, ideal for gifting. One for my Christmas list, I think!
Nov 16, 2021 @ 18:51:56
It’s a fab read, and such an interesting set of extracts and authors. Yes – ideal for gifting!
Nov 16, 2021 @ 21:07:29
What a lovely little book, and a good way of squeezing in some MARM reading too. I always worry about domestic animals in fiction, so not surprised not all the cats live happily ever after. I love the sound of the Rebecca West piece.
Nov 17, 2021 @ 11:18:07
Yes, it’s lovely – and I was glad Atwood was featured too! The West is a great piece and reminds me I really must read more of her work!
Nov 17, 2021 @ 00:49:06
Another lovely Notting Hill book and it sounds like they put together a wonderful selection too. I’ve been lucky to have had two feline free spirits during my life, one with some Russian Blue in her so she had that very soft cloudy blue-grey coloring, but she did like to chew on the corners of books!
Nov 17, 2021 @ 11:17:30
It’s excellent, and really captures the essence of cats! Lovely creatures, though often very chewy (as are dogs, I suppose…)
Nov 17, 2021 @ 09:37:36
This sounds wonderful, Karen! An impressive line-up of authors on a fascinating topic. I started liking cats only after marriage thanks to my husband and mom-in-law who are cat lovers. I will be buying this book.
Nov 17, 2021 @ 11:16:44
It’s a lovely read (if a little sad in places). I love cars – I love all animals really – but I do wish they weren’t quite so cruel…
Nov 17, 2021 @ 17:35:20
Sounds an unusual kind of book. Glad you enjoyed it so much.
Nov 18, 2021 @ 11:41:19
It’s a lovely anthology, and a real joy to dip into!
Nov 20, 2021 @ 02:15:31
Sounds fantastic. I have several cat lovers among my friends, great gift idea, thanks!
Nov 20, 2021 @ 12:09:07
I think any cat lover would enjoy it! 😀
Nov 21, 2021 @ 19:49:59
An absolutely purrfect selection for MARM. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Nov 22, 2021 @ 09:43:55
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Dec 01, 2021 @ 13:03:33
I’m so glad to hear you liked this book – I’m a cat-lover who can’t resist it. I do love that quotation by Naomi Fry even though I’m not sure if I agree with it. All my cats have been so different from each other, happy or unhappy. Which is one of the reasons I love cats so much – you never know what you’re going to get! 🙂
Dec 01, 2021 @ 15:25:11
Lol, I reckon every animal is an individual, but cats particularly so! They all have such personalities!