When did you decide to write Who Was Sophie?

It was not a clear-cut decision but rather something that crept up on me over a couple of years. In about 2003, I started doing some private research, thinking I'd find out as much as I could about my grandmother's life, but I never imagined it would end up as a published book. It gradually gathered a momentum of its own and, once other people became interested in the story, the narrative of her life took over.

What were you most surprised to discover about your grandmother's life?

I think what I've found most surprising is that, even though she was born in 1913 - which seems a long time ago now- and was bringing her family up in the 1940s and 50s, her dilemmas and problems seem so modern and relevant to today. She struggled to get a balance between creative work and motherhood, she got excited by new clothes, she analysed what was going wrong in her marriage; her written voice in her letters is astonishingly direct and fresh.

Has researching your grandmother's life changed the way you feel about her?

Yes, it has. It has given me a far deeper understanding of her difficulties and experiences. At times during the writing of the book she completely filled my head and I found that very upsetting - because it meant I had to face what she'd been through and think about it a lot. I feel I love her more deeply as a result. I also miss her terribly sometimes.

Which is your favourite of your grandmother's poems?

My favourite of them all is "Amber Innocent", which is her strange 60-page narrative poem (reprinted in full at the back of Who Was Sophie?). f her shorter poems, I think "Getting Away Only to Come Back", written in 1928 - hen she was 15 - says a lot about my grandmother's spirit and vulnerability;
 
Sometimes she gives a jump in the hall
And speeds away to a phosphorescent land.
She feels like a dancing transparent ball,
And she spins round in a bright light, like a strand
Of golden cord in the wind, or a top.
But something stops her, and pulls her down to earth
Like someone waked, falls with a sudden drop,
From a sleep with dreams of fear or hectic mirth,
And she sighs... for she knows she lives on earth.
 
Which is your favourite Virago Modern Classic title?

When I was writing Who Was Sophie? two different people gave me The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard. It is dauntingly well written - so was a little terrifying to contemplate. I love its clarity. It's one of those books that leaves beautiful, bleak pictures in the brain for a long time after you finish reading.

Watch Celia talk about the book on MeetTheAuthor.co.uk