Interview about "A Striking Woman"
Interview with Ruth Latta about A Striking Woman (Ottawa, Baico, 2023) Q: Who and what was the inspiration for A Striking Woman? A: The novel was inspired by a period in the life of the trade union leader Madeleine Parent (1918-2012). I won’t say that it is “based on” her life because to say that suggests that it is one hundred per cent faithful to her life events, and it isn’t. A Striking Woman is historical fiction; it isn’t biography and it isn’t scholarly history. That’s why I’ve called my central character, “Jacqueline,” not “Madeleine.” Like all novelists, I have created scenes and characters and have given fictional names to some people, organizations and places, but not to others. Characters derived from real people mingle with imagined ones and composites. I’ve changed family configurations and certain characters’ backgrounds. The emotions, behaviours, beliefs and opinions that I have given my characters are the product of informed guesswork and some of the c...