“EILEEN – The Making of George Orwell” by Canadian Sylvia Topp. Published by Unbound, it is 560 pages.
A Recent Photo of Canadian Author Sylvia Topp, 84. (Photo Provided by Daughter, Samara).
At age 84, Canadian Sylvia Topp has reached the pinnacle of her literary career with her soon to be released book on the first wife of George Orwell, the author of the classic “1984.” Topp always wanted to write a book. She was always working on a book,” said her daughter Samara Kupferberg, a Portland resident and small business owner on Washington Avenue on the east end of Portland.
The premise of the book is that Eileen’s poem “1984” was the basis for his book. The poem was written while she was a college student at Oxford in 1934. The couple met a year later in London and were married shortly thereafter. The poem was not discovered until 2001 and Eileen never received the credit she deserves. Topp corrects that oversight in her book.
The Orwells were married for almost ten years. Unable to have children, they adopted Richard. Unfortunately, Eileen died shortly after his adoption when he was only 1 1/2 years old. George died a few years later – following a second marriage. Richard, then orphaned, lived with relatives. Topp, the author, was able to interview him during her research. Eileen was well educated and George was not – he looked to her for intellectual stimulation Topp writes. Eileen dropped her academic pursuits to support his struggling writing career by typing manuscripts for him. George did not live long enough to enjoy his immense success from his books, including “Animal Farm.”
Part of Topp’s interest in Eileen was the parallel life she lived in New York City. Topp was the breadwinner in the family according to her daughter Samara, who served as an “advance reader” for her mother’s book. Topp was production manager for ten years at the “Village Voice,” and a copy editor at VANITY FAIR magazine as well. During this time, she supported her husband’s artistic talents. (He was a singer in New York City). “She wanted to have her own career in an age when women didn’t have careers,” said Samara recently. It was an age when women were supposed to stay home. Topp refused to conform to society’s pressure for women to “keep the home fires burning” as it were. Period.
“The hardest part was getting the book published,” said Samara at her Washington Avenue business recently. Topp had an agent which alone can be a challenge for a first time book author, although she had written and published short stories and articles in her earlier career. Finally, Unbound, an English publisher came through about two years ago. But, first Topp had to secure some of the funding for its publication before it was a deal. “She was nervous about the process with Unbound because she had to raise some of the funds to publish it first,” said Samara. She will receive a percentage of the book sales.
A Canadian, Topp, attended the University of Mississippi. She attended for only two years because she was upset at segregation there. She left Old Miss and moved to New York City. There she freelanced as a proof reader for book publishers and hence began her career in the literary world according to Samara.
“Mom was very excited when she got to the amount required by Unbound,” said Samara. Samara said that when she served as a reader for her mom’s book she encouraged her to give more of her personal opinion and to develop the characters more fully. Her mother did not resent her supportive role of her father’s career as a singer in New York City, but later realized she missed the acknowledgment for her work. Topp is writing a memoir of her life in New York City for which Samara is also the advance reader.
On March 12, 2020 Samara will be joining her mother for the English book release of “EILEEN” at Blackwell’s Bookstore in Oxford – back where it all began. The book will be available in the US in early May. Two thumbs up for these remarkable women.