Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles, published by is Rupert Kingfisher’s first book. His favourite authors as a child were Roald Dahl, Susan Cooper and Ursula le Guin. He also loved American horror comics and French cartoon books such as Asterix and Tintin. It was on a family holiday to Paris that he visited a bookshop dedicated to books such as Tintin — and also ate anchovies for the first time, on a pizza from a street vendor. He says that both experiences were equally life-changing.

He talks to Louise Ellis-Barrett about France, food and writing.

Madame Pamplemousse is your first book, What do you do when you are not writing books for children?

I work in a very nice place close to Regents Park. My job, for the NHS, is difficult to explain and quite boring but it is no doubt quite worthy.

How did you move from this ‘very worthy’ job into children’s books?

I previously wrote plays that have been performed at the Fringe, at festivals and on Radio 4. Whilst doing that I was working at Daunt Books in the children’s section. It has a very good children’s section and I used to tidy it in the mornings

 … the entire shop?

No, just the children’s section. Children’s books have such good, colourful covers and I was interested in how  how colour could be used as a selling tool. Essentially while working with the picturebooks, I had a very powerful memory of being about eight that came as a reward every time I tidied the section. This somehow led to the desire to write for children.

So the picturebooks inspired you…

Yes, because they took me back to a pre-analytical age. They evoked a particular mood of childhood.

…and that stayed with you?

Yes. After that I was searching for things to write about. The idea for Madame Pamplemousse actually emerged from memories of holidays in France when I was about eight or a little bit older.

Were those holidays in Paris?

No, they were in France but we used to stop in Paris and stay in a hotel on the way to the Dordogne. The Paris experience I describe in the blurb was to do with picturebooks, which are huge in France and Belgium. I went to a shop entirely devoted to them and thought it was amazing. The other thing that struck me was a pizza that I ate which had anchovy on it. The two things have remained in my unconscious memory: the flavour of the anchovy remains on the taste buds and the sensory experience of the cartoon books. They are both associated with Paris in my memory.

When you wrote Madame Pamplemousse what came first, the story, title or characters?

 It was the shop. I saw the shop really clearly and everything came out of that.

It’s interesting that you say you saw the shop clearly because the reader is given the impression that the shop is shadowy and mysterious.

Yes I agree. I think that shadowy interiors are something to do with the unconscious mind. I always dream in shadows. Was it easy to describe? It is very much like an apothecary and conceivably inspired by that. I vividly recall the museum of Natural History in Paris. In the main section the dinosaur sketches are surrounded by specimen jars. That might be a memory that I have used as I recall childhood visits there.

The shop and Madame Pamplemousse are both shadowy and there are lots of hidden items. This was partly to stimulate the reader’s imagination. I think it’s very much in the nature of places where things are created; they are certainly not brightly lit places.

Where did the ingredient ideas for the incredible edibles come from?

I am not entirely sure. Delicatessens. You do get some weird and wonderful things in delicatessens and they are quite shadowy places, where you have to root around. They appealed to me as a child. I hope that children will understand  that the ingredients are an imaginary creation. Some of the ideas I had were left out because they were too ‘foodie’. I wanted it to be simple and appeal to children.

Are you a creator?

No I create nothing at all. Apart from writing I am not at all tactile.

How did the idea of the shop grow into the story?

I did have an idea about a woman who ran a delicatessen that would have outlandish foods but I think that idea and the image of the shop came simultaneously. The characters grew around this, for example Camembert just wandered in off the street as if he had invited himself in. He is a great character because he has an air of mystery. The reader knows he has been in many scrapes but very little else about him. All the major characters are part of a shadowy collective rather like an artistic group that you would have found in the 19th century.

Were Madeleine and the restaurant setting a separate idea?

Not really. It was more a question of identifying the protagonist. The question was, ‘Who is going to experience the shop?’ It couldn’t be told from Madame Pamplemousse’s point of view. Madeleine came out of the necessity of finding someone to experience it.

Is the story based on personal experience?

It is vaguely autobiographical in that when I was Madeleine’s age I used to draw. It is with sincere regret that I gave it up and haven’t taken it up since. I haven’t had an epiphany.  Had Madeleine not met Madame Pamplemousse, the same would have happened to her.

Is Madame Pamplemousse a mentor?

I don’t think that she would like to be seen that way, I think that she and Madeleine just have a connection.

How did you feel writing about an abandoned child?

I have a natural affinity with such people as do Madame Pamplemousse and Camembert, they are all strays.

Are you worried that children will be very concerned for Madeleine?

 I think that if they are, it is a good thing. Being concerned for your hero or heroine is rather important and nice things happen to her in the end.

Did you write the book with the intention of it being illustrated?

Yes I did. I was very pleased with the finished result because illustrated books can be disappointing. Despite being a frustrated artist, I didn’t want to do them myself.

What can you tell us about the writing process?

 I started writing about three years ago. It took six months to write; the story flowed easily. I didn’t plot the whole story. It was written from the ground up, developing as it went along. I had originally thought of it as a picturebook but that would have been quite restrictive for the story I wanted to tell.

It’s great writing for children because you find that if you need to look words up in the dictionary then perhaps they shouldn’t be there. I love Chekhov’s dictum that rather than having a hundered adjectives to describe the type of grass you are going to sit on just say ‘he sat down on the grass’ because it should arrive in the reader’s consciousness in seconds. Writing for children is certainly a good discipline.

 Finding time to write is always a problem but it is possible to work around other things. I always write on paper and carry a notebook in case an idea crops up. I wrote the first draft in longhand and then typed the manuscript. If you type the draft, I think you can be too critical and lose some of the best material. Writing longhand is far more tactile; tt reminds me of drawing.

 How did you find the switch from playwriting to narrative writing?

 It was very easy to switch from plays to books. In a play everything has to be shown, being allowed to describe things is wonderful, so I will happily remain with books for now.

My plays were serious but for a different audience. I once wrote a comedy about children’s books for Edinburgh, which was successful. I have been in the world of children’s books for some time and have realised that the most important influence is what you read as a child. I love writing for children, that’s it for me.

Do the characters have more stories to tell?

They certainly do. There is a second story coming out that I am just finishing, called Madame Pamplemousse and the Time Travelling Cafe. All the characters will appear again and new ones will be introduced.

While writing did you have contact with children for critical feedback?

No I didn’t. I am trying to communicate to an imaginary audience.

 Are you a French speaker?

No. I just used a French dictionary for the words in this story. The names of the characters were always in my head and the definitions of the names define their characters. For example, Madeleines come in the orange variety but also scented with rose water, they are very light and delicate summing up her character.

Is the story intended to be a critique?

It is timely, though this was not intentional. It is influenced by the huge food thing that is going on. It also taps into the timeless preoccupation with food which is part of French culture.

 What is your favourite incredible edible?

 I don’t think I have any one but sea serpent pate would be very interesting. I continue to be fascinated by Loch Ness and Loch Omar may appear in future stories. The food I would most hate to eat is snails, which I have never eaten. My favourite French meal is San Marceline cheese melted with salad. It is the most amazing combination. However for me the most incredible thing that I have ever eaten was a pizza with an anchovy on it at the age of 8! I remember the taste and where I was. Food is a love but I am not a gourmand, sadly. However, I can pour my imagination into the story and the characters. I think The Philosopher in the Kitchen, written by an 18th century French philosopher was a great influence.

Are you now on the lookout for more special food shops in Paris?

 Yes, I found one recently on the Île de la Cité, in Paris. It is run by a poetess and has a little kitchen at the back and she sells the most wonderful hot chocolate!

 What do you like to read?

I am a big fan of Ursula Le Guin, specifically her Wizard of Earthsea books. There is aclarity about her style that I would like to emulate. Susan Cooper The Dark is Rising is also an inspiration, though her writing is more dense. I am also a great fan of Neil Gaiman, particularly Coraline. It is light and humorous and yet has a murkiness … and features an abandoned child.

Will you be touring?

 I have school visits planned and I am looking forward to meeting my audience. I have planned my talk and will explain to them what inspired me.

Thank you Rupert Kingfisher for talking to Write Away