Jigsaw Puzzles
A novelist who encapsulates what it is like to live in England, it’s one of the pastimes of the quirky English character that she turns to
for her nomination.
“Jigsaw puzzles have always struck me as a
peculiarly English invention and indeed they do seem to have originated
here, in c.1760, with John Spilsbury’s educational geography puzzles.
As a nation we love these puzzles, particularly when they show
attractive rural scenery of thatched cottages or Scotland in the snow
or ships at sea. We also love jigsaws of iconic works of art like
Constable’s Hay Wain. Icons within icons, icons of icons, as it were.
Jigsaws are harmless and educational. Famous English jigsaw puzzle
fanatics have included Doris Lessing, Georgette Heyer, Queen Elizabeth
the Second, and my Auntie Phyl.”
Read more about and vote on jigsaws.
Image of Margaret Drabble © Sam Green
Margaret Drabble CBE
Novelist, biographer and critic
The author of 15 novels, Margaret Drabble has also written short stories, non-fiction, biographies, screenplays and plays, and since 1985 she has been editor of 'The Oxford Companion to English Literature'. Married to the biographer Michael Holroyd, she has three children and lives in London and Somerset.
