The Woman in Beige: VG Lee

On a train journey home from visiting an aunt in Bexhill, VG Lee found herself sitting across the aisle from an attractive woman wearing beige (at that time not a favourite colour). On the seat next to the woman was a plastic cat basket with something furry yet unmoving inside. The woman got out at the next station but she left behind a lasting impression - of beige and of the author witnessing something curious. The incident became the inspiration for this novel.

Making the ordinary extraordinary is one of VG Lee’s trademarks which she has without a doubt achieved here, and then some. You’ll laugh and cry - sometimes during the same sentence!

The Woman in Beige has long since needed a reprint and to have a special edition twenty years after its first publication is a joy.

VG Lee will be in conversation with Book Festival Director, Wayne Berkeley Herbert. She'll be sharing insights as to why now, what inspired the novel and why it’s still relevant today. There will also be readings and a chance to purchase the special edition.

Places are free but limited, so please book early to avoid missing out on this special event

More about V G Lee:

VG Lee is the critically acclaimed author of five novels and two collections of short stories. Of her novel, Always you, Edina, Sarah Waters wrote, ‘Lee writes with unfailing warmth and wisdom about the comedy and complexity of childhood and family life.’

In 2022, Lee was long-listed for the BBC National Short Story Award and this year her work appeared in Muswell Press’s prestigious LGBT anthology Queer Life, Queer Love. Her non-fiction articles have cropped up in a diverse range of publications including The Guardian, Diva and The Lady Magazine.

She is also a workshop leader in creative writing and performance skills and a judge for both the Polari Book Prize and The Hastings Book Festival Short Story Prize.

More information can be found at https://www.vg-lee.com/