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| Maggie Gee the writer: not to be confused with Maggie Gee the aviator or dog obedience trainer. Photograph by Sarah Lee |
My other life:
Maggie Gee
Maggie Gee was an aviator during the second world war – or so the literary festival seemed to think
Sun 14 Feb 2010
A
ll I want you to know about my real self is in my new memoir, My Animal Life – the ups and downs of love and writing. But how can I control my other lives, flaunting themselves in cyberspace? My first inkling that all was not well was when I was booked by a literary festival in the same year as Tony Benn. "And we've put your photo on our cover next to his," said the amiable PR on the telephone. How excited I was – until the brochure arrived: there was Tony Benn, yes, but he was flanked by a photo of a Chinese woman in helmet and goggles. Thank you, Google Image: a second world war aviator named Maggie Gee had dive-bombed her way on to my space on the cover. Yes, I felt dejected at first but at least I had turned out brave and pioneering, not just the cautious passenger I am used to, willing the pilot not to crash, from my seat near the emergency exit. There is also Maggie Gee the Californian restaurateur, beckoning with a life I would have enjoyed – seafood, sunlight, swimming-pool afternoons; and several Utah Maggie Gees, probably Mormons with tribes of children. Given the joy my one daughter provides, Utah is the home of my unlived wishes. But Maggie Gee the dog obedience trainer… no, there I draw the line.
My Animal Life is published by Telegram
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