McCann, Maria 1956-

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McCANN, Maria 1956-

PERSONAL:

Born 1956, in Liverpool, England. Education: University of Durham (England); University of Glamorgan (Wales), M.A. (writing). Hobbies and other interests: Attending plays, reading fiction, country walks.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Annette Green Authors' Agency, 1 East Cliff Rd., Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9AD, England.

CAREER:

Author and educator. Strode College, Somerset, England, lecturer in English, 1988—. Worked a series of jobs, including artist's model and English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher.

WRITINGS:

As Meat Loves Salt, Flamingo Press (London, England), 2001, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS:

Maria McCann gained widespread acclaim in Great Britain with her first novel, titled As Meat Loves Salt. Born in Liverpool, England, McCann was a voracious reader as a child. After her undergraduate studies, she held a series of jobs before getting her master's degree in English and becoming a lecturer at Strode College in England. McCann had written haphazardly for years but without any serious ambition. The premature death of a close friend led her to sign up for a five-day course in writing, which gave her the confidence to tackle a novel.

As Meat Loves Salt is set in seventeenth-century England and tells the story of narrator Jacob Cullen, an antihero who is selfish and has a violent temper. Cullen is also a homosexual who has rashly murdered a young boy. When he flees with his wife and brother, who ultimately desert him, he ends up becoming a mercenary in Cromwell's army, and he forms a friendship with another soldier, Christopher Ferris. The two eventually become lovers and set out to form a type of farming commune.

"It's hard to believe that this accomplished and potent historical tale is a first novel—a sentiment repeatedly echoed by the rapturous review that greeted its initial publication in England," wrote a contributor to Kirkus Reviews. Several reviewers found the first half of the novel to move rather slowly as McCann builds up the historical narrative and atmosphere. Writing in Times Literary Supplement, Alexandra Walsham thought that "McCann seeks to weave too many historical threads into her narrative and, at times, the results can seem slightly contrived." Nevertheless, Walsham also noted, "This is a novel which creeps up on the reader from behind, gathering an emotional momentum and intensity which is eventually compelling."

Another reviewer questioned whether McCann should have used such a flawed character as Cullen to serve as the novel's narrator. In Washington Post, Bruce Cook asked if was necessary to "like the narrator of a novel" and concluded that it wasn't. "The sole obligation of the author to the reader is to make a book's characters interesting, and the leading character should be most interesting of all," wrote Cook. "Jacob Cullen is likely to be of interest only to those who eagerly lap up tales of serial killers and child murderers in the tabloids."

Many other reviewers, however, were enthralled, both with the self-destructive character of Cullen and with McCann's talent. According to Karen T. Bilton in Library Journal, "McCann's brilliant debut is an eloquent narrative that is historically rich and enthralling." David Bahr, writing in Advocate, called the book "astonishing in its psychological insights." A contributor to Publishers Weekly said the book is a "brilliant, ambitious epic." The reviewer went on to note, "The scope of the narrative, the unusual conceit, and the resonant writing combine to make this a powerful, unusual debut."

McCann told CA that she is currently working on a book set in the 1920s and 1930s but has to balance her writing with other commitments. She does not see herself primarily as a historical writer and hopes to explore other kinds of fiction. It is likely, however, that her work will continue to rehearse the themes of power and self-knowledge (or lack of it). As she told CA: "I'm fascinated by what people are willing to put up with and to inflict on others—pretending all the time that it isn't happening. My aim isn't to celebrate these power games, though I do try to convey the intoxication they induce. What I hope to do is dissect and demystify them."