Talk by author Victoria Manthorpe on the history and working-horse message behind Anna Sewell's 'Black Beauty'.
Victoria Manthorpe is taking the stage at The Forum on Thursday 12 November, for a talk on Anna Sewell's Black Beauty, presented by The Norwich Society. Most of us know it as a children's classic, but Manthorpe's session re-reads it as it was originally intended: a book written for an adult audience to expose the suffering of working horses. It's also read as a veiled autobiography of Sewell and her then more famous sister, Mary Sewell, both of whom were published by Jarrolds.
Beyond the book itself, the talk looks at the century of philanthropy that underpinned its success, when non-conformists and evangelicals worked together to improve the living conditions of both humans and their animal workmates. It's a bit of social history tucked inside a story about a horse, and it puts the book in a wider context than the one most of us remember from childhood.
Manthorpe is an author and feature writer whose book Different Drums: One family, two Wars was nominated for a 2024 East Anglian Book Award. She sits on The Norwich Society's Publications Working Group and is a regular contributor to Aspects of Norwich, so she knows the city's history well. The session is open to all, regardless of whether you're a member of the Society or not.
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It starts at 10:30 am at The Forum, NR2 1TF, and tickets are £10 for non-members and £5 for members.
