A new press publishes a timeless story.
By: Jillian Kalonick
Reflecting on her career, Virginia Stuart of Princeton notes that there have been a lot of firsts: first female editor at Princeton University Press, first public relations director of Princeton Hospital, and now, at age 89, author of the first book published by the local Red Hummingbird Press.
When Hanna Fox, Red Hummingbird’s publisher and editor-in-chief, asked to publish the work, "I was bowled over," says Ms. Stuart. "It was absolutely thrilling, I had published short stories but this was my first novel."
The book, "Candle in a Dark Time," tells the story of three sisters living in a coastal town in Denmark in 1943 who risk their lives to help a Jewish family hide from the Nazis.
Ms. Stuart worked on the novel and shared it with her writing workshop, which included Ms. Fox. Both women have also taught writing at Princeton Adult School, YWCA Princeton and Mercer County Community College.
When Ms. Fox began Red Hummingbird after retiring from her job with the State of New Jersey, she remembered "Candle in a Dark Time," and found that it still resonated with her.
Ms. Stuart began writing the book more than 12 years ago when, reading about the Eichmann trial, she came across a phrase that referred to those who rescued Jews as "shining lights of the Holocaust."
"A leading example was Denmark they rescued more than 7,000 Jews," says Ms. Stuart. "Much of the material I read had accounts that were largely statistical. I knew there were individual stories, but they’d never been done about how an ordinary group of women, for example, decided they needed to save their friends."
Growing up, Ms. Stuart spoke Danish before English, learning from parents who were born in Denmark. After writing short stories which drew on her heritage, writing about Danes during World War II came naturally to her. Her research included utilizing the Jewish Publication Society of Philadelphia and interviewing attendees of a 50th anniversary international symposium on the rescue of Danish Jews.
"I finished the story in 1994, but at that point I had lost a grandson and my son died suddenly," says Ms. Stuart. "I was so discouraged, but my friends were urging me to do something about it. Out of the blue Hanna asked to see the manuscript."
As a writer, Ms. Fox had a desire to start a press that focused on authors who had not made it into the marketplace, and make them a part of the publishing process.
"It seemed like a good idea to have the author participate as much as possible," says Ms. Fox. "I knew I would want to. Part of writing is to communicate your own vision, and if an author can be part of the process, he or she has more control."
As with Ms. Stuart, Red Hummingbird’s authors will participate in pre-publication decisions regarding editing, design and marketing, and join an authors’ council, to make recommendations about the press’s policies.
"We’re very happy with results so far," says Ms. Fox, who runs the press with her son, David Fox, head of communications and information systems, and writer Robin Cunningham, head of administration and finance.
"We’ve been well received, well publicized, and we’re selling a lot of books. It’s a lot easier to start a small press today. With new technology in printing you don’t have to have a large run, and you save money."
Ms. Stuart, whose short stories have been published in Blackwood’s and Harper’s, had her first experience in the publishing world in the 1930s, as a protégé of Princeton University Press director Joseph Brandt.
"The press had ground to a halt in my estimation, when I first came," she says. "It was an unattractive press with dreary-looking and dreary-sounding books." Mr. Brandt’s changes included bringing Ms. Stuart on board.
"Of course, Princeton was very much male then," she says. "Women were not considered quite the same. (But) Mr. Brandt was used to the idea that women were perfectly capable." As an assistant editor, her projects included working on the first translation of Kierkegaard’s "Either/Or."
After marrying the editor of the Princeton Alumni Weekly, Ms. Stuart went on to have three children and became the first public relations director at Princeton Hospital, continuing to do freelance writing.
With programs at the Jewish Center of Princeton and Community Without Walls, Ms. Fox and Ms. Stuart have presented the book as an example of drawing on fact to create fiction. They will present a similar program to students at Stuart Country Day School on Wednesday, followed by a book signing open to the public.
"We make such a great duo, we have a very good time with it," says Ms. Stuart. "Princeton’s been a wonderful place to try out new ideas."
"Candle in a Dark Time" is available at Micawber Books in Princeton, Princeton University Store, the Red Hummingbird Press Web site (www.redhummingbirdpress.com) and by special order. Ms. Stuart will be signing her book at Stuart Country Day School, 1200 Stuart Road, Princeton, on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The school will hold its annual book fair Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, call (609) 921-2330.