052 atonement

Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2016

1

Atonement: Interview
INTERVIEWER: Briony Tallis, I’d like to talk now about your new novel, Atonement, which comes out in a
few days to coincide with your birthday. It’s your twenty-first novel, and…
BRIONY:
It’s my last novel.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, really? Are… are you retiring?
BRIONY:

I’m dying. My doctor tells me I have something
called vascular dementia, which is essentially a
continuous series of tiny strokes. Your brain
closes down – gradually. You lose words… you
lose your memory: which, for a writer, is pretty
much the point. So, that’s why I could finally
write the book, I think. I had to. And why, of
course, it’s my last novel. Strangely enough, it
would be just as accurate to call it my first
novel. I wrote several drafts as far back as my
time at St. Thomas’s Hospital during the war. I
just couldn’t ever find the way to do it.

INTERVIEWER: Because the novel is… is autobiographical, is that right?
BRIONY:

Yes, entirely. I haven’t changed any names, including my own.

INTERVIEWER: And… and was that the problem?

BRIONY:

No. I had for a very long time decided to tell the absolute truth. No rhymes, no
embellishments. And I think… You’ve read the book, you’ll understand why. I got firsthand accounts of all the events I didn’t personally witness: the conditions in prison, the
evacuation to Dunkirk, everything. But the effect of all this honesty was rather pitiless,
you see. I couldn’t any longer imagine what purpose would be served by it.

INTERVIEWER: By what? Sorry… Ser… Served by honesty?
BRIONY:

By honesty – or reality. Because, in fact, I was too much of a coward to go and see my
sister in June, 1940. I never made that journey to Balham. So the scene in which I confess
to them is imagined, invented. And, in fact, could never have happened, because… Robbie
Turner died of septicaemia at Bray Dunes on June the first, 1940 – the last day of the
evacuation... and I was never able to put things right with my sister Cecilia... because she
was killed on the 15th of October, 1940, by the bomb that destroyed the gas and water
mains above Balham tube station. So my sister and Robbie were never able to have the
time together they both so longed for and deserved, and which, ever since, I’ve... ever since
I’ve always felt I prevented. But what sense of hope or satisfaction could a reader derive
from an ending like that? So, in the book, I wanted to give Robbie and Cecilia what they
lost out on in life. I’d like to think this isn’t weakness or evasion, but a final act of
kindness. I gave them their happiness.

Atonement (2007) />

Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2016

2

/əˈtəʊnm

əʊnmə
nmənt || ˈɪntə
ntəvjuː
vjuː ||
ˈɪntə
ntəvjuː
vjuːə ||

ˈbra(ɪ)əni ˈtælɪs || aɪd ˈlaɪk tə ˈtɔːk ˈna(ʊ) əˈbaʊtʃɔː ˈnjuː ˈnɒvl |
əˈtəʊnmənt | wɪtʃ ˈkʌmz ˈaʊt ɪn ə ˈfjuː ˈdeɪz | tə ˈkə(ʊ)ɪnˈsaɪd
wɪð jɔː ˈbɜːθdeɪ || ɪts jɔː ˈtwenti ˈfɜːs(t) ˈnɒvl | ən ||

ˈbra(ɪ
bra(ɪ)əni ||

ɪts | maɪ ˈlɑːs(t) ˈnɒvl ||

ˈɪntə
ntəvjuː
vjuːə ||

əʊ ˈrɪəli || ə | ˈɑː ju rɪˈta(ɪ)ərɪŋ ||

ˈbra(ɪ
bra(ɪ)əni ||

aɪm ˈda(ɪ)ɪŋ || maɪ ˈdɒktə ˈtelz mi | aɪ ˈhæv ˈsʌmθɪŋ ˈkɔːld | ˈvæskjʊlə dəˈmenʃə || wɪtʃ ɪz
ɪˈsenʃəli | ə kənˈtɪnjuəs ˈsɪəriːz əv ˈtaɪni ˈstrəʊks || jɔː ˈbreɪn ˈkləʊzɪz daʊn | ˈɡrædʒuəli || ju
ˈluːz ˈwɜːdz || ju ˈluːz jɔː ˈmeməri || wɪtʃ fər ə ˈraɪtəz | ˈprɪti ˈmʌtʃ ðə ˈpɔɪnt || ˈsəʊ | ˈðæts wa(ɪ)
aɪ kəd ˈfaɪnəli ˈraɪt ðə ˈbʊk aɪ ˈθɪŋk | aɪ ˈhæd tuː || ən(d) ˈw(a)ɪ əv ˈkɔːs | ɪts maɪ ˈlɑːs(t) ˈnɒvl

|| ˈstreɪndʒli ɪˈnʌf | ɪt ˈwʊd bi ˈdʒʌst əz ˈækjərət | tə ˈkɔːl ɪt | maɪ ˈfɜːs(t) ˈnɒvl || aɪ ˈrəʊt ˈsevrəl
ˈdrɑːfts | əz ˈfɑː ˈbæk əz maɪ ˈtaɪm | ət snt ˈtɒməsɪz ˈhɒspɪtl | ˈdjʊərɪŋ ðə ˈwɔː || aɪ ˈdʒʌs(t)
ˈkʊdn(t) ˈevə ˈfaɪnd | ðə ˈweɪ tə ˈduː ɪt ||

ˈɪntə
ntəvjuː
vjuːə ||

bɪˈkɒz ðə ˈnɒvl ɪz | ɪz ˈɔːtə(ʊ)ˈba(ɪ)əˈɡræfɪkl | ɪz ðæt ˈraɪt ||

ˈbra(ɪ
bra(ɪ)əni ||

ˈjes | ɪnˈta(ɪ)əli || aɪ ˈhævn(t) ˈtʃeɪn(d)ʒd ˈeni ˈneɪmz || ɪŋˈkluːdɪŋ ma(ɪ) ˈəʊn ||

ˈɪntə
ntəvjuː
vjuːə ||

ən | ən wəz ˈðæt ðə ˈprɒbləm ||

ˈbra(ɪ
bra(ɪ)əni ||

ˈnəʊ || aɪ ˈhæd fər ə ˈveri ˈlɒŋ ˈtaɪm | dɪˈsaɪdɪd | tə ˈtel ði ˈæbsəluːt ˈtruːθ || ˈnəʊ ˈraɪmz | ˈnəʊ
ɪmˈbelɪʃmənts || ən(d) aɪ ˈθɪŋk | juv ˈred ðə ˈbʊk || jul ˈʌndəˈstæn(d) ˈwaɪ || aɪ ˈɡɒt ˈfɜːst ˈhænd
əˈkaʊnts | əv ˈɔːl ði ɪˈvents | aɪ ˈdɪdn(t) ˈpɜːsnəli ˈwɪtnəs || ðə kənˈdɪʃnz ɪn ˈprɪzn | ði
ɪˈvækjuˈeɪʃn tə ˈdʌŋˈkɜːk || ˈevriθɪŋ | bət ði ɪˈfekt əv ˈɔː(l) ðɪs ˈɒnəsti | wəz ˈrɑːðə ˈpɪtɪləs ju ˈsiː
|| ˈaɪ ˈkʊdnt ˈeni ˈlɒŋɡə | ɪˈmædʒɪn ˈwɒt ˈpɜːpəs wʊd bi ˈsɜːvd ba(ɪ) ɪt ||

ˈɪntə
ntəvjuː
vjuːə ||

baɪ ˈwɒt || ˈsɒri || sə sə | ˈsɜːvd ba(ɪ) ˈɒnəsti ||

ˈbra(ɪ
bra(ɪ)əni ||

ba(ɪ) ˈɒnəsti | ɔː riˈæləti || bɪˈkɒz | ˈɪn ˈfækt | aɪ wəz ˈtuː ˈmʌtʃ əv ə ˈka(ʊ)əd | tə ˈɡə(ʊ) ən ˈsiː
maɪ ˈsɪstə | ɪn ˈdʒuːn ˈnaɪnˈtiːn ˈfɔːti || ˈaɪ ˈnevə ˈmeɪd ðæt ˈdʒɜːni tə ˈbæləm || səʊ ðə ˈsiːn ɪn
wɪtʃ aɪ kənˈfes tə ð(ə)m | ɪz ɪˈmædʒɪnd || ɪnˈventɪd || ˈæn(d) ɪn ˈfækt | kəd ˈnevər əv ˈhæpənd
|| bɪˈkɒz | ˈrɒbi ˈtɜːnə | ˈdaɪd | əv ˈseptɪˈsiːmiə | ət ˈbreɪ ˈdjuːnz | ɒn ˈdʒuːn ðə ˈfɜːst | ˈnaɪnˈtiːn
ˈfɔːti || ðə ˈlɑːs(t) ˈdeɪ əv ði ɪˈvækjuˈeɪʃn || ən(d) aɪ wəz ˈnevər ˈeɪbl | tə ˈpʊt ˈθɪŋz ˈraɪt | wɪð
maɪ ˈsɪstə səˈsiːliə | bɪˈkɒz ʃi wəz ˈkɪld | ɒn ðə ˈfɪfˈtiːnθ əv ɒkˈtəʊbə | ˈnaɪnˈtiːn ˈfɔːti || ˈbaɪ ðə
ˈbɒm | ðət dɪˈstrɔɪd ðə ˈɡæs ən ˈwɔːtə ˈmeɪnz | əˈbʌv ˈbæləm ˈtjuːb ˈsteɪʃn || ˈsəʊ | maɪ ˈsɪstər
ən ˈrɒbi | wə ˈnevər ˈeɪbl tə ˈhæv ðə ˈtaɪm təˈɡeðə | ðeɪ ˈbəʊθ ˈsəʊ ˈlɒŋ(d) fɔː | ən dɪˈzɜːvd || ən
wɪtʃ ˈevə ˈsɪns | ˈaɪv | ˈevə ˈsɪns | ˈaɪv ˈɔː(l)weɪz ˈfelt | ˈaɪ | prɪˈventɪd || ˈbʌt | ˈwɒt ˈsens əv
ˈhəʊp | ɔː ˈsætɪsˈfækʃn | kəd ə ˈriːdə dɪˈraɪv | frəm ən ˈendɪŋ laɪk ˈðæt || ˈsə(ʊ) ɪn ðə ˈbʊk | ˈaɪ
ˈwɒntɪd tə ˈɡɪv | ˈrɒbi ən(d) səˈsiːliə | ˈwɒt ðeɪ ˈlɒst ˈaʊt ɒn ɪn ˈlaɪf || aɪd ˈlaɪk tə ˈθɪŋk ˈðɪs
ˈɪzn(t) ˈwiːknəs | ɔː | ɪˈveɪʒn || bət ə ˈfaɪnl ˈækt əv ˈkaɪn(d)nəs || ˈaɪ | ˈɡeɪv | ˈðem | ˈðeə
ˈhæpinəs/