Patience Strong

Do you come from a literary family?

No. No, my sister used to write verses, she used to publish them in magazines. My brother wrote stories, but I think that sort of thing is catching and finally really.

When you left school, did you do a regular job? Did you start a career?

Well, you see, I wanted to get experience for this novel that I hoped I was going to write. So I went to a commercial school and I learnt typing. And I typed out a novel for Paul Trent, the novelist. And of course that was very good experience. And at the same time I was under contract with a music publisher for songs. And I used to write scripts in verse for a firm of talkie publicity. Also, of course, magazines.

How did [the Quiet Corner feature] start?

Well I went along to Mr. Nicholson's office, he was the editor then, and the Daily Mirror… I said, Well, what about this for a daily feature? He liked the idea very much. And he said, Well, can you do me another eighteen verses, so we've got a few in hand. I said yes, so I went home and I did the verses, and I took them the next day, and that launched it, you see, and it ran for ten years without a break.