Graham Loveluck-Edwards discusses the people, stories and history behind his new book ‘Monica‘
Saturday 7th October 2023 at 6pm | Cowbridge Town Hall.
This talk charts the movements of a family who fled Poland to escape war but instead ended up in German Occupied France. Some of the men escaped and joined the Polish Free Army to fight alongside the British and ended up settling in South Wales. Meanwhile the women tried to maintain a semblance of normality for the children before they were to meet up again.
The evening is hosted by TV personality; Chris Jones and is an audience with the author Graham Loveluck-Edwards.
Graham is best known for the best selling ‘Legends and Folklore of Bridgend and the Vale’ series of books, for his regular columns in the Glamorgan Star and Buddy Magazine and for his history show; History on your doorstep on Bro Radio FM.
The people, stories and histories we will discuss come from his fourth book entitled Monica which tells the family’s story from the perspective of its youngest member. Her character is based on a real person who, as you will discover, had a big connection with Cowbridge.
The new book is a social history. It looks at the impact of war, the pace of change in the 20th Century, it asks questions of identity, of class, of the role of family, religion and politics and how they have changed down the last two generations so dramatically. It covers the Polish contribution to World War II and what post war South Wales was like.
In this interview with Q&A with the audience you will get to see a unique perspective of this new book and the remarkable family and events at the heart of it.
Tickets are priced at £5 per person which includes entry, a buffet and drinks on arrival.
Event details and timings
6:00pm Event starts – complementary food and drinks on arrival
6:30pm Chris Joins interviews the author Graham Loveluck-Edwards about his new book
7:30pm Q&A with the audience
8:00pm Book signing
9:00pm Event closes
Guests are advised that the event will be filmed and recorded for broadcast. Your permission to appear in either sound or visual recordings is assumed unless we are given prior notification to the contrary.
What is the new book ‘Monica‘ all about?
The first thing you need to know about Monica is that this is largely a true story. People’s names have all been changed and some of the place names have been moved a few miles only because not all the revelations in this book are wholesome. There is no desire on the part of the author to embarrass the relatives of people these stories are based on. The central character is the narrator of the whole piece. Monica.
She was a well-known figure in the 1960s and 70s fashion scene. In London and Wales. She is known for being a strong and driven woman but she has a crisis of confidence when she discovers she is pregnant. It forces her to re-evaluate her often traumatic early life.
She was the youngest member of a big family of Polish immigrants, living in German occupied France during the second world war. Her impending motherhood is forcing her to face up to many demons she had buried away and re-evaluate the values she had been brought up to respect .
Her story begins by charting the unique set of circumstances that led to the family ending up in France in the first place. It introduces the reader to each of her family of larger-than-life characters and the part they played within the family and her upbringing. It also covers what it was like day to day living under occupation for a family of ordinary working-class people. All of whom were quite resourceful and able to operate on the edge of the law to make ends meet.
Her father and uncle managed to get out of France and both fought in the Polish Free Army. A perspective of World War II which is rarely told so the book also deals with what they had to face and the impact it had on the war and more significantly on them as individuals.
We also get to relive what it was like for a 10 year old girl to come to Britain for the first time after the war and somehow make a new life for herself in the mining communities around Pontypridd and Caerphilly in South Wales. How she used her academic capabilities to escape everything that entrapped her. The whole story is based on Monica’s memoirs and is told from her perspective, as a young child and latterly as a grown woman. It is all told in the first person so her lived experiences feel more personal to the reader. The book is available to buy here.
Location and facilities at the venue
This event is taking place in the Main Hall at Cowbridge Town Hall which is located on the High Street in Cowbridge town centre. There is a large car park located behind it and the location post code for Sat Nav use is: CF71 7DD
The main entry into the venue is via the large double doors at the centre of the front of the building which faces onto Cowbridge High street. There is a flight of stairs at this entrance, but for those with mobility issues there is also a lift. To access the lift you will need to enter at the side entrance on the western side of the town hall and this entrance and lift will be staffed on the night to help users navigate it with ease. It is wide enough to take a wheelchair.
Male and female toilets are available for use by guests. More information about the venue is available from the Cowbridge & Llanblethian Town Council website.
The room is laid out so the event hosts will be on stage with PA amplification. There will also be a screen and projector showing photos relevant to the discussion. Finger food will be provided at a buffet on arrival. Hot and cold drinks and glasses of wine will also be provided and they are all included in the price of your ticket. It is envisaged that seating for guests will be set out in what is known as ‘cabaret style’ which means chairs arranged around tables. However this may need to be revised to ‘theatre style’ (chairs in rows) if numbers attending exceeds 60.
After the discussion and Q&A there will be an opportunity to buy copies of the new book; Monica, have your copy signed by the author and time permitting, have your own discussion with the author too.