The Juvenilia Press publishes the early works of writers who went on to become famous, categorizing ‘juvenilia’ as “youthful writing up to the ages of twenty” — so Georgette Heyer’s The Black Moth fits in very nicely. Most of what they publish is either ‘lost’ or unpublished, but not so with The Black Moth, which is nearing 100 years of continuous publication.
It is far from my favourite Heyer novel and I find it is not one I go back to re-read regularly, and yet for a seventeen year old it is a remarkable achievement. It already shows so many of the hallmarks of her style: witty dialogue, strongly drawn characters, extrication from dilemmas or danger, and a precise use of language. It is fun, amazingly clever for so young an author, and it shows that superb understanding of historical period which so characterises her fiction.
I think we can all feel grateful to Georgette’s brother, Boris. Had he not listened with rapt attention to her tale, she might well have been discouraged, and then put down her pen. But surely Boris laughed in all the right places and begged for more, and so he gave his sister the encouragement and literary start she needed. In 2021 I will be celebrating the centenary of Georgette Heyer’s first novel, partly for itself, but especially because it led to so much more!
— Susannah Fullerton
