Julia Darling

[shewhomust]

Julia Darling died on Wednesday afternoon. She was uncomfortable with expressions on the lines of "after a long fight against cancer", and certainly to think of Julia is to think of someone working with, rather than against. For all the time I knew her, cancer was part of her life, not as something to be accepted meekly - her lively interest in treatment of all kinds is reflected in her weblog - but as something that she was living with, rather than dying from.

The tributes and memories that have flooded in to her website return again and again to the theme of her generosity. Specifically, she was generous with herself; everyone who knew her even slightly felt that there was a bit of Julia that was theirs - an evening, a poem, a workshop, a conversation - something that made her a special friend. She didn't raise barriers, she opened herself to others.

This quality shaped her writing: it also fed other writers' work. Again and again last night, at the gathering that was to be her last launch and which became her wake, I heard the word "inspiration". At workshops, as a publisher, as a fellow-writer, she brought out the best in others.

The same applies to us, with her website. George Orwell said that "Good prose is like a windowpane"; so is a good website. When we receive compliments about Julia's site - and, better still, when we don't, when people comment that it's very pink, very Julia - I know that we are among the artists and craft workers Julia has inspired to better, simpler, more creative work.

It has been a joy and a privilege to know her.

Comments

[profane-stencil.livejournal.com]

I'm sad to say this was the first I've heard of her, but I spent some time at the site in an attempt to catch up.

And speaking of the site... That's your work?

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

There are so many good writers who are just below eye-level; well-known in certain circles, but not widely. Julia was an unmissable presence regionally, and was having some success nationally, but no, not internationally. Could still happen, of course...

Julia's site is mostly durham_rambler's work, but yup, that's us!