When Kitty met Sophia - Sarah Nicholson

Sometimes I get stopped in my tracks when something I am currently reading has an unexpected to connection to something I see on the news, or on TV or in a play.

You may remember a couple of months ago I wrote about The Great Divide, a novel I listened to which resonated because the Panama Canal was in the news at the time.

A couple of months ago while perusing my to-be-read shelf (I have more than just a pile) I picked out a novel called A Song for Kitty by Angela Cairns. I had bought it at a local author event over a year ago and it is a signed copy.

The titular character, Kitty, is a real person - Katherina Maria Schäfer born in Germany in 1871. Her stage name was Kitty Marion and she performed in the Music Halls before the first World War. She was also a prominent suffragette, standing up for women’s rights by participating in civil unrest, including arson. She was arrested and went on hunger strike on more than one occasion for the cause.

Kitty Marion

She isn’t the main character in the novel although her exploits drive the plot as the protagonist Lily at first admires her and then becomes jealous of Kitty’s relationship with the boy next door and love of her life Aiden. The story is romantic fiction but the addition of the political turmoil of the time elevates the writing to something more. Especially when there are real people mentioned.

Like for instance Princess Sophia Duleep Singh.

I’d not heard of either woman before this year but when I read the name Sophia I had a lightbulb moment because I had a ticket to see a local production of a play called Sophia all about her.

The energetic performance with only 4 actors on stage, brought her world to life. She was a princess from India exiled in England and kept under surveillance by the India Office. Queen Victoria was her Godmother. How had I never heard of her before? Especially as she lived in Elveden Hall in Suffolk, not far from where I grew up.

Like Kitty Marion she became an active Suffragette, she sold literature and took part in protests. However because of her high-profile royal connections she was treated very differently. While her name is recorded in the list of suffragettes arrested from 1906–1914 it is only in relation to a complaint she made about a police officer at one of the prominent protests known as Black Friday.

I find it fascinating reading about these women, even finding out about them in fictionalised accounts, especially as women’s hard fought for rights seems to be eroding in some parts of the world. It makes me wonder how brave I would be in their circumstances and if the world is changing to such as extent that I might get the chance to prove my worth?

Did the two of them ever meet in reality? It is highly likely and they would certainly have known of each other. Both have incredible stories to tell of bravery, courage, and fortitude, and I have only scratched the surface of their activities.

A Song for Kitty by Angela Cairns is an excellent read, especially if you like a bit of romance. My mum also enjoyed it.

Sophia, Princess, Suffragette, Sister – the story of Sophia Duleep Singh by Eastern Angles Theatre Company is touring the East of England until 3rd May. It is definitely worth seeing if you are in the area.