I have written about Daphne du Maurier for a number of websites and online publications. You can find details of my articles, interviews, and podcasts below.
I have also published a peer-reviewed academic article on Daphne du Maurier’s biography of Branwell Bronte: ‘Coarseness, Power, and Masculinity in Daphne du Maurier’s The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë‘, Brontë Studies, 44.1 (2019), 109-22.
I am currently writing and researching a book about Daphne du Maurier.
NEW!! Oct. 2020 I reviewed the Netflix adaptation of Rebecca for The Conversation: ‘Netflix returns to Manderley with a modern remake of Daphne du Maurier’s classic thriller’.
NEW!! Oct. 2020 In the week that saw the release of the new Netflix adaptation of Du Maurier’s Rebecca, I was interviewed by Muddy Stilettos to recommend my Favourite Places to Visit in Du Maurier Country– and their links to Daphne’s books!
NEW!! Oct. 2020. I was interviewed by Five Books about Du Maurier’s most famous novel Rebecca, ahead of the new Netflix adaptation. Follow this link to read the interview, in which I discuss the novel’s bestselling status, its place within Du Maurier’s works, its relationship with Jane Eyre, and much, much more!
I was invited to appear on the Daphne du Maurier episode of the award-winning literary podcast Backlisted in October 2019, hosted by Andy Miller and John Mitchinson, and with special guest Andrew Male. You can listen to the episode here: Du Maurier’s The Breaking Point
Articles and Interviews
‘The Best Daphne du Maurier Books’, expert interview essay for Five Books, January 2018. [Discusses du Maurier’s life, works, literary reputation, love for Cornwall, Hitchcock’s adaptations of her work, and more]
‘Why Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is still popular 80 years on’, The Independent, March 2 2018. [Discusses the modern relevance of Rebecca in its 80th anniversary year]
‘Newly discovered Du Maurier poems shed light on a talented writing honing her craft’, The Conversation, April 23 2019. [Discusses the lost Du Maurier poems and their literary significance]
‘Redefining Du Maurier’, The Martlet, Autumn 2017 [an article about my book project on Daphne du Maurier for the University College, Oxford magazine; the link will open as a PDF, the article is on pp.20-23]
Podcasts
Du Maurier’s The Scapegoat on The Modern Life Podcast, hosted by Tabby Pawlitzki, 22 September 2020 [discussing Du Maurier’s 1957 novel and the 1959 and 2012 film/television adaptations; contains spoilers for the book and both adaptations!]
Backlisted: Daphne du Maurier’s The Breaking Point [Episode 104 of the award-winning literary podcast Backlist, hosted by Andy Miller and John Mitchinson, and with special guest Andrew Male. 28 October 2019]
‘Tatiana de Rosnay in conversation with Lady Tessa Montgomery, chaired by Dr Laura Varnam’, Culturetheque Institut Francais, October 2017 [interview event with the author of Manderley Forever, Tatiana de Rosnay, and Daphne du Maurier’s eldest daughter, Tessa Montgomery]
On film adaptations
Visit the Daphne du Maurier website to read my article on the 1959 film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s The Scapegoat, shown in a special screening on 2nd February 2020, followed by a panel discussion of both novel and film from a psychological perspective, lead by Daphne du Maurier’s grandson, Rupert Tower.
‘Don’t Look Now: Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s short story’, Daphne du Maurier website, 11 August 2019. [In-depth essay on Nicolas Roeg’s adaptation of du Maurier’s 1971 short story for film]
‘5 Ways the New Rebecca from Netflix can be Killer’, Willow and Thatch, July 20 2019. [Discusses the five crucial elements that the Netflix adaptation needs to get right, from Maxim to Manderley, Mrs de Winter to Mrs Danvers, and compares with existing adaptations for tv and film]
‘Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca’, for the Daphne du Maurier website (August 2018) [essay on Hitchcock’s adaptation]
‘New adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel will leave you wondering long after the credits roll’, for The Conversation (June 5 2017) [review of the 2017 adaptation starring Rachel Weisz]
‘My Cousin Rachel and West Horsley Place: Bringing Du Maurier’s Novel to Life’, for the Daphne du Maurier website (June 2017) [essay on the primary location for the 2017 adaptation, West Horsley Place]
Book Reviews
I reviewed the launch of Tatiana de Rosnay’s biography Manderley Forever: The Life of Daphne du Maurier for the Daphne du Maurier website.
I have reviewed the following Du Maurier novels for the Daphne du Maurier website: The House on the Strand, The Scapegoat, The Flight of the Falcon, Castle Dor.
I reviewed Anne Hall’s book The Du Maurier’s: Just as They Were for the Daphne du Maurier website here.
Dr Laura Varnam 