---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ….unable to find a title for her last…"
description: "\"“….unable to find a title for her last published novel, she wrote six lines which included her eventual title The Birds Fall Down. These lines were att..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/victoria-glendinning-57966_book_unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-publ_486086.jpg"
---

#  ….unable to find a title for her last published novel, she…

![“….unable to find a title for her last published novel, she wrote six lines which included her eventual title The Birds Fall Down. These lines were attributed to Conway Power (the name she generally appended to her poetry, even in her private notebooks), from a non-existent poem called ‘Guide to a…” quote by Victoria Glendinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/victoria-glendinning-57966_book_unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-publ_486086.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/victoria-glendinning-57966_book_unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-publ_486086.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/victoria-glendinning-57966_book_unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-publ_486086.jpg)

> ““….unable to find a title for her last published novel, she wrote six lines which included her eventual title The Birds Fall Down. These lines were attributed to Conway Power (the name she generally appended to her poetry, even in her private notebooks), from a non-existent poem called ‘Guide to a Disturbed Planet.’ When the novel was published she had fun deflecting the enquiries of readers who wanted to know how to find the works of Conway Power. One was told a long story: Conway Power was a landowner in a remote area who had written thousands of poems and destroyed most of them. He had left some of them with her, given his property to a nephew, and gone abroad. ‘If I can trace the book (if there is a book) I’ll let you know.””

[Victoria Glendinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-glendinning/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A writer invents a fictional poet and backstory to obscure the origin of a novel’s title, playing with authorial identity and mystery.

**In simple terms:** She creates a fake poet to hide the title’s source.

Key Takeaway

Use creative storytelling to protect privacy.

Themes

identity deception literature authorship mythmaking

Mood

playful enigmatic

Type

anecdotal literary

When to use this quote

- publishing
- creative writing
- literary criticism
- author interviews
- public curiosity

Key Concepts

postmodernism authorial play narrative concealment

Questions to Reflect On

- How does inventing a fictional source affect a work’s reception?
- What ethical lines are crossed when authors obscure truth?

A Different Perspective

The ruse may confuse readers and undermine trust in the author’s authenticity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Conway Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conway-power-4169464/) [Long story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-story/) [Poem Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem-called-665713/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Story Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-conway-4169465/) [Title Birds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/title-birds-4169466/) [Works Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works-conway-4169467/)

## Related quotes

> [My favourite poem is called 'Roots and Wings' - it's a very moving poem about how if you've got real roots you can fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miliband/my-favourite-poem-is-called-roots-and-wings-it-s-a-very-moving-poem/)

[David Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-miliband/)

> [It has been said that a poem should not mean but be. This is not quite accurate. In a poem, as distinct from many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/it-has-been-said-that-a-poem-should-not-mean-but-be-this-is-not-quite/)

[W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/)

> [That grand old poem called Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/that-grand-old-poem-called-winter/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [I'll Vacuum up my stale hair, I'll pay all my neighbors' bad debts, I'll write a poem called Yellow and put my lips down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-ll-vacuum-up-my-stale-hair-i-ll-pay-all-my-neighbors-bad-debts-i-ll/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

> [I would read the Shel Silverstein poems, Dr. Seuss, and I noticed early on that poetry was something that just stuck in my head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-would-read-the-shel-silverstein-poems-dr-seuss-and-i-noticed-early/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [“Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines he wrote a poem And he called it "Chops" because that was the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/once-on-a-yellow-piece-of-paper-with-green-lines-he-wrote-a-poem-and/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [“a poem called “The Night Before Doom”: “ ’Twas the night before Doom, / and all through the house, / I had set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kushner/a-poem-called-the-night-before-doom-twas-the-night-before-doom-and/)

[David Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kushner/)

> [A man of my acquaintance once wrote a poem called "The Road Less Traveled", describing a journey he took through the woods along a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-of-my-acquaintance-once-wrote-a-poem-called-the-road-less/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“It was a destructive novel of acquired ideas. To finally wake up in a state of creative anguish, to lose oneself in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/it-was-a-destructive-novel-of-acquired-ideas-to-finally-wake-up-in-a/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [“this is actualy a poem we have been called naive as if it were a dirty word, whe have been called innocent as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel-kilcher/this-is-actualy-a-poem-we-have-been-called-naive-as-if-it-were-a/)

[Jewel Kilcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel-kilcher/)

> [At the temple there is a poem called "Loss" carved into the stone. It has three words, but the poet has scratched them out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/at-the-temple-there-is-a-poem-called-loss-carved-into-the-stone-it/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [“In Ms Yuka's class he once wrote a poem about it called: 'Listen' The last lines were - I know you know you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/in-ms-yuka-s-class-he-once-wrote-a-poem-about-it-called-listen-the/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [“Once on yellow sheet of paper with green lines, he wrote a poem and he called it “Spot” because that was the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-reum/once-on-yellow-sheet-of-paper-with-green-lines-he-wrote-a-poem-and-he/)

[Earl Reum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-reum/)

> [After my grandfather died I went down to the basement of my family house where my family kept books, anthologies and things and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/after-my-grandfather-died-i-went-down-to-the-basement-of-my-family/)

[Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/)

> [“The poem is called: The first glance. You were standing there Your presence changing the atmosphere. I can’t help to stare Your beauty is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-j-bell/the-poem-is-called-the-first-glance-you-were-standing-there-your/)

[Rose J. Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-j-bell/)

## More by Victoria Glendinning

> [Winterson has her own unmistakeable voice, tuned to express her obsessional preoccupation with sexual passion raised to the power of revealed religion. (...) The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/winterson-has-her-own-unmistakeable-voice-tuned-to-express-her/)

[Victoria Glendinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-glendinning/)

> [Science, or para-science, tells us that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to. But a kind word every now and then is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/science-or-para-science-tells-us-that-geraniums-bloom-better-if-they/)

[Victoria Glendinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-glendinning/)

> [The facts of life are to the biographer what the text of a novel is to the critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/the-facts-of-life-are-to-the-biographer-what-the-text-of-a-novel-is/)

[Victoria Glendinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-glendinning/)

> [“Elizabeth disliked the tragic, martyred image of Virginia Woolf which grew up after her death. When she read the first volume of William Plomer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/elizabeth-disliked-the-tragic-martyred-image-of-virginia-woolf-which/)

[Victoria Glendinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-glendinning/)

> [There's no greater bliss in life than when the plumber eventually comes to unblock your drains. No writer can give that sort of pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/there-s-no-greater-bliss-in-life-than-when-the-plumber-eventually/)

[Victoria Glendinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-glendinning/)

[Explore all 6 Victoria Glendinning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-glendinning/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“….unable to find a title for her last published novel, she wrote six lines which included her eventual title The Birds Fall Down. These lines were attributed to Conway Power (the name she generally appended to her poetry, even in her private notebooks), from a non-existent poem called ‘Guide to a Disturbed Planet.’ When the novel was published she had fun deflecting the enquiries of readers who wanted to know how to find the works of Conway Power. One was told a long story: Conway Power was a landowner in a remote area who had written thousands of poems and destroyed most of them. He had left some of them with her, given his property to a nephew, and gone abroad. ‘If I can trace the book (if there is a book) I’ll let you know.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Victoria Glendinning"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-published-novel-she-wrote-six/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-published-novel-she-wrote-six/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/victoria-glendinning-57966_book_unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-publ_486086.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/victoria-glendinning-57966_book_unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-publ_486086.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/victoria-glendinning-57966_book_unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-publ_486086.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“….unable to find a title for her last published novel, she wrote six lines which included her eventual title…” — Victoria Glendinning",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Victoria Glendinning",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-glendinning/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“….unable to find a title for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-published-novel-she-wrote-six/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-published-novel-she-wrote-six/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
