Never in front of the servants was first published in 1973. Recently Peripheral Editorial has released a new Spanish edition of the book. It recounts the vicissitudes and domestic scenes of serfdom over the course of a century.
Frank Victor Dewes, its author, unmasks the idealization that has been had of the staff who have worked for generations for bourgeois families. Beyond the fact of working in someone else's house, the book will narrate the curiosities and experiences of these people who have always done thankless work in conditions that are far from those of any other work reality.
Never in front of the servants
Let's get in the background
Many audiovisual adaptations of easement have been made. The most recent is the successful miniseries of Netflix The assistant (2021) In Spain, the classic stands out Los Santos inocentes (Mario camus, 1984), a version of the book by Miguel Delibes of the same name published in the year 81. But everyone remembers, even if they have not seen it, the mythical series british Donton Abbey. The stereotyped servants of the rancid bourgeoisie from countries like England or Spain have been portrayed on many occasions, true. Although the Spanish example is somewhat more realistic, the English idealizes the life of the kitchens and the footman.. Much of what is seen in Downton Abbey it smells like rotten fish.
should also talk about the relationship and the problems derived from the coexistence between the servants neat y loyal and their lords. This was surely what FV Dewes thought, the son of a servant who in the early seventies wondered if there was anything to say or take away from this subject. Journalist by profession, he got down to work and issued a letter in the Daily Telegraph requesting histories from former domestic service employees to see if there was anything important to say about it. And wow if there was. The overwhelming response was the beginning of this book.
Faithful portrait of life above and below
Never in front of the servants is written thanks to endless real testimonials collected by FV Dewes. They alone are capable of dismantling the idealized idea that has been had (thanks largely to fiction) of the service, and of the bubble in which it has been kept, between aristocratic walls. There, in that little big space, A whole microcosm had been created that the book shows in the form of true stories, often tragic, with emotion, laughter, ridiculous moments, snubs and humiliation.. The domestic service, made up of maids, cooks, footmen, butlers or governesses, had to follow very clear and rigid rules, and lead a life in the shadow of the family they served.
The book unmasks the harsh reality of these workers who found themselves in the need to work in a home that was not theirs, with people who were not his family. His obligations consisted of ensuring the well-being of the lords, while they were in very different conditions. A sample of classism is the nonsense of caring for children when many maids were away from their own children, living in cold and sober rooms, in a strict regime of behavior and always waiting to be called by Mr. or Mrs. Because really they were always at his disposal and they had no intimacy or private life.
In addition to classism, it shows the lack of protection and vulnerability in which these domestic workers found themselves, who most of the time saw the service as an opportunity due to the lack of resources. For his part, nor should we forget that the need to tell the story of these people stems from the treatment they have received and the functions assigned to them. They have always had a lower consideration than other workers.
Conclusions
FV Dewes's book is quite enlightening. Speak with a hint of humor and honesty, but highlighting the reality lived by domestic workers through decades. He makes an authentic portrait, without myths about the conditions of these people who have always been seen by others, in exchange for a plate of food, a cot and a salary that could never compensate for the situations in which they found themselves and the treatment they received ( where there is, in addition to precariousness, sexual abuse). Always expectant workers whose lives were governed by others at all times. It was the life of serving and that is how the English writer exposed it, his mother having also been one of those servants.
Brushstrokes about the author
Frank Victor Dawes was an English writer and journalist. He developed his professional career as such: he worked as a reporter and participated in the foreign policy section of the British newspaper Daily herald. He became the news director and producer of the with the BBC on the radio. Is known for Never in front of the servants. This book that arose from the need to tell the story of domestic service, since his mother had also served. After realizing that there were many voices silenced or simply ignored, he decided to publish this book for the first time in 1973. It became a bestseller.