Literature: Writing Stories with Epic History; Liverpool Saga Novels Are a Literary Phenomenon. in the Last of His Literary Life Series, Peter Elson Talks to One of the Leading Practitioners

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Byline: Peter Elson

ONE of Liverpool's most intriguing aspects is its durability and huge success as a backdrop for a ship-load of what are called "saga novels".

These are dramatic romances, smothered in a great dollop of nostalgia, with young heroines overcoming numerous obstacles, social and domestic, amidst the great northern seaport.

Of the several names that spring to mind, Maureen Lee is one of the best known and has most successfully tapped into her Liverpool home.

"Liverpool is a remarkable place with remarkable people with a huge history, that now includes the Beatles and Cavern," says Maureen, 64, who comes from Bootle, but now lives in Colchester, Essex.

"The city occupies a huge chunk of memory for people who come from everywhere. That's why news about possibly changing Penny Lane went all over the world.

"Not every city had a war like Liverpool. You can't have a novel about Liverpool that starts before the war and misses it out. You've got to include it. Somewhere like Bootle, where I grew up, was one of the most heavily-bombed places in the country for its size.

"Liverpool has a huge social range and the history of the shipping and slavery, in all a very rich and eventful history. It's a young history, but coming to prominence a couple …