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Here's hoping that of the three types of cranky (entertaining, angry and annoying), this will prove to be in the first category.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eqpGZ8NCD68\/V3Rid7omzRI\/AAAAAAAABSM\/OL5KkXBt_G05vTg807BdiNYhfB_jtjU8ACLcB\/s1600\/Yanagihara%2B%2528c%2529%2BSam%2BLevy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"238\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eqpGZ8NCD68\/V3Rid7omzRI\/AAAAAAAABSM\/OL5KkXBt_G05vTg807BdiNYhfB_jtjU8ACLcB\/s320\/Yanagihara%2B%2528c%2529%2BSam%2BLevy.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo doll-like! Of all the ways I had imagined Hanya Yanagihara, author of The Dark Novel of 2015, doll-like was not one. She sat placidly -- or carefully-- in her black armchair like an objet d'art and I am not sure I saw any movement at all below the neck the entire time she was seated. Even her turning her gaze from Anne Kennedy in the interviewer chair to us in the audience during her responses seemed to happen in slow motion.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA low, modulated \"Hello\" and we were off. Somewhat disconcertingly to me, as I had been lured by the programme listing's promise of 'intense conversation' which seemed to imply opposing viewpoints, by\u0026nbsp;way of introduction we had Anne reeling off a sequence of hyperbolic quotes in praise of the book, something which seemed not to disconcert Yanagihara at all.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI should lay my cards on the table right away. That book, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2960776\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EA little life\u003C\/i\u003E,\u003C\/a\u003E had left me unconvinced. But I was looking forward to this session. Between the establishment honours it was garnering (Booker Prize shortlist etc) and the ardent reader fandom (a comment left on our online catalogue declared it \"an experience, not just a book\"), I couldn't help wondering if I had missed something. Or maybe been too in thrall to my personal tics. Like with the gougères.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGougères, if you don’t already know (I didn't), are French cheese puffs, and, I just realised, a metaphor for my difficulty digesting this book. When Yanagihara describes Jude, her main character, a man traumatised by horrendous sexual abuse suffered as a child, who has become a top of the top litigator, while also having an extraordinary aptitude for theoretical mathematics and extraordinary musical talent, as always wanting to throw together some gougères for when his friends come over, I winced. I wanted Holden Caulfield to be one of the friends coming up the stairs, just to hear what he’d say.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut this is the thing. There is no Holden, because, as Yanagihara told us at the start in her very composed response to interviewer Anne Kennedy’s holding a first tentative light up to her book, “I wanted to make an \u003Ci\u003Ehommage \u003C\/i\u003Eto the way my friends and I live”. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMore in particular, she told us, she wanted to show that becoming an adult doesn't mean you have to get married and have children. For me who works in a library, this didn't strike me as news. But anyway, Yanagihara gives us four male friends, who have moved to New York together after their graduation from University, all rigorously unmarried but who seem to spend their time working, acquiring and achieving just like married men of their ilk.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey acquire wealth (apartments, country houses), habits (various, only in one case of the drug type, but it doesn't take him down), and partners (corporate, sexual, and other), and they achieve success. Lots of success. They all become stars in their fields, and all without doing anything as boring as striving. How is that?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut Yanagihara forestalls any question about her book's credibility (the 4-0 record of the friends being only one of many challenges in that sense). She tells us it's supposed to be that way, because she used a \"fairy tale template\". We need to suspend disbelief, is what I understand her to be saying.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“This is not a book you can go into and not surrender to it, and I hope what it gives you is the intimacy of a certain world”. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESurrendering to a book is my preferred way to read, but I wasn’t able to surrender to \u003Ci\u003EA\u0026nbsp;little\u0026nbsp;life\u003C\/i\u003E. It might be that books about the world of wealthy Manhattanites just aren't that enthralling to me, unless executed with the wit of \u003Ci\u003EAmerican Psycho\u003C\/i\u003E, for instance, or if it's a fringe version, as in \u003Ci\u003ENetherland\u003C\/i\u003E. So there's that.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut also. The heavy-handed, unimaginative depiction of the violence done to poor Jude, even more than the amount of it (every time he escapes one torturer, he falls in with another just as bad or worse). Yanahigara's editor did say that the sheer quantity of it was simply not believable, she told us, but “I told my editor if things are not quite believable they should still be true\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI suppose she means emotionally true. I'm with her on that, but I couldn’t find any true feeling in the sexual abuse scenes that are, after all, central to the book’s wallop. It should have been there, and it should have been horror and pity, but all I felt was unease and nausea. It gave me pause when I realised at a certain point that it was the same feeling I had in reading the child rape scenes in that Navajo “memoir” (\u003Ci\u003EThe Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams\u003C\/i\u003E) \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.laweekly.com\/news\/navahoax-2141610\"\u003Ewhich turned out to be a hoax\u003C\/a\u003E, written by an unsuccessful non-Navajo writer of gay leather porn. A suspicion of being rendered a voyeur. That the reading experience was going to be voyeuristic rather than cathartic.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETenderness, when it appeared, seemed always the outcome of a bargain. And desire?  How ironic (or maybe I should say manipulative, given that the reader is, I believe, supposed to think it an image of suffering) the use of a photograph of a man in orgasm (Peter Hujar’s Orgasmic Man) as the cover image for a book in which there is no spontaneous, unbounded sexual desire. In which Jude's lover, new to a sexual relationship with a man, explains it away with an \"I'm not in a relationship with a man, I'm in a relationship with Jude\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWas that when the word 'facile' first came to me? \u0026nbsp;Facile which is one of the adjectives Hanna Yanagihara uses for a group of friends that she described as one of her inspirations for \u003Ci\u003EA Little Life\u003C\/i\u003E, in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.vulture.com\/2015\/04\/how-hanya-yanagihara-wrote-a-little-life.html#\"\u003Ean article she wrote for Vulture\u003C\/a\u003E last year:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"...I was an editor at a now-defunct magazine about the media industry called Brill’s Content… It was my first magazine job, and I found it terrifying, like being moved from the high-school literary magazine to the high-school debate team: Everyone was smart and facile and articulate and argumentative. \u0026nbsp;[...] I found them all fascinating.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI can't help but be reminded of the answer she gave when Anne Kennedy asked her about the writing process behind the book. \"I knew exactly where I was going with it\" she said.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd so she did. At various points we heard that she wanted it to be a long novel, a claustrophobic novel, a novel with no natural stopping points, where the violence would be \"unsanitised\", and which would be \"very personal\" to her. And that is where she went.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI think anyone intrigued by the subject matter of this book -- the lasting effects of trauma, the arc of friendship, its strengths and its limits -- who want to immerse themselves in a story, who are happy to set aside scepticism, who find social or cultural commentary intrusive,\u0026nbsp;who would like to push the boundaries of their emotional endurance,\u0026nbsp;should try going there with her.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDon't worry about the\u0026nbsp;gougères. Maybe talking about gougères in Manhattan is no more pretentious than talking about quiche in my native California (which is to say, not pretentious at all, unless perhaps when the filling is kale, or ramps -- oops, don't they buy ramps in \u003Ci\u003EA Little Life?\u003C\/i\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs her last question before Audience Q\u0026amp;A time, Anne asked, as interviewers do, “What’s next for you?”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe first laugh of the interview from Yanagihara! A strong, low laugh. But I didn’t catch an answer and I’m pretty sure that if there was one, it was a gloss over.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring Q\u0026amp;A, a sincere young male whom I dubbed “Mr G” in my notes stepped up to the microphone and asked whether Yanagihara could share any revelations that had come to her while writing the book “if it isn’t too personal”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo, she couldn’t.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“I think this would be a great place to end” said Anne.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E--\u003Ci\u003EKaren\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9780385539258\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9780385539258\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"320\" width=\"209\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6021047085162807575\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/06\/a-little-life-and-some-big-doubts-at.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/6021047085162807575"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/6021047085162807575"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/06\/a-little-life-and-some-big-doubts-at.html","title":"\"A little life\" and some big doubts at AWF 2016"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eqpGZ8NCD68\/V3Rid7omzRI\/AAAAAAAABSM\/OL5KkXBt_G05vTg807BdiNYhfB_jtjU8ACLcB\/s72-c\/Yanagihara%2B%2528c%2529%2BSam%2BLevy.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-2769544700855587871"},"published":{"$t":"2016-06-08T14:27:00.004+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-06-08T14:52:01.684+12:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"#aklwritersfest"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"A brief history of seven killings"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF 2016"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"fiction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Liz"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marlon James"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Marlon James at AWF 2016: Fascinating and free-flowing"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003ELiz from Collections Insights went to hear the Jamaican-born novelist, now resident in the U.S., mostly from curiosity. She's now on not one but two wait lists for his book -- the print and the e-book version, a \"whichever comes sooner attitude\" which already tells us much about the session. Here's her full account:\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-I2PyBkJtHns\/V1d4XPEfEGI\/AAAAAAAABRw\/Xr3MuSopl1AU6RvULewMvdvt3eF8aMaAgCLcB\/s1600\/James_Marlon.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"213\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-I2PyBkJtHns\/V1d4XPEfEGI\/AAAAAAAABRw\/Xr3MuSopl1AU6RvULewMvdvt3eF8aMaAgCLcB\/s320\/James_Marlon.JPG\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen Noelle McCarthy introduced Marlon James, who won the Booker Prize last year with his\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2864836\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EA Brief History of Seven Killings\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, as the writer of a “bloody great book in every sense of the work” we knew were in for a treat – if for no other reason that we would be listening to two of the most attractive accents in the world – Irish and Jamaican.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs it turned out, the content as well as the delivery made the session fascinating. The rapport between McCarthy and James led to an hour of free-flowing conversation and covered a vast range of topics, from the music of Prince and space break sex to getting through writer’s block and the history of Jamaica.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe conversation started with a discussion of the recent death of Prince as James lives in Minneapolis and is a huge Prince fan. Purple Rain was the first record he bought and in his high school year book he was described as the person “most likely to work for Prince”. James’s regret was that he had never quite got round to seeing Prince live.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EA Brief History of Seven Killings\u003C\/i\u003E explores the abortive attempt to assassinate Bob Marley in 1976 and the impact that had both in Jamaica and in the US. The book is told by what McCarthy described as a “polyphony of characters”, each with their own distinct voice. James describes all his novels as being driven by voice, and finding the right voice as essential to telling the story. “The only voice I am not interested in is my own”. When he first started \u003Ci\u003EA Brief History\u003C\/i\u003E  he tried out different voices, searching for the “magic one” to tell the story. When a friend asked why he thought it was only one person’s story, he realised the number of voices he needed was actually 76. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe novel is notable for its graphic sex and violence – visceral was a word that came up a lot. James felt that in order to nail the character or “the voice” you sometimes had to risk going too far, to get to what was wanted. When it came up again later, he said “You’d be surprised how prudish and how squeamish I am”, but that his characters demanded more of him.  What he described as “space break sex” was not enough. To explain he gave us an example:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781594486005\/mc.gif\u0026amp;client=elgar\u0026amp;type=snui\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Tom said to Harry, “I have always loved you.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;The next morning……\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJames said he found starting a novel terribly hard, with many false starts, but that he would read his way out of writer's block.   Marguerite Duras’s \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb1065954\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe North China Lover\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E  was especially praised for its sparse format – “stage director's notes rather than a novel”.  He also said he had read the entire script of the TV series Breaking Bad, although he had yet to actually see an episode.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETalking more about the central theme of his novel, he described 1976, the year of the attack on Bob Marley,  as a pivotal year in Jamaican history, when the hopes and dreams born of Jamaica's independence began to unravel. James was six at the time --  his mother a cop, his father a lawyer. While he was aware of their heightened fear, he didn’t understand why. Writing \u003Ci\u003EA Brief History\u003C\/i\u003E was a way to find out what 1976 was like for adults who, like his parents, had lived through it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was one of those discussions you wished could just keep on going. James obviously thinks deeply about the process of writing, the role of the novel and how history is perceived, and you could see he enjoyed sharing his ideas in this sort of forum. I hope we will see him at the Auckland Writers’ Festival again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E-- \u003Ci\u003ELiz\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781594486005\/mc.gif\u0026amp;client=elgar\u0026amp;type=snui\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781594486005\/mc.gif\u0026amp;client=elgar\u0026amp;type=snui\" height=\"200\" width=\"130\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781594488573\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781594488573\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"200\" width=\"135\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2769544700855587871\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/06\/marlon-james-at-awf-2016-fascinating.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2769544700855587871"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2769544700855587871"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/06\/marlon-james-at-awf-2016-fascinating.html","title":"Marlon James at AWF 2016: Fascinating and free-flowing"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-I2PyBkJtHns\/V1d4XPEfEGI\/AAAAAAAABRw\/Xr3MuSopl1AU6RvULewMvdvt3eF8aMaAgCLcB\/s72-c\/James_Marlon.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-8735057047839860821"},"published":{"$t":"2016-05-31T16:59:00.001+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-07-02T23:53:16.346+12:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"#aklwritersfest"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF 2016"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Jeanette Winterson"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Karen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Susie Orbach"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Susie Orbach and Jeanette Winterson Pop Up at AWF 2016"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-kThjcSfeJ58\/V00I7Mr3aoI\/AAAAAAAABRA\/2jDlXrtjXuwrGITUzVOPijpQqSJBsjjzACLcB\/s1600\/orbach_susie.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-kThjcSfeJ58\/V00I7Mr3aoI\/AAAAAAAABRA\/2jDlXrtjXuwrGITUzVOPijpQqSJBsjjzACLcB\/s320\/orbach_susie.jpg\" width=\"213\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-AvRM-gJ3GBg\/V00OyJfw71I\/AAAAAAAABRU\/6STjvdwBw3MK2PT51g3xsyanCR94f6G0ACLcB\/s1600\/Winterson_J.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-AvRM-gJ3GBg\/V00OyJfw71I\/AAAAAAAABRU\/6STjvdwBw3MK2PT51g3xsyanCR94f6G0ACLcB\/s320\/Winterson_J.jpg\" width=\"213\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E8:56 PM: The nice helper at the after-hours ticket outlet aka Festival Information Desk is holding the last two tickets to Jeanette Winterson and Susie Orbach’s Pop-up session, cash only, hoorah, I’ve got the cash, and we’re off with minutes to spare, slaloming around a few clumps of festival goers enjoying their Bill Oddie afterglow, just enough time to grab a wine, and, what’s this? The bar is closed! What?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo no, someone says, the bar is IN the room, and points the way. Swerve, final stretch, we push open the doors, and there it is -- the bar, and a room bursting with women (okay I guess there were a couple of men). The widest range of hair colours ever yet seen at an AWF session, reds of all shades, white, blond, black, a variety of hats, all stylish, one shawl with a baby being marsupialled in it. Two front row seats for us and our wines, just behind some happy couples ensconced on double beanbags which have been laid out in the space between the dais and us, heightening my feeling that we’re taking part in a giant slumber party, about to call the radio station to request our favourite songs, all through the night. The buzz is palpable.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt’s time. Our Miss Clavel appears and it’s Festival director Anne O’Brien in person, and you can see right away she’s not going to tell us to go to sleep, she’s exhilirated too, presenting Jeanette Winterson, author and memoirist (\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb1060345\"\u003EOranges are not the only fruit\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E), and Susie Orbach, psychotherapist (most famously to Lady Diana) and writer (\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb3167556\"\u003EFat is a feminist issue\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E), together since 2010 and soon to celebrate their first anniversary as a married couple, ready to riff tonight on the theme of madness and creativity.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOnce the wild applause fades, \u0026nbsp;the first thing -- and the second -- they do is ask for the lights to brought up so they can see us. They want to see us! How many guests from their places on the stage have mumbled about how they can't see anyone but who ever asked -- twice -- for the lights to be brought up?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“How many people here think of themselves as creative? Raise your hands!” Winterson throws out. Hands everywhere you look.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“How many people here think of themselves as crazy?” Almost as many.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“Creativity is our birthright as human beings\" she pronounces. \"Every child is born creative and then we knock it out of them. Not everyone will be an artist but we’re all involved in the creative response.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“It’s interesting you say that because I’m not sure I agree,” responds Orbach calmly, in the first of several instances of endearing married couple-style banter, mentioning \"Winnicott’s theory\" that creativity is born of babies searching for a relationship with their mother.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“Yes”, Winterson concedes, it’s clearly about relationships, “not the the lone white male they want you to believe.” But who is to say which relationships? “The thing about artists is you can’t trust them, you have to trust the work. I’ve always thought a creative work is first and foremost a lie detector.” Her “autobiographical” novel \u003Ci\u003EOranges are not the only fruit\u003C\/i\u003E comes to mind, the one of which she once said, “I wrote a story I could live with. The other one was too painful”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EShe wonders how we are doing, could we see them well enough, considering that we are going to be spending an hour together, and invites Orbach to join her in perching on the backrest of the ottoman instead of sitting on its seat. Marvellously, they suddenly go from being talking heads to being individuals in flesh and blood, Winterson looking a bit like a mischievous chimney sweep in her black stovepipe-ish jeans, shirt and leather shoes with stitching around the toes which managed to suggest a certain elfin upturning, and Orbach like a sexy Parisian concierge with her black silk chemisier and skirt, and head of untidy curls.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe role of anxiousness is touched on, with Orbach describing the psychoanalyst’s “50 minute hour” as a place of both anxiety and extraordinary creativity. Winterson agrees, replying eloquently, “What is home? Where do I belong? What is my culture? These massive questions: the creativity we make is a sort of an answer”. And, “It’s not just a personal answering, it’s a gift -- we want it to enter into other people.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“Why do we get so damn scared?” Orbach asks, turning to the question of bravery, of daring.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWinterson talks of when she was writing \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2617723\"\u003EWhy be happy when you could be normal\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, and how the question emerged for her of how much to reveal. In the end, she says, you need to find the \"place you have to access in order to do the work you have to do”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“In my generation,” says Orbach, who will turn seventy next year (Winterson is in her fifties), “daring to express yourself sent women into breakdowns”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESomething creative people must have, agrees Winterson, is enough confidence to risk bringing out another part of themselves. “Often what we call creativity is recklessness or ruthlessness,” she acknowledges.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETowards the end, they reminisce about their youth. “The search I was in could have led to depression or psychosis but the women’s liberation movement came along,” says Susie Orbach. “That’s how I got out of being crazy” -- not counting the craziness of youth, of course!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn Winterson's part, even with the hard childhood she’d had, locked repeatedly in the coal cellar for punishment by her missionary adoptive mother, not allowed to have books at home (she hid them under her mattress, where her mother found them and burned them), she has something almost romantic to say about the escape route she had created. “My best friends were dead. When I needed them I went and got them off the shelves of the public library.” And launches into an effusive description of a chance reading of TS Eliot on the library steps, aged 16, as Orbach smiles benignly. Generously. \"I think that's wonderful,\" she says.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKiwi author Joanne Drayton, another brave front-rower sitting a few seats down from us, asks if they think creative opportunities are diminishing in today's world.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOrbach allows as how she thinks there’s been a democratisation of creativity, even as we live under an economic structure that dictates where we are to find satisfaction. Although the first of those postulates could be seen as positive (and in fact Winterson is enthusiastic about the idea of democratisation and takes it as a sign that things are improving), she can't however ignore the alarming fact that 24 million people follow someone on youtube who shows you how to make yourself up so you look like Barbie.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYes, says Winterson, “The best and the worst is now visible, it’s in your face all the time”. But, she concludes, “I’m optimistic, I think people will sort it out.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESometimes I feel that way and sometimes not. And I have to wonder if, brainy as she is, that isn’t true for Jeanette Winterson too. But right then, there was no doubt that she was speaking from her heart. That was what was so wonderful about the evening: the standing up (or perching on a backrest) for spontaneity, in a medium like the literary festival circuit where spontaneity is regrettably, if perhaps inevitably, in short supply.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs I’m writing, all I can think is how glad I am I got to see them like this, in their own orchestration, turning a crowd of curious admirers into friends for the hour, rather than watching a film of them walking around the Auckland Art Gallery peering at creative works and dropping bon mots about creativity as some guy from TV3 followed them around with a videocamera, as I chanced to see a short clip of. Actually, I couldn't have seen more if I'd wanted to, as it was on the Auckland Art Gallery's facebook page, and as I'm not a facebook user, the view was obscured by a banner inviting me to join facebook today.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat a happy privilege to have had the Orbach-Winterson experience live\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ci\u003Eoff the network!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E--\u003Ci\u003EKaren\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9780224093453\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9780224093453\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"320\" width=\"198\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781784753092\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781784753092\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"320\" width=\"208\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8735057047839860821\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/05\/susie-orbach-and-jeanette-winterson-pop.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/8735057047839860821"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/8735057047839860821"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/05\/susie-orbach-and-jeanette-winterson-pop.html","title":"Susie Orbach and Jeanette Winterson Pop Up at AWF 2016"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-kThjcSfeJ58\/V00I7Mr3aoI\/AAAAAAAABRA\/2jDlXrtjXuwrGITUzVOPijpQqSJBsjjzACLcB\/s72-c\/orbach_susie.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-3383854281253459343"},"published":{"$t":"2016-05-30T17:15:00.002+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-05-30T17:15:59.494+12:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"#aklwritersfest"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF 2016"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Paul Muldoon"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"poetry"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Simon"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Paul Muldoon at AWF 2016: A poet worth knowing"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003EIn which Simon from Central City Library tells us about going to see poet Paul Muldoon, and the adroit adjective 'Eliotic' makes its first appearance in Books in the City:\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-dxH_c6Bsy_8\/V0vI_W13hrI\/AAAAAAAABQw\/izyc7PbEBwgNmiAAjrj4g4Gbf1kNYOpKQCLcB\/s1600\/Muldoon%252BPaul_Michael%252BPotiker.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-dxH_c6Bsy_8\/V0vI_W13hrI\/AAAAAAAABQw\/izyc7PbEBwgNmiAAjrj4g4Gbf1kNYOpKQCLcB\/s320\/Muldoon%252BPaul_Michael%252BPotiker.jpg\" width=\"212\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9780571316045\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9780571316045\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"320\" width=\"201\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Writers Festival session \"One thousand things worth knowing\" featured acclaimed US-based Irish poet Paul Muldoon speaking about his career and artistry with our own C.K.\u0026nbsp;Stead. Muldoon, a poet who enjoys a critical standing up there with the likes of Seamus Heaney (not to mention being a Professor at Princeton University and poetry editor at The New Yorker), was a warm and eloquent speaker. He read wonderfully and spoke with humour and grace. Stead is clearly less of a natural public speaker, (to be fair, he was a late stand-in for Bill Manhire), but knew Muldoon's work and antecedents more than well enough to help facilitate an interesting discussion.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe conversation begun with talk of formative influences. Aside from the impact of the immediacy necessary in radio, impressed upon him during his time working for the BBC, Muldoon admitted early poetic efforts also involved trying to \"follow Eliot\", which had often resulted in poetry that was \"Eliotic.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn contrast, being an Irish poet, Muldoon had found it necessary to \"work around\" Yeats rather than aspire to, let alone compete with, his greatness. Stead expressed surprise that Yeats had not been mentioned more in the prior ‘From 1916 to Here’ festival event which Muldoon had been part of. Muldoon pointed out the irony that historical events after the fact had helped imbue a poem like Yeats’s “Easter 1916” with its verisimilitude. The British shooting of insurrectionists during the Easter Rising had in fact only happened after Yeats had composed the poem and not the other way round.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven if he had begun as one of many Eliot acolytes, it was not the Eliotic that Muldoon was shooting for. Rather, he hoped he might induce an \"electric shock\" for the reader, or as Stead put it, \"a kick in the behind.\" Muldoon elaborated that if the process of composing the poem is unexpected for the writer, this increases the likelihood that a similar shift, whether seismic or minor, will occur for the reader.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"If I know what I'm doing then everyone else will know too. . . If I don't know what I'm doing, there's a chance others will be surprised.\" \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFurther building on this contention, Muldoon went so far as to dismiss the \"write about what you know\" creative writing tenet.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite wanting to cause this shift in the reader, Muldoon was uncertain of the effect poetry might have on the world at large. He hoped it might do some good, and could see a world in which art took over the role of organised religion.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMuldoon read poems such as ‘Honey’ from his new volume \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2960225\"\u003EOne Thousand Things Worth Knowing\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, and older poems such as ‘Saffron’ and ‘Why Brownlee Left’. Muldoon contended ‘Honey’ was the type of poem which seemed to ask of itself: “Is this a poem at all?” The answer “Not much” was one Muldoon felt the culture of poetry as a whole should be more comfortable with. He read with a gentle determination that seemed perfectly in keeping with the tone of the poems.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA brief QnA session elicited charming and self-deprecating responses from Muldoon. When asked if he really felt he could “write about Saffron forever”, Muldoon said he felt that “subject matter” was irrelevant – that the whole world could be seen through the prism of something as seemingly minor as saffron. A second audience member enquired about what books had spoken to Muldoon in his youth. Stevenson’s \u003Ci\u003ETreasure Island\u003C\/i\u003E as it turns out. “If I could write a book like \u003Ci\u003ETreasure Island\u003C\/i\u003E, I wouldn’t bother with this stuff.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E-- \u003Ci\u003ESimon\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3383854281253459343\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/05\/paul-muldoon-at-awf-2016-poet-worth.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/3383854281253459343"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/3383854281253459343"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/05\/paul-muldoon-at-awf-2016-poet-worth.html","title":"Paul Muldoon at AWF 2016: A poet worth knowing"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-dxH_c6Bsy_8\/V0vI_W13hrI\/AAAAAAAABQw\/izyc7PbEBwgNmiAAjrj4g4Gbf1kNYOpKQCLcB\/s72-c\/Muldoon%252BPaul_Michael%252BPotiker.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-5562831298940566024"},"published":{"$t":"2016-05-30T16:44:00.000+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-05-30T16:44:09.131+12:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"#aklwritersfest"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF 2016"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Simonne"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Xu Zhiyuan"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Xu Zhiyuan at AWF 2016: Inside the real China"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003ESimonne from Central City Library went to hear \"cultural phenomenon\" Xu Zhiyuan and came away with a lot to think about... and to tell us!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781781859797\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781781859797\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"320\" width=\"208\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-yhsBQxpBqi8\/V0vCGrO_boI\/AAAAAAAABQg\/AuMuyfujW80ot1lRVYHT42xq52YCPlOoACLcB\/s1600\/Xu_Zhiyuan.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-yhsBQxpBqi8\/V0vCGrO_boI\/AAAAAAAABQg\/AuMuyfujW80ot1lRVYHT42xq52YCPlOoACLcB\/s320\/Xu_Zhiyuan.jpg\" width=\"212\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EXu Zhiyuan, named by Ai Wei Wei “the most important Chinese intellectual of his time”, did not disappoint. Journalist, editor and author, his latest book \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb3156285\"\u003EPaper Tiger\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E is a collection of his journalism written over the last seven years. The Sunday morning session with interviewer Jeremy Rose was certainly challenging, requiring intense concentration to digest all he was saying in his strongly accented English.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOpening with a discussion of the looming 50th Anniversary of the Cultural Revolution, we get the first of many indications that what is commonly known and discussed in the West is, in contrast, just not talked about in China. The Anniversary is a taboo subject; discussion could reveal flaws so discussion is not condoned. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is Xu’s opinion that the Cultural Revolution, wherein Chairman Mao tried to impose a totalitarian system into every facet of Chinese life, poisoned the country. The economic and political reforms of the past thirty years had largely reversed this position, but with significant income inequality and a slowing economy causing widespread uncertainty and insecurity, there seems now to be a nostalgia among many for the totalitarianism of the past. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is however, in Xu’s circles, resistance to State control, and in 2006 Xu co-founded a bookshop in Beijing called One Way Street Library. Mirroring the likes of Shakespeare and Company in Paris, and City Lights in San Francisco, One Way Street (now called OWspace with three branches in Beijing and more to follow in other cities) hosts regular salons. These events, often led by well-known authors and artists, are aimed at stimulating conversations about topics relevant to today’s world.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInterestingly, he has never been harassed by the authorities but is very aware that what could be discussed four years ago is off the agenda now. Present day bookstore discussions revolve around the arts, whereas they would once have included hearty political debates. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis censorship, Xu tells us, is not laid down anywhere; there are no clear boundaries or guidelines – what may be acceptable one day may get you arrested the next. He shares a chilling metaphor of a snake wound around a chandelier. The shadow cast by the snake ensures you are always aware of its presence but most of the time it stays in position while you go about your daily life. However, it can strike at any time; you will have no warning and it will be fatal. It is this unpredictability which is so disempowering. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen asked about internationally acclaimed artist and strident political activist Ai Wei Wei’s release from prison Xu offers a few theories: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E-          Perhaps he was released as a result of both international and local pressure – he has rock star status in China.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E-          His use of social media (he has been hugely active on Sina Weibo, China’s biggest internet platform and more lately on Twitter) has ensured a widespread public profile.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E-          Perhaps his strength of character helped to sustain him throughout his imprisonment; he is of an earlier generation, who grew up in the Cultural Revolution and are consequently tougher than Xu’s generation and those following. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAgain, the uncertainty, the lack of consistency, the ever-shifting ground is made obvious in Xu’s lack of clarity. The poet Liu Xiaobo, awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China” while incarcerated, is still in prison today. Although internationally acclaimed, the tight media controls ensure Liu’s achievements are known by few in China (his name is censored).  It becomes clearer as the session continues that the Chinese authorities today are influenced by popular opinion but they carefully control what the public knows.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EChina’s leaders know only too well how the general populace love to see an official or chief executive jailed for corruption; their collective morality is outraged that such people set themselves above the rest of society. Consequently, panaceas such as the Anti-Corruption Drive are offered to the people to serve as distractions, shifting focus from the real issues facing China. An independent legal system, the freedom of the press, human rights, freedom of speech and the right to make personal choices; these, Xu tells us, are the fundamental pillars of a healthy society but they do not exist in today’s China. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe next topic, China’s one child policy, casts more light on the mind-set of the post Cultural Revolution generations. Initially introduced in 1978 as a purely physical solution to the burgeoning population issue, it was made possible by a citizenry well accustomed to totalitarian edicts and terrified by the consequences of not abiding. Aside from the horrors of sex-selected abortion, abandonment and infanticide, and the now skewed male\/female balance, Xu tells us of the unexpected social psychology phenomenon which has developed as a direct result of this policy.  The two generations since, born as “only” children, have never had the balancing influence of siblings to toughen them up and ensure they recognise their place as part of a whole (the family) and not the epicentre. Commonly referred to as “little emperors”, many are, according to Xu, “self-centred, narcissistic, over-protected, narrow minded and ruthless”. They want only to protect their lifestyle so the enticing distractions consumerism offers, along with a fear of reprisal, ensures they will not make a fuss when a fellow countryman who dared to speak out about an injustice is imprisoned.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHowever, it is not only Chinese disinterest that is to blame for the human rights abuses. Western leaders have in the past, when Communism was a dirty word, spoken out strongly against such abuses but now that China is a super power their tune has changed. Today’s Western leaders want a chunk of that phenomenal growth and so conveniently refrain from noticing that which may require criticism. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStill, despite such bleak days, Xu is optimistic that many of the new generation are more enlightened and he lives in hope that China can do beautiful things again as they have for thousands of years before. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd so the session ended but over the weeks following I have found myself returning to my notes again and again to ponder what he said. Surely, the sign of a great event!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E-- Simonne Le Masurier\u003C\/i\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5562831298940566024\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/05\/xu-zhiyuan-at-awf-2016-inside-real-china.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/5562831298940566024"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/5562831298940566024"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/05\/xu-zhiyuan-at-awf-2016-inside-real-china.html","title":"Xu Zhiyuan at AWF 2016: Inside the real China"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-yhsBQxpBqi8\/V0vCGrO_boI\/AAAAAAAABQg\/AuMuyfujW80ot1lRVYHT42xq52YCPlOoACLcB\/s72-c\/Xu_Zhiyuan.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-2346980839152473782"},"published":{"$t":"2016-05-24T19:16:00.000+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-05-25T22:29:42.153+12:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"#aklwritersfest"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Amber"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF 2016"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Carmen Aguirre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"memoir"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Carmen Aguirre at AWF 2016: \"Mexican Hooker #1\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003EAmber from Parnell Library tells us about discovering Carmen Aguirre and why she thinks you should too:\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-XPsuzpTX8po\/V0P6Ue-XjEI\/AAAAAAAABPk\/Lrqj_R5xcDAgHRnABqiYZQq6PfylI2mcACLcB\/s1600\/Aguirre.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-XPsuzpTX8po\/V0P6Ue-XjEI\/AAAAAAAABPk\/Lrqj_R5xcDAgHRnABqiYZQq6PfylI2mcACLcB\/s200\/Aguirre.jpg\" width=\"133\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781846272011\/mc.gif\u0026amp;client=elgar\u0026amp;type=snui\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781846272011\/mc.gif\u0026amp;client=elgar\u0026amp;type=snui\" height=\"200\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAre you put off by the title \u003Ci\u003EMexican Hooker #1\u003C\/i\u003E? If you are, you shouldn’t feel alone – it was a feeling I came across in more than one person whilst mutually flicking through the Auckland Writers Festival programme. While you shouldn’t feel alone, you should probably feel regretful, though, because this stiffness likely kept you from encountering the almost disconcertingly interesting Ms. Carmen Aguirre.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOften the first thing you will learn about Carmen Aguirre is that at a young age she was raped – it is unpleasant, it is painful to read about, painful to think about. It seemed confusing to people I encountered -- to give a book concerning your most abject memories a name so blunt, so tongue in cheek, so tacky, even. What is she thinking, a rape victim, referring to the sex industry in such a cavalier manner?? Perhaps those people are uncomfortable confronting their own misgivings about the differences between rape and sex. Fair enough.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHowever, you needn’t be uncomfortable, because Carmen definitely isn’t. She is incredibly matter of fact, pastoral even, as she relates to you her experiences with a diverse range of violence. In an hour with Carmen Aguirre, a person previously unfamiliar with her work (ie, me) will learn that she is a woman who has lived a life unimaginable to some (ie, most New Zealanders). A political refugee under Pinochet’s regime from the age of six (her family relocated to Canada) and a member of the Chilean resistance from 18, Aguirre’s life was always going to feature danger, trauma and the processes of “healing” – whatever that might be and however it would come about.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor Aguirre, theatrical training precipitated this healing process, and \u003Ci\u003EMexican Hooker #1\u003C\/i\u003E is an account of the dual experiences of becoming an actor (a very early calling) and being propelled into the therapeutic work of reconfronting and reappraising her rape. Aguirre travels to meet her rapist, the infamous John Horace Oughton, a kind of ‘bogeyman’ figure in the Canadian cultural landscape known as the ‘Paper Bag Rapist’, and for many this begs some questions, mainly, \"Why?\" If you’ve read any recent coverage of Aguirre’s book, you will likely know her answer – “Because I’d like to meet the man I’ve been in a relationship with for my entire life.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHer answer encapsulates what is so fascinating about her life, her holistic and realistic attitude towards her experiences, and what is so brilliant about her title. \u003Ci\u003EMexican Hooker #1\u003C\/i\u003E is a title that Aguirre says she had to fight her editors for, and I was happy to hear that because I love it. Aguirre sums it up with candor: the title is what it is because she literally played a character named “Mexican Hooker #1”, because she found herself completely and utterly typecast with no roles for women of colour on stage or television other than those very similar to ‘Mexican Hooker #1’, and lastly, heartbreakingly, because when she was raped at 13, her rapist called her ‘hooker’ repeatedly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf you think it all sounds a bit heavy, and are expecting an incredibly morose autobiographical depiction of a tarnished life, absolutely don’t. As well as being matter of fact, Carmen Aguirre is hilarious, and my favourite moment was her quip about those who write for catharsis, “If you are writing for catharsis, you are not writing – you are masturbating”. Her language was rather more colourful, but you get the idea. I happen to completely agree, and at that moment I fell in love with her.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo yes, it is ‘heavy’ but don’t worry -- she is not writing for catharsis, she is not gunning to make you cry. Aguirre’s story is also impressive, entertaining, and very true. Aguirre referred to herself as ‘a person who writes plays for brown people’ and recognition of the purposeful, material value of her work is important. She says (I’m probably misquoting, but never mind) that her parents always told her that if you are not working for your community, then you are not working in the right way. But while her story, and her writing, is important for victims of sexual assault, for women of colour, for actresses, for refugees, it is valuable to anyone. And if you're not intrigued by a woman who was part of a revolutionary movement and who can make you cackle within the context of confronting the issue of rape, then I wouldn't know what to offer you. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou can, and really should, read \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb3164557\"\u003EMexican Hooker #1\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E and Aguirre's first book, \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb3220572\"\u003ESomething Fierce\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E--Amber\u003C\/i\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2346980839152473782\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/05\/carmen-aguirre-at-awf-2016-mexican.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2346980839152473782"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2346980839152473782"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/05\/carmen-aguirre-at-awf-2016-mexican.html","title":"Carmen Aguirre at AWF 2016: \"Mexican Hooker #1\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-XPsuzpTX8po\/V0P6Ue-XjEI\/AAAAAAAABPk\/Lrqj_R5xcDAgHRnABqiYZQq6PfylI2mcACLcB\/s72-c\/Aguirre.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-1822885146064588149"},"published":{"$t":"2016-05-23T23:52:00.000+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-05-23T23:52:21.049+12:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"#aklwritersfest"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF 2016"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Maria"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"New Zealand fiction"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Patrick Evans"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Patrick Evans at AWF 2016: \"The literary club\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003EMaria Mitenkova from the Readers Services team at Central Library reads and studies New Zealand literature, and this wonderful session chaired by Kate De Goldi was her first -- and singularly wise -- choice from the Festival line-up. Here's her report:\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-c-pkd8ba4UA\/V0Lmf0bgVCI\/AAAAAAAABPI\/fJu0Rx1CWP87HYbZRkTXZQV-K3ucpt36gCLcB\/s1600\/Patrick%2BEvans.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-c-pkd8ba4UA\/V0Lmf0bgVCI\/AAAAAAAABPI\/fJu0Rx1CWP87HYbZRkTXZQV-K3ucpt36gCLcB\/s320\/Patrick%2BEvans.jpg\" width=\"204\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781776560462\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781776560462\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"320\" width=\"208\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPrior to this session, I only knew Patrick Evans for his scholarly work. I might have read a couple of his articles on Janet Frame, and I liked his \u003Ci\u003EThe Long Forgetting: Post-colonial literary culture in New Zealand\u003C\/i\u003E, a must-read for the paper on New Zealand Literature I took last semester at Auckland University.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite the common stereotype of academics, that they cannot write, there have been enough examples of scholars engaged in writing fiction, and I’m sure a few of them have even done well. For this reason, I was not too surprised to learn that Emeritus Professor Patrick Evans, who taught New Zealand Literature at the University of Canterbury for 46 years, is also an author of novels and plays. It might even be fun and entertaining, I thought, remembering his academic texts as notably accessible and not at all dry or tedious.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was fun, indeed. The audience could not help but laugh as Patrick Evans read an abstract from his fourth novel \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb3063330\"\u003EThe back of his head\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, a hilarious and troubling satire on literary fame featuring \"a white male author behaving badly\". Critics have regarded the book as “nasty funny”, the author said modestly but with dignity. As in his fiction, he was smart and funny in his talk, so that the atmosphere of the session quickly livened up.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI really liked his dry intelligent jokes with a blank expressionless face. Especially the ones that I got. As often happens with deadpan humour, at times it is hard to say if the speaker is being serious or not. He is a great storyteller, I thought. His lectures must have been fantastic. Lucky students!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMeanwhile, Patrick Evans seems to be happier outside of academia, enjoying the spare time he can finally devote to his fiction. “An academic career prevents writing”, he smirked in answer to the question on wearing the hats of both a writer and scholar. “University work is stressful, demanding and exhausting, so you cannot really do much.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen asked to comment on modern New Zealand literature, Patrick Evans said he wished local novels were less middle-class and more based on New Zealand literary tradition. Why should a novel be nice? Why should a character be likeable? Why does one need to get pleasure from reading? What if there is no happy ending?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHe encouraged New Zealand authors to be braver in their writing and push the boundaries of what is moral by saying yes to wild, crazy, wonderful stuff. “How do you get people to read such texts?” was a question from the audience. “People’s minds have to be changed”, he replied authoritatively, “their reading habits need to be reassessed.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFeeling absolutely thrilled after the talk,  I immediately bought Patrick Evans's third and possibly most acclaimed novel, \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2514886\"\u003EThe gifted\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003C\/i\u003E which, I learned, is loosely based on Frank Sargeson and Janet Frame, two New Zealand classics whose fiction and life stories have both excited me hugely since long ago.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt took me a while to make my way to the author to get the book signed. Not because of a long queue; rather, it was the time Patrick Evans spent talking to each of his readers. I was fully rewarded when he talked to me just as much, quietly responding to my praise of his scholarly work with the same serious face and a wry intelligent smile.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E-- \u003Ci\u003EMaria\u003C\/i\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1822885146064588149\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/05\/patrick-evans-at-awf-2016-literary-club.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/1822885146064588149"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/1822885146064588149"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/05\/patrick-evans-at-awf-2016-literary-club.html","title":"Patrick Evans at AWF 2016: \"The literary club\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-c-pkd8ba4UA\/V0Lmf0bgVCI\/AAAAAAAABPI\/fJu0Rx1CWP87HYbZRkTXZQV-K3ucpt36gCLcB\/s72-c\/Patrick%2BEvans.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}}]}});