Here's a little puzzle for people who habitually read literary journalism, especially in Australia.
What is quite unusual about this piece by Ian Rankin? What does it have that we don't often see in articles about literary favourites and highlights, or indeed in literary journalism at all?
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Women.
Well spotted.
Also, a sense of celebration, instead of angst-ridden navel gazing.
And an emphasis on literary quality rather than what's topical at any given moment, from writers rather than politicians.
Generosity.
Lack of cynicism and pseudo-intellectual show-offery
The answer, which Deborah got in one, was 'women'. But all these other suggestions are true, too.
Lovely enthusiasm
Clem
All of the above - plus the dreamiest red sofa I've ever yearned for.
Yes I would have thought all or most of the above. No adversariality, political sniping, rancour and tub thumping, just the sense of an opportunity to get out, enjoy and live.
Fancy having the opportunity to meet people like Pinter, Spark and Carter, but!
For me, as others have said, it's the wide-eyed amazement in the piece - Rankin remains so in love with the idea of books and writing and thinking.
All of the things people have mentioned, yes. But many other people do also do some or all of these things; lots and lots of people love literary festivals, and lots are generous, though it's true that Rankin does seem a particularly nice dude.
But framing the post as a question was intended as a rhetorical device. The reason the piece struck me and the reason I posted a link to it was very specific. It's almost unheard-of, in my experience, for a man in the literary world to write a 'favourites' or 'highlights' piece that quite naturally and with obvious sincerity includes the names of not just one but four women writers as part of the best of his experiences. I'm sure he didn't deliberately think 'Ooh, must put in some women' and probably isn't even aware that he did so, which would be the best thing of all. That's what struck me with great force about this piece. It's just really, really, really unusual. And I find it very sad that it should be so remarkable.
I'd add: there is no aside about the audience being heavy on the older women (and older people generally). Perhaps this isn't the case in the UK but I hear this sneer sometimes in Australia.
Hooray for the Spiegeltent, it comes to Melbourne every year!
Woman yes, actually existing and doing things. I was also struck by how he can give an "overview" of the event having visited it so much over time. And how in Australia we get "arts journalists" who have no sense of the body of work that a long term event offers. We get the festival/event re-invented for us based on the current press release. As someone who has run festivals this seems to me the most frustrating thing, that one gets the "so what's it all about?" question every year, over and over again.
Thought of you, and this thread, and even earlier threads last night at State Library in Melbourne.
The family and I attended the Wheeler Centre to hear a public discussion on Ruth Park - we all love her, from The Muddle-Headed Wombat through to the Surry Hills books - the lot. It was a lovely presentation, but the host, whose name I am still seeking, mentioned towards the end when talk of awards popped up, that the Miles Franklin was being decided about 50 metres from where we sat, at the very same moment.
There'd been some tales of the relationship between Miles and Ruth, and he suggested at one point that if only we'd planned ahead, we could storm the presentation with "REMEMBER RUTH PARK" placards.
Oh, how we laffed!
WR: eolagbar - it's not James Joyce day is it?
It's very late to comment on your post about Dante's Inferno, but I felt I had to let you know how that post has led to an enrichment of my reading experiences over the past few weeks - just following threads wherever they led, I've encountered a wealth of litery criticism so easily accessible and informative.
Thanks also for your link to themedusavtheodalisque blogspot. I no longer can afford to subscribe to many publications and have missed the input.
O/T
Sorry to comment here rather than on the relevant thread on FB, but OS problems have locked me out of commenting there. Hoping you have a speedy recovery *raises glass to RN*!
You're not well? I don't follow facebook.
Wishing you the best.
-Robert.
Thanks for kind comments. Am getting better now. I was hoping to write a post about the last two weeks and the hospital experience, but I've had to hurl myself straight back into working life, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
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