So for the last nine days Oxford has been (more) full of authors, journalists and avid literature fans for the literary festival. Not one to be left out, I got involved as a volunteer.
As a volunteer I was part of a team responsible for setting up the rooms, checking tickets, running the microphones around during the questions and tidying up at the end. Doesn't sound that exiting but came with the perk of being able to attend the talks you were stewarding for free and occasionally meeting an author (even if you don't recognise them and ask to see their ticket - embarrassing but we've all been there right). This was really good as it gave me a chance to go see talks that I might not have gone to and that I would have missed out on. And of course you get access to some of the beautiful colleges that are closed to the public.
So between the two days I worked I saw:
As a volunteer I was part of a team responsible for setting up the rooms, checking tickets, running the microphones around during the questions and tidying up at the end. Doesn't sound that exiting but came with the perk of being able to attend the talks you were stewarding for free and occasionally meeting an author (even if you don't recognise them and ask to see their ticket - embarrassing but we've all been there right). This was really good as it gave me a chance to go see talks that I might not have gone to and that I would have missed out on. And of course you get access to some of the beautiful colleges that are closed to the public.
So between the two days I worked I saw:
Alexandra Harris talking about Virginia Woolf
This was a really interesting talk about the woman behind the books. She talked about Virginia before she was married, her attempts at eccentricity and her trying to figure out who she was. Most people focus on her mental illness, the suffering in her work and her suicide so it was nice to learn about the happier times in her life. I really felt like Virginia Woolf was a lady I could be friends with.
Barry Millington talking to David Freeman about Richard Wagner: The Sorcerer of Bayreuth
With many musical accompaniments, this was a chance to learn more about Wagner. This wasn't my particular area of interest but when someone is so passionate about a subject it's hard not to catch their enthusiasm so I found myself getting into it. While most of the questions related to Wagner's association with Hitler, I was more interested in Wagner's love of fine fabrics and pink as I just would not have expected that from a composer of such dramatic music.
Alison MacLeod, Joanna Trollope, Andrew O'Hagan, Lionel Shriver and Andrew Holgate teaching us How to Write a Successful Short Story
I missed the start of this but I was there long enough to learn a lot about the inspiration and process behind writing a short story. It was really interesting to hear how many different things you can fit into a short story and I found a new respect for a perhaps often forgotten form. The panel also discussed the six short stories shortlisted in this year's Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award which I obviously now want to go out and read.
Wendy Moore on How to Create the Perfect Wife
Now this sounded like it was going to be a humour book but it was actually a book about the true story of Georgian gentleman Thomas Day who adopted two girls and tried to raise himself the perfect wife. It sounds sensational but it's true as Wendy proved through her research into the story. She not only proved that this happened but traced the girl he selected for his wife and found out what happened to her when Day decided she didn't quite meet his expectations. And you thought soap operas were dramatic.
Jane Sanderson and Ronald Frame talking to David Freeman about What makes period literature and drama so popular?
Downton Abbey came up a lot in this debate but not always in a positive light. The hype around it perhaps helped a lot of period authors submitting at the time to get their book published but then this came with the dreaded "if you liked Downton you'll like this" branding. The authors also discussed the difference between TV and film adaptations of books compared to written for TV period stories which are more like modern TV in fancy dress than an accurate glimpse into the past. The talk went a bit off topic and covered a variety of issues from author pigeon-holing, digital advances in writing and how to write in different voices but the message that came across most was that authors, of whatever genre, are primarily entertainers, something that gets forgotten too often.
Mohammed Achaari on his upcoming novel The Arch and the Butterfly
Through a translator, we learned about the story of a family who come to terms with finding out that their son is dead and that he died as a suicide bomber. This book is not primarily about terrorism, although it adds another angle to it, but about family and community and how people cope with tragedy. It's a traditional story of love and loss set in a very un-traditional setting. Obviously the discussion turned to politics, the Arabic Spring and terrorism but Achaari always brought discussion back to the people and I really respected this.
Mark Atherton on There and Back Again: Tolkien and the Origins of the Hobbit
Another chance to hear about the author behind the book and to learn some of the more domestic elements of Tolkien's life. I did not know he was born in South Africa for instance and I had no idea he loved founding groups and societies so much. It was interesting to see how his love of ancient languages and story telling developed until they gave us the books of Middle Earth we all know.
This was a really interesting talk about the woman behind the books. She talked about Virginia before she was married, her attempts at eccentricity and her trying to figure out who she was. Most people focus on her mental illness, the suffering in her work and her suicide so it was nice to learn about the happier times in her life. I really felt like Virginia Woolf was a lady I could be friends with.
Barry Millington talking to David Freeman about Richard Wagner: The Sorcerer of Bayreuth
With many musical accompaniments, this was a chance to learn more about Wagner. This wasn't my particular area of interest but when someone is so passionate about a subject it's hard not to catch their enthusiasm so I found myself getting into it. While most of the questions related to Wagner's association with Hitler, I was more interested in Wagner's love of fine fabrics and pink as I just would not have expected that from a composer of such dramatic music.
Alison MacLeod, Joanna Trollope, Andrew O'Hagan, Lionel Shriver and Andrew Holgate teaching us How to Write a Successful Short Story
I missed the start of this but I was there long enough to learn a lot about the inspiration and process behind writing a short story. It was really interesting to hear how many different things you can fit into a short story and I found a new respect for a perhaps often forgotten form. The panel also discussed the six short stories shortlisted in this year's Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award which I obviously now want to go out and read.
Wendy Moore on How to Create the Perfect Wife
Now this sounded like it was going to be a humour book but it was actually a book about the true story of Georgian gentleman Thomas Day who adopted two girls and tried to raise himself the perfect wife. It sounds sensational but it's true as Wendy proved through her research into the story. She not only proved that this happened but traced the girl he selected for his wife and found out what happened to her when Day decided she didn't quite meet his expectations. And you thought soap operas were dramatic.
Jane Sanderson and Ronald Frame talking to David Freeman about What makes period literature and drama so popular?
Downton Abbey came up a lot in this debate but not always in a positive light. The hype around it perhaps helped a lot of period authors submitting at the time to get their book published but then this came with the dreaded "if you liked Downton you'll like this" branding. The authors also discussed the difference between TV and film adaptations of books compared to written for TV period stories which are more like modern TV in fancy dress than an accurate glimpse into the past. The talk went a bit off topic and covered a variety of issues from author pigeon-holing, digital advances in writing and how to write in different voices but the message that came across most was that authors, of whatever genre, are primarily entertainers, something that gets forgotten too often.
Mohammed Achaari on his upcoming novel The Arch and the Butterfly
Through a translator, we learned about the story of a family who come to terms with finding out that their son is dead and that he died as a suicide bomber. This book is not primarily about terrorism, although it adds another angle to it, but about family and community and how people cope with tragedy. It's a traditional story of love and loss set in a very un-traditional setting. Obviously the discussion turned to politics, the Arabic Spring and terrorism but Achaari always brought discussion back to the people and I really respected this.
Mark Atherton on There and Back Again: Tolkien and the Origins of the Hobbit
Another chance to hear about the author behind the book and to learn some of the more domestic elements of Tolkien's life. I did not know he was born in South Africa for instance and I had no idea he loved founding groups and societies so much. It was interesting to see how his love of ancient languages and story telling developed until they gave us the books of Middle Earth we all know.
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