Firstly congratulations to Kathy on birth of nephew!
I missed the opening night of Readers and Writers and scoured the Dompost for a review (?) – didn’t appear to be one. But, on Wednesday I caught up with Robert Hass (chair Bill Manhire). Robert (looking older than photograph in brochure) has the perfect pitch and timbre for poetry reading and was gracious enough to recall and quote some lines from Bill’s poetry. Plus some poetry of Czeslaw Milosz (Polish-Californian-neighbour of Roberts) – whom Robert had translated. And then treated us to a compelling poem of his own about war – and talked about the role of poetry to “enchant and disenchant”. Strongest image in poem is of a Russian solider rapist who forces the mouth of his victim open and spits into it…

Oh, and as we are talking about new born babies earlier on….Hass’s interpretation of Derrida is that we are all born, and then spend the rest of our lives looking for the nipple saying wah, wah, wah…..

Then, next up was Aleksandar Hemon (chair Fergus Barrowman) but unfortunately there was a problem with the sound system (believe it or not, someone dropped their hearing aid) – and there was a loud ringing noise throughout the session (unless of course you suffer from tinnitus and you wouldn’t have noticed). Anyway, along with Aleksandar’s very rapid reading of his prose (and strong accent) it was difficult to really appreciate his literary talent. More than one or two people got up and left the theatre… But, afterwards, when chatting with Fergus, he was much easier to hear (in spite of ringing noise) and discussed the idea of ethnicity and citizenship and nationhood and importantly the right of the writer, to write about war (Bosnia) using imagination to create literature, as opposed to the current trend for “fact, memoir, the real thing” – and how literature can come closer to the collective truth, than the individual story (or something along those lines). I will see (hear) him again in The war Zone on Saturday and look forward to it.

I then missed my rendezvous with Nuruddin Farah (who according to a friend was ‘lovely’) because I got distracted by the amazing aerial photographic exhibition at Waitangi Park and forgot the time.

Got back in time to listen to Nigel Cox. I saw the Jewish Museum in Berlin a few years ago but I have not read any of his novels – after listening to him, I want to read them all. He read from Skylark Lounge (his best work he says) a very funny extract about a hitch-hiker heading through Bulls with a Mrs Grinley (I think) which really hit the spot with the audience. He was a big success and one of our lovely locals.

Then, it was time for a Pinot Gris in the bar, and hubby joined me to listen to Robert Fisk (chair Linda Clark) – but Robert doesn’t need a chair – he is a one-man-band – so fired up and enthused about his topic that it is exhausting and exciting. It was a sell out, and of course he is talking to the converted…but we bought a hardback copy of his book for our son in London and queued (as you do) for this great man’s signature. I did quite enjoy it when Linda talked about his ‘empathy’ for the people in Iraq, and he corrected her and said it was not empathy but ‘sympathy’ – quite a telling difference I felt. Also he told us how his Dad (now deceased) had fought at Battle of Somme, bravely declined (under official instruction) to shoot an Australian deserter, and then became as he got older, a reactionary right-wing racist and was estranged from both his wife and Robert.
Right, I’ve got more:

Today I did some work…and then at 3.45 I joined all the other Frame enthusiasts to listen to: Elizabeth Alley, Bill Manhire, Janet Frame’s niece Pamela Gordon, and Jan Cronin talk about Janet’s poetry. They had a picture of Janet in an ‘impish’ pose at the back of the panel and we heard a reading by Janet from twenty years ago at the first ever Readers and Writers – very nice indeed. I purchased a copy of ‘Goose Bath’ and fondled its hard cover and just think how lucky we are to claim her as our own.

Then, another Pinot Gris, in the very warm sunshine (yes, indeed) and joined the converted once again to listen to Ronald Wright ‘A Short History of Progress’ – highlight was meeting a sweet old chap and his wife at the entrance who had travelled all the way from Palmy to hear Ronald – they’d heard him on the National Programme last year and couldn’t wait to see the real thing. Enjoyed Ronald’s comment at the end about homo sapiens being the profile of a repeat offender…kinda cute… and we all nodded and agreed, and sped off in our SUV’s and home to our outdoor gas heaters (like I said, its preaching to the converted!).

Tomorrow is a big day – fully booked, Michael Cunningham, Michelle de Kretser, More of Robert Fisk with John Campbell etc..and then, the irrepressible Simon Armitage…. I don’t do narcotics, but this feels goooood…..

Phew! Good on you, Maggie. I am also exhausted by this new form of ecstasy but not planning to stop until tomorrow afternoon and the final event. Some other highlights -- Louise Erdrich reading a poem she'd scrawled in her diary inspired by NZPost (the sponsors) and imagining which stamp you'd place beside a stamp of George Bush - perhaps a child who's head has been blown from its bones? Lindal Gordon quoting someone on the difference between biography and fiction, 'fiction is the art of the possible while biography is the art of the probable.' Confessing too, that she'd missed South Africa so much on moving to New York that she became almost catatonic and needed shock treatment to recover. Michael Cunninghame saying for writing to be any good, writers should write where they are uncomfortable, but he didn't advocate writing that 'buzzed' at the expense of the beautifully crafted sentence. Australian Sri Lankan MIchele de Kretser speaking enchantingly about the muddle colonialism creates, herself a prime example: a woman of Sri Lankan/Dutch heritage with dark skin, the name of white woman and a longing for cauliflower cheese! Teresia Teaiwa's poems about missing Fiji, and the sad realisation that an adopted home doesn't have to love its daughter. The wonderful Janet Frame tribute which almost seemed, if you squinched your eyes up, to have her there. Especially when Bill Manhire read the poem called Appearing -- which was Bill channelling Janet who was clearly having the last laugh. And just tonight, we had the Prize in Modern Letters, and six emerging NZ writers of international stature reading terrific prose and poetry. Carl Shuker (The Method Actors) won the $65,000, which was terribly exciting especially as I was standing just behind him and if I squinched my eyes up I could almost imagine..... All thanks to the tireless Writers and Readers Week crew especially my friend Rosemary Norman who retires from the committee after eight years.

Thanks Mary, I was going to come on and drool about Michael and Michelle (and applaud both chairs Damien and Jane) -
Did lunch with Rick Gecoski and John Campbell.
Very entertaining. Rick has perfected the art of comic timing, has a huge and likeable ego and gave some great inside stuff on the Booker Prize this year... which sort of relates to a deluge of emails a few weeks back about prizes. It seems the five judges this year, all chose different books!
So, how did John Banville win? He had Rick on his side and Rick went in with a strategy (wife coached him the night before) - so he hijacked the chair (more or less), and got the casting vote to go his way. It was between "On Beauty" (which i loved) and "The Sea" (which I haven't read). But, after all the debate re beautiful prose (as promoted by Michael Cunningham) and the "buzz"
(as talked about by Nigel Cox) - it seems that "On Beauty" is a cracking good story, intelligent etc, and "The Sea" is beautiful prose (according to Rick who read "The Sea" five times). What intrigued me, is that all five judges had a second choice they all liked, but it lost out - can't even recall what book it was - but I wonder if that ought to have been the winner??

And just a plug for John Campbell - how can he stay say cute, so young, and so sincere. A woman from Australia at our brunch table wanted to know if he scrunched his eyes closed and put his head in his hand on telly - and I said 'no' - just when he's talking to us. He was impressive on the panel with Robert Fisk, Karl du Fresne, (Rod Oram chair).

And, I'll stop in a mo... but Simon Armitage...oh wow. Real poetry for real people. The Northern accent is an aphrodisiac. Loved the poem about the family crossing the causeway and everyone following (the English love to queue).

Nearly finished - just a huge plug for our local panel - Fiona Kidman, Jenny Pattrick, Judith Binney and Charlotte Macdonald - looking at history and truth, fact and fiction... excellent stuff and good to see local content!!

Sorry I forgot... Joe Sacco was great -