Thursday, May 25, 2006

Sydney Writer's Festival

I'm having a horseshoe up my arse moment - tomorrow evening I get to see Edmund White as part of the Sydney Writer's Festival. Le Flaneur is one of my favourite little books, and he's a fascinating person with a fascinating life story. I really have to read more of his books.

He is a master of letters and eloquence and one of the most important literary figures of America. He’s also lived an extraordinary life. He’ll talk about what it was like to grow up homosexual in Middle America in the 50s, his love of Paris, being a flaneur and his outstanding body of work with ABC Radio National’s Ramona Koval.

Before that, I'll be seeing Andrea Stretton interview Elaine Lewis, who I hadn't heard about until pouring over the festival program, but she sounds great.

At a time when her friends were retiring and spending time with their grandchildren, Elaine Lewis packed her bags and decamped to Paris to open the first Australian bookshop on the Left Bank. Her bookshop became a home away from home for Australian writers and artists in Paris and she played host to events, readings, and midnight swims in the Seine. She talks to Andrea Stretton about living your dream.

Update: Both talks were very good. Elaine Lewis was very inspiring, as is Andrea Stretton and the way she interviews. Edmund White was fantastic, although the interview was quite poor, David Marr bypassing any conversation on Paris or flanerie. I can't wait to read his autobiography, and the book he mentionned he was writing, on the art of conversation.

2 Comments:

Blogger Claire said...

I am going out to buy Le Flaneur tomorrow, I hadn't heard of it.

Since I consider myself a flaneuse?!

3:45 AM  
Blogger Julia said...

Oh, you need this book, it's wonderful.

As for being flaneuses, I named my travel blog Une Flaneuse as that's definitely what I am too.

8:31 AM  

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