Helen talks to Claire about fictional(?) Helen



Helen Garner was in conversation with Claire Scobie at Gleebooks this evening. Much as I love community writing and community arts, it was a relief after my recent outings to be sitting in the audience while a couple of pros chatted about the craft, actually even the art, of writing. A friend had re-ordered a copy of The Spare Room as a birthday present for me, and I picked it up at the counter on the way in. So I was clutching my own copy of the book all through the talk. I am not among those who think Helen Garner is the feminist antichrist because of The First Stone, nor did I find the narrative voice of The Consolations of Joe Cinque intrusive (or whatever the common beef is). I didn't much care for Monkey Grip, but I did read the 'sex education in the classroom' article in Digger in the 1970s that got Helen sacked from her teaching job and launched her writing career. I guess that makes me a longterm fan.

On our way in Penny bought a copy of Rhyll McMaster's The Feather Man, recently announced as inaugural winner of the Barbara Jefferis Award. It turned out Rhyll McMAster was sitting directly in front of me, so even though I'm not big on getting books signed, I summoned my gumption and seized the moment:
Me: Excuse me for intruding on your privacy, but would you mind signing this.
Rhyll: (clearly not offended) I'm happy to sign. (She does.)
Me: (trying hard to remember the title The Brineshrimp and coming up with Sea Monkeys but knowing it's wrong) I've been an admirer of your poetry for many years.
Rhyll: I haven't written any poetry for seven years, while I've been working on this.
Me: I hope you haven't said goodbye to it altogether.

Across the aisle from me was a woman who removed a Lonely Planet travel book from a Dymock's bag (this was Gleebooks, remember), began reading it ten minutes or so before Helen and Claire appeared, and continued reading it throughout the event. I wish I'd had enough gumption to ask her about this behaviour, which amazed and puzzled me.

Helen Garner herself was a pleasure. She speaks with a kind of intellectual excitement that I find very congenial. Tonight she spoke mainly about death and the complex emotions that accompany it, and her attempt to represent them truthfully in this novel. She spoke eloquently about the need to face the murk, and I found myself remembering many moments of complex emotion surrounding the deaths of people I've been close to. I'm looking forward to the book very much.

One final note before I'm off to bed: I'd got the impression from somewhere that there was a generational divide over Helen Garner, that younger feminists in general dissociated themselves from her. I've suspected that this impression was created by the press and an organised campaign on the part of people who felt personally attacked by The First Stone. Tonight it appeared from the question time that at least some young women are quite the opposite of hostile. The only odd question came from a white-haired woman, who appeared to praise older men for killing themselves rather than becoming irresponsible burdens like older women.

Posted: Thu - April 10, 2008 at 09:52 PM           |

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