Although it wasn’t advertised as such, we could have guessed that homosexuality would dominate the conversation. The opening event of the Manchester Literature Festival, co-presented by the University’s Centre for New Writing, bought together two leading gay writers to discuss their work and the culture in which they operate.
Rather than sticking to the traditional format of readings, each author began by presenting a short talk, discussing what gay literature meant to them, and how they saw homosexual culture developing. Their contrasting methods of delivery told us much about their respective authorial styles. Toibin went first. Speaking without notes, he regaled the audience with anecdotes from his Irish upbringing, discussing the complex process of negotiation, whereby gay culture existed subtly under the surface of society, recognised by some and ignored by those who did not want to see.
He contrasted this with his experience of Buenos Aries, in the 1980s post-Junta reconciliation process. Here, he said, gay men were entirely closeted, which he compared to the silence which had also existed around the deposed regime’s campaign of torture and disappearance (he was also able to make a number of wry remarks about the takeover of the country by the IMF, ‘the people who now walk the streets of Dublin, in broad daylight’). Touchingly, he mentioned that Hollinghurst’s The Swimming Pool Library had found its way to Argentina, in English, and been taken up as a liberating text for this voiceless subculture.
The process of negotiation, of adopting one’s persona to situations and striving for acceptance, had heavily influenced his own writing, and it was also a theme which Hollinghurst touched on. Unlike Toibin, he spoke from a prepared text, but still managed to mix personal anecdotes about boarding school with literary history, to discuss an old-fashioned, hidden, gay culture, represented through secret symbols. In particular, he discussed EM Forster’s decision to give up writing due to his inability to publicly discuss his sexuality.
The discussion session was hosted by David Alderson, of Manchester University, who opened with a rambling question which went on for so long that most people had forgotten how it started by the time he came to an end. The first question from the audience also came from a lecturer, giving the dread impression that this whole evening represented a faculty night out for the English department. However, the range of questions did broaden out, and the authors spoke wittily and openly about their work. Surprisingly for such a great stylist, Hollinghurst stated that he didn’t think about his own writing style at all, although he admitted that he enjoyed writing the ‘bad poetry’ and false journals of The Stranger’s Child, perhaps more than he enjoyed writing in his own narrative voice.
Both authors were asked why they hadn’t tackled the subject of AIDS in their work. Rather bravely, Hollinghurst replied that he simply hadn’t found an artistically satisfying way of addressing the issue, saying that it would feel like ‘documentary’ instead of literature. Both seemed wary of the expectation that as homosexual authors, they were required to write on certain themes; indeed, they saw a potential end to the need for gay writing, as barriers were broken down. Toibin mentioned that female writers such as Anne Proulx were now writing great fiction about gay men, adding with mock horror, ‘We’ll have to start writing about straights!’
Alan Hollinghurst was clearly one of the Literature festival’s big hitters, and he didn’t disappoint, forming an entertaining partnership with Toibin. As someone who had never read any of Toibin’s novels, I was particularly impressed by his wit and enthusiasm – he certainly seems to be a greater asset to the University of Manchester than Martin Amis ever was, and I will definitely be ordering some of his books. The authors engaged honestly with the questions asked of them, and it was a great opportunity to watch two prominent literary figures bouncing ideas off one another. To end the event, Toibin asked Hollinghurst about the use of architecture in his books, sounding genuinely fascinated by his answer.
In many ways, I think it is fringe events which make a festival truly entertaining, but this event set a high standard for the commercial side of MLF, and both authors are well worth seeking out at public appearances.
No comments:
Post a Comment