Sunday 10 June 2012

Books And Talking About Them





Living in the English countryside, even as far away from easy access to cities, and therefore centres of culture, as we do, is not as bad as one might expect, once the season of summer festivals is upon us. And not only festivals gladden the heart, people also rediscover the joys of entertaining and to those who belong in such circles, invitations to luncheons, tea parties and suppers are issued with as lavish a hand as at Christmas; the only thing missing is the tinsel. Bunting is not usually in evidence, although at present, post-Jubilee, there are still traces of such misguided decoration visible;  ones friends would never indulge in such obvious bad taste. Naturally.

The annual two-week, not-for-profit literary festival at Hay-on-Wye is nearing its end. The festival celebrated its 25th year with a grand programme of international writers and thinkers; Hay-onWye is the bibliophile's Mecca, every second house is stuffed full of books for sale, and it's a must-visit little town at any time of year for us.

I am not so fond of writers who only come to publicise their new books and spend their allotted hour on reading excerpts. Jeanette Winterson was one who did just that. She is a good speaker and very funny and although "Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal", her new memoir,  is certainly a book I shall buy, I didn't need her to read quite so much of it. I loved her first memoir/faction, "Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit" and this book promises to be as good.

An interview with Mario Vargas Llosa, the Peruvian writer who won the 2010 Nobel Prize for literature was more to my liking; he spoke about his life as well as his latest oeuvre, a book on Roger Casement, the humanitarian campaigner and Irish patriot, revolutionary and nationalist, whom the British executed for treason in 1916. The friend I was with had interviewed Llosa for the BBC when he stood for the presidency in his country. She won't mind me saying how very ineffectual and lack-lustre Llosa had been on that occasion, almost as though he was hardly interested in the job at all.

He spoke well, although he kept saying lee-gends instead of legends, which confused me at first. (Okay, I know I'm being petty.) The good thing about these readings, interviews and lectures, is that members of the audience can question the speaker afterwards and Llosa certainly didn't have it all his own way.

A.C. Grayling is a less well-known name; I enjoyed his lecture because anyone speaking on reading and thinking, without visible support in the form of lecture notes, has my vote. Grayling is a philosopher, he has probably given this lecture a zillion times before; but it was the first time I heard him and, although he said nothing earth-shatteringly new,  I agreed with every word he said. It probably means that he was one of the few speakers at the festival whom I could follow easily; sometimes I feel such a fool when both the people on the stage and in the audience leave me sitting in dumb ignorance. I should have got used to it by now, it happens a lot.




Leaving Hay-on-Wye we took the route back into England via the toll bridge at Whitney-on-Wye, just a few miles down the road. The toll house is a Grade II listed building and the board has the following message:

In November 1774 a bill was put before Parliament for the erection of a bridge over the river Wye at Whitney. 


Between 1774 and 1795 three bridges were built, each with five stone arches. All were in turn washed away by floods.


In July 1796 a new bill was put before Parliament proposing a fourth bridge with the three centre arches constructed of timber. The timber specified was Greenheart, noted for its durability.


The bridge was a privately funded venture and remained with the same family and its descendants until sold in 1981.


The present owner bought it in 2002 and kept the Tolls unchanged at their 1990 levels. The Auto Toll was introduced in 2004 and local charities benefit from surplus funds.


Income is tax-free and estimated at £2000 per week. I believe the bridge is back on the market  as of 2012. Interested?



This contribution is offered to Tess Kincaid's Magpie Tales No. 121. For more contributions click on the link.



52 comments:

  1. Friko, did you buy any books at Hay-on-Wye, that's what I want to know.

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  2. I know the little toll house and bridge quite well, as a friend lives near there. I find it rather hard to imagine that the tolls are £2000 a week but admit I have never actually looked in to it! You do live in a really lovely part of the world.

    I have never been attracted to literary festivals and must be one of the few keen readers in the world who can say that!

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  3. I've read both of the Winterson books you mention, Friko - "Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal" just a month ago. I really enjoyed it, especially since I was raised by a fundamentalist mother. Fortunately my mother was not cruel nor crazy like the mother Winterson portrays in her memoir.

    I've frequently been amazed at how people who seem rather 'hum-drum' in the flesh can produce such amazing reads. Perhaps all that they suppress in life finally finds voice in the pages.

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  4. Hay-on-Wye sounds like where avid readers go when they die.

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  5. Hello:
    A strangely timely post for only this morning we were in discussion with friends, he is in charge of the British Council here in Budapest, lately returned from the Hay Festival which, we all concluded, was rather better years ago in its infancy. We rather like JW's work but, total prejudice, we rather think that we should not particularly care for her.

    And of books, today we are fighting over a rereading of 'The Turn of the Screw' having only last night seen a superb production of Britten's opera given by the Hungarian-English Opera Company of whom we had not previously heard and who are to be thoroughly recommended.

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  6. Friko. your photos surpass any story written in a book! They are good enough to eat...

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  7. Thank you for referring me to a book I shall be ordering...Llosa's view of Casement will be bound to interest me.
    I went to the Hay bookfest a couple of times years ago...the first time was interesting, the second time the conflict of pomposities...writers on one hand, audience members anxious to be seen to be heard on the other...overcame the curiosity value.

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  8. I'm always happy when a blogger I follow recommends books I don't know. There is nothing at all like that festival over here, at least not for thousands of Kms. Once in a while one of the two bookstores in town (two independents and then there's one big box store) will bring in an author for a reading, but otherwise it's a wasteland.
    Bunting? Is it really bad taste? I love it and have downloaded some coloured examples to make for a summer party.

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  9. Your outing sounds wonderful. Thanks for the recommendations on the books.

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  10. It's been a few years since I went to Hay Festival but I loved it. The town really is a book lover's dream, isn't it?

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  11. Interesting post- I'll read the "Why Be Happy When YOu Can Be Normal " book- and honestly I didn't know some family could "own" a bridge.

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  12. Wow. You get some outstanding names for living in the country. I am impressed and jealous. Our recent "big name" was one of the American Idol singers and the museum didn't even break even on the tickets!

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  13. I feel badly for authors, having to do the circuit, as they are now expected to do. I'm not surprised that the results are mixed when hearing from them in person, after all, at bottom, it's a solitary pursuit. Yet it is a pleasure when an author is able to convey something of his or her process or background, something that brings an extra dimension to the words on the page. One of my favorite experiences on going to a "reading" was at the 92 Street Y. A woman stepped up, dressed, or so it seemed to us, in something one might wear for washing up. She was an author unknown to us at the time, and we had no idea what to expect. Well, she was witty, insightful, and thoroughly engaging, and her reading was captivating. The book was The Giant, O'Brien, the author Hilary Mantel. Sad to say, I wasn't so captivated by that book, but Wolf Hall, now that's another matter. (Have just started Bring Up the Bodies, and am looking forward to that.)

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  14. Oh, you went to Hay, how marvellous! Only been once, but loved it. Managed to fit in some really great walks there as well. As for Winterson, I know she annoys some people (probably because they're jealous of her), but I really respect her. Though I've heard the story of her childhood a million times, I do admire what she has achieved through sheer determination and self-belief. I think she writes wonderfully well — direct, readable, cadenced — and I identify very much with her ideas about the prime importance of the imagination.

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  15. I love Jeanette Winterson's books and am very envious of your experiences at the festival! Very interesting post!

    --d'Artagnan

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  16. The literary festival at Hay-on-Wye has been on my list for many years – I don’t think I’ll ever see it but I may still be able to visit the town some day. I marvel at your saying that there are invitations to tea parties, luncheons and dinners in your town – it sounds like fun. The last tea party I can recall I went to was organized by the French Consulate in Atlanta in honor of the participants of the 1996 Summer Olympics… a while back for sure. I have not listened to new writers lately but while in Chattanooga two days ago I went into a delightful second-hand bookstore where I found three Georges Simenon books in French – dating from the early 60s – some good summer reading.

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  17. i love your countryside...and the literary festival would be quite fun i imagine though i certainly would not need them to read long excerpts to me either...i would much rather hear them and their heart a bit...

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  18. Wish I could buy the toll bridge. What an interesting occupation that would be, and I do love bridges.
    K

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  19. Hm. A literary festival. Digging through houses full of books sounds heavenly. Listening to people reading and lecturing, perhaps not.

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  20. The literary festival sounds divine; what a good chance to revel in old books and catch a few lectures if you like. I can't think of a similar festival here and I wonder why that is?

    I bet that toll bridge is expensive & would take a long time to pay for itself--especially if it needs rebuilding. Still, it's tempting.

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  21. I was put off JW when she famously said many years ago that she was her own favourite author! But I also enjoyed OANTOF, so might give the new one a go!! Anything with the words 'bibliophile' and 'mecca' has got to be good ... I'm SOOOO jealous!!

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  22. Hay-on-Wye has long been on my list of places to see, Friko. To see it during a literary festival sounds sublime.

    Have you every read "Sixpence House; Lost in a Town of Books" by Paul Collins? It is Collin's memoir of moving from San Francisco to live in Hay-on-Wye and is an interesting read about books, the town, and Collin's interesting and often funny take on books.

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  23. I haven't been to Hay-on-Wye since 1992. Must try and get there next year.

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  24. Although I call myself Librarian, I have never heard of Hay-on-Wye, so, thank you for telling us here about this very interesting-sounding place and the festival.
    As for the toll bridge - where do I send my application to?

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  25. I have never been to a reading...sounds fun!!
    Hugs
    SUeAnn

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  26. I've only been to the Hay-on-Wye festival once, many years ago, but it was part of my life for years during the time when DH wrote and maintained the database on which their ticket booking system was based. May and June could be fraught months....

    I've often noticed that facility with the written word doesn't necessarily mean an equal facility with the spoken word and I feel sorry for the less giften speakers who are still expected to appear to promote their latest work.

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  27. Once upon a time, there were many independent book shops in New York, and many major book shops (each with its own character) did good business along the midtown blocks of Fifth Avenue.

    An event called something like New York is Book Country would be held on Fifth Avenue on a Sunday each autumn. The avenue itself would be closed to vehicular traffic, and publishers and bookshops would set up stands along the sidewalks. Authors would come to promote their new books. Avid readers would meander for hours, possibly buying an antique book treasure, or meeting a newly published author. Sometimes it rained, but that was all right, too.

    Around this time, when books were still popular, the various independent book shops and large book shops would also host regular readings and discussions with authors. These were such fun to attend.

    Nowadays, most of those bookshops are closed. There is no sense of New York being Book Country. Publishers cut their costs and not so many authors go out on promotional tours as in the past.

    And so, dear Friko, I am glad that somehow Hay is holding on, and glad that you and your friend attended this year's festival.

    xo

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  28. Beautiful English countryside! It would be complete with the festival going,the gaiety and the celebrations. Thanks for sharing Friko!

    Hank

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  29. What an intellectually stimulating time you have had, thank you for sharing.

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  30. I have always wanted to own a bridge. This one sounds perfect. Is there space underneath for a troll? Or, does one come with the property?

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  31. That's a REALLY good day out !
    And whenever anyone sighs "It's not what it used to be" , I always want to say that neither are we .

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  32. Oh, that sounds wonderful. And the bridge -- I had no idea there were privately owned toll bridges. I think I want one.(I speak at several book festivals every year and try to limit my reading to VERY short bits.)

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  33. What heaven that must be to go from door to door and be surrounded by books...yet another reason to keep a trip across the pond on my dream list.

    I did not know one could buy a toll bridge...with my tired eyes at the end of this day, I thought it said Troll bridge and was prepared to search for a short little gnome with his hand outstretched.

    Your top image is the way I imagine England has been for centuries. So beaautiful.

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  34. Never have been a fan of toll bridges, seems the ones we pay over here have more issues than ever....but quite an interesting post!

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  35. These festivals always intrigue me, Word on the Street in Toronto being one and Spark is the one of note in Newfoundland though there are other such literary events, one I am registering for in October. Price of admission is cash + one short story, an interesting concept.
    Like you, I bore easily, so consequently always pack a book, to hell with public opinion.
    XO
    WWW

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  36. I'd love to have a toll bridge. Love this tale!

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  37. 'He spoke well, although he kept saying lee-gends instead of legends, which confused me at first. (Okay, I know I'm being petty.)'

    You are being hilarious. And you are being Friko, whom, despite the fact that I'm sometimes a little afraid of what you're going to say next, I keep coming back for more.

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  38. A wonderful story of a wonderful day - I think I am a little envious of your life in the country!

    Anna :o]

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  39. A nice (and quiet) journey through, Friko! It's the festivals of the metal kind that I'm dreading!!

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  40. That is some beautiful countryside! What is the asking price for the bridge? I could live luxuriously on that income assuming minimal expense.

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  41. I started reading again last week! BOOKS! After 10 years. So much to catch up on lol.

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  42. At the risk of sounding like an ignoramous, I have never been a fan of Llosa. Jeanette Winterson sound ingtiguing and I will check her out. Still looking for some light reading that will keep me interested. Books are fun and I am very weak, also I have blown my book budget on cook books this month. Dianne

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  43. I enjoy your world, Friko, which has many features in common with mine -- beautiful scenery, books and a dear old dog. My world is a lot newer than yours. The only antiquities we have here on the US west coast are a few Indian artifacts. And, of course, we don't have a Queen, although there's an interior decorator, Dan, here on my island that I think would match Elton John's queenly qualities.

    And so how is your dear Benno?

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  44. Dear Friko, like you, I sometimes--"often" really for me--find myself feeling truly stupid and uninformed and behind the times--when listening to others talk. I'm not speaking of authors here but simply my nieces when they begin to share their experiences with computers, blackberries, I-pod, I-pads, and a myriad of other technological devices. I feel myself unable to understand their words, which seem like jargon to me. But also I find myself wondering if my mind has come to the age in which it searches for peace and doesn't want to make the effort to think or understand. Perhaps the truth is that I don't want to exercise my brain cells anymore. The body, the mind is tired and I want to sit on the patio, sip my tea, and watch the leaves flutter in the passing breeze.

    Peace.

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  45. I speak only a little bit english. Thanks you for your comment in my Blog on 9.6.12.
    I am happy about your word's. Kind regards. Ernst

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  46. nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    Why do i only ever hear about the Hay On wye festival when it is already over?!?!?!?!?

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  47. Your photo of that green luxuriance is just stunning. I'd far rather roam those fields than sit and listen to some author - any author! - read his or her work.

    Of course, I'm not much of a fan of audio books, either. It is true that some authors read aloud better than others - I'm thinking here of Dr. Seuss. And poetry can do well, usually better than fiction.

    But I'd still the bridge and the hedgerows over any of it. I figure, why be normal, when I can be happy?

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  48. Enjoyed reading about the toll bridge.

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  49. Oh, I have missed such a lot with you! I would simply adore something like this - and to have it all at once! I'm afraid the book budget wouldn't make it, though!

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  50. Hi Friko .. glad you got across to the Hay festival .. I'd like to go one day and attend some of those lectures.

    I'd seen about the bridge before and then recently about it being up for sale - I hope some philanthropist saves it .. wonderful it was on your route back ..

    Your green and pleasant land .. is beautiful!

    Cheers Hilary

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