dovegreyreader scribbles

Everyone's a Critic @ PEN London

It would be shame if the event at PEN was eclipsed by my Dublin visit and events since, so plans have been developing in my mind to try and bring some of that fascinating debate onto here for anyone who wishes to read and engage with it all.
The suggestion that Everyone's a Critic throws up interesting ideas about what 'is' a book critic, what do we expect from the review pages, how are those pages compiled, what are the pitfalls and where do the blogs sit in this no longer new but very democratic world of the internet. It's an endlessly fascinating topic and one that has most certainly moved on since John Mullen and I shared a platform with Mark Thwaite and John Carey to discuss this same subject at the Oxford Literary Festival almost three years ago now. Everyone expected blood to be spilt then and it wasn't but there may have been tensions, and John Mullen mis-hearing my blog name as Tough Gay Reader threw me ever so very slightly back then I must admit.
The evening's discussion at PEN between myself, Professor John Mullen, Sam Leith (freelance reviewer) and Erica Wagner (Literary Editor of The Times) and chaired by Alex Clark was most enjoyable from where I was sitting. 

and I think John Mullen enjoyed himself too.

Obviously I couldn't take notes but a couple of bloggers Hannah Stoneham and chasing bawa did, as we ranged across the subject of reviews and critics, blogs and reading and publishing in general, and for me what became evident is that if there is any supposed animosity between the blogosphere and the establishment then perhaps it's drummed up elsewhere by those who fancy a publicity-seeking spat.
I sense in the world of books we are almost batting for the same team and complement each other well, covering all bases as it were ... a simplistic argument I know, but we all love books and reading and we all want to share that in some way, we just have different ways and means of doing it.
That passion for books was never in doubt and perhaps the assumption is that because the bloggers are doing this for the love of it we are somehow entitled to be more passionate about books and reading than the paid critics or academics.
The evidence for all to see reveals that the bloggers are not handcuffed by the rules, can range subjectively across their reading and share those thoughts and can be innovative about how they do that.
The expectation is different for the professional reviewer who must adopt an objective and detached position, to my mind much more difficult to do. A position that I would now find quite frustrating having been able to give free rein to all those years of pent up subjective thought after thirty years of objective clinical writing.
An interesting question from the audience... would Erica Wagner and I like to do a job-swap for a week, drew an instant yes from Erica and a much more hesitant and eventual no from me.
I was watching a history programme on BBC 4 the other evening and the presenter was eulogising over documents that cited the views of the 13th century peasant, rare to know what Joe Public thought in those days; well there will be no shortage of Joe Public's valuable opinions from the 21st century, a point that Professor John Carey made so eloquently on that panel in Oxford three years ago and one that has stuck encouragingly in my mind ever since.
Sadly not a point of view appreciated by 'those who shall be nameless'.
It was lovely to meet quite a few of you at the event and I'm only sorry I didn't have longer to chat afterwards. I was taken off to a dinner with the panel and more bookish and literary chat which left me with a list of books to look out for, the courage gathered to finally read Philip Roth and I threw in a few of my own suggestions too.
So a few weeks on, and having pondered all this I have set up a few dovegreyreader asks... interviews , some detailed questions to allow the debate to find its way on here for the record and for you to contribute if you want to.
Amongst those I have asked about book reviewing in all its guises are the Author, the Literary Editor and the Professional Reviewer and I have a Blogger lined up too because I can hardly ask myself to answer my own questions, plus I'm working on a few more so watch this space, they will all be appearing soon.

dovegreydiary...

It's been a bit of a hectic week chez dovegreyreader, what with the Kayaker in New Zealand getting bitten by a white-tailed spider (possibly) leading to a subsequent Icelandic Eyjafjallajokull-like abscess on his neck (definitely). The NZ docs have been ace but there's me feeling I must offer sage advice from my store of nursing experience and across several thousand miles via a webcam...

' Don't drink or you won't know if you're ill with septicemia.'

And him actually agreeing not to (!) and saying

'There's a gaping hole in my neck, what if my windpipe falls out?'

and me saying

'Of course it won't,'

in that comforting and reassuring motherly way that you do whilst not being entirely sure it wouldn't.
It didn't.
His whale pics have been in the local paper this week too so that's made a change from all the usual pictures of people in pantomimes (which are very nice but, still...) and we've had lovely phone calls from friends.
We also waved the Tinker off on his travels.
Bless him, he looked very smart and chipper as he set off for his ship and the Caribbean and thankfully nothing that was going to be delayed by a deluge of volcanic ash.
I do feel huge sympathy for those inconvenienced and losing time, work and money as a result of nature doing what it does best in Iceland, i.e. tipping us the wink that it will invariably have the upper hand, and I seriously hope no one has any health issues as a result of all this, but what a novelty the plane-free sky is here in the Western Approaches.

Here's the very hazy view from us about an hour ago and we automatically assume that any high altitude plane we see heading this way >>>>> is America-bound because there's nowhere else to go after us really, but for anyone living near an airport this sky-silence must all feel very strange.
Being a white house planted very visibly in the midst of acres of green I'm sure we're a sort of marker for passing low-flying aircraft and helicopters too ,

'OK lads, aim for the white house and hang a left for Cornwall  '

And is this ash on our car all the way from a volcano in Iceland or hasn't it reached us yet?
It's very out of the ordinary whatever it is.

Girl's Night In round at mine this week and one of our number is paying vast amounts of money to go to Weight Watchers at the moment and has shed a creditable 9lbs, which the rest of us are only jealous about and should be doing too because we have all owned up to acquiring a bit of  wintery excess. It's just that we're all too mean and scared to spend out on the public humiliation of stepping on scales in front of other people.
So we spent the evening wheedling it all out of her because I think they must take a vow of secrecy or something.
Anyway it's all done on points not calories so we set to.
How many points a day?
How many points in  fish and chips?
How many points in a bowl of cereal...pint of milk...jaffa cake...

By about 11pm she'd cracked completely and we'd got the lot, plus even seen her very top secret Instant Calories-to-Points Calculator in the flowery case.
The most sensible thing to do after all this excitement was to sit down, put on a bit more weight and knit calmly because I'm approaching completion of the chunky Hebridean wool cardigan and need my wits about me to ensure I don't stitch the left front to the right side or forget buttonholes again.

 
I'm delighted with the Noro Kureyon accents around the edges, they've lifted it out of the ordinary and no wonder these sheep stay warm, this is likely to be the snuggest thing I've knitted next to the Alafoss Lopi Pink Elephant, and if you type Pink Elephant into my new 'Search' box up the top over here >>>>> you'll see what I mean.
Thank you Typepad, that little box is going to save my bacon because sometimes it feels like an online version of the cupboard under our stairs on here.
So that's my week, how about yours?