Rolf Heuer talks to John Snow
One of the advantages of booking lots of tickets a long time before an event is that by the time you get there you have forgotten what you are about to enjoy (or endure). I had forgotten completely who Rolf Heuer but was looking forward to John Snow anyway. As soon as the event started I knew I'd picked a winner. Heuer is the Director-General of CERN in Switzerland and gave a lively and interesting view of the LHC (large Hadron collider) which may not be what anyone was expecting from a German particle physicist. I particularly enjoyed the way he dealt with fatuous questions from the audience. One being the suggestion that there was some connection between the LHC and the earthquake in Japan, there isn't. Another asked if he went to church, dismissed as a personal question and a third regarding religion that I can't recall fully but was introduced as 'it being Sunday' although it wasn't.
Mansoura Ez Eldin, Kamel Riahi and Youseff Rakha talke to Ariane Koek
It wasn't clear until we got into the tent whether the three writers were in Hay or in Cairo. We were given radio headsets with instructions about which channel to tune into and told that the event was broadcast from Egypt in Arabic with English simultaneous translation. This technological element was challenging for the volunteer stewards who I suspect would have been much more comfortable explaining how a deck chair is erected.
Once we were in the tent we discovered the three writers were there in person along with the interviewer. Youseff Rakha is fluent in English and Arabic and his parts of the event were interesting and informative. The other two writers were not sufficiently confident with English to answer questions and made use of the translator who sat in a little black shed to the left of the stage. Unfortunately the translation didn't seem very good as his translation was very much shorter than the material he was translating even though he had quite a pronounced stammer. I suspect it was rather a disappointing event for the three writers and they may well have concluded that their English would have been a more effective tool with which to engage with the audience.
Howard Jacobson - The Finkler Question
At the other end of the communication spectrum came Howard Jacobson. Winning the Booker Prize after a writing career spanning many years was obviously greatly appreciated, and quite rightly so. He read a very moving extract from the book which I understand (from a comment he made at the book signing afterwards) that he added extra sentences in for this performance. It hadn't ever occurred to me that a writer might do that, of course they have every right to do so as it's their own words they are playing fast and loose with.
Jacobson describes himself as the male Jane Austen and prefers the 19th century novel to those of the 20th century, particularly Dickens although he made an exception for Lawrence. I agreed up to this point as I find Lawrence a bit boring but will give Sons and Lovers another go, but how could anyone not like Graham Greene?
There was a very long queue for the book signing and it gave the opportunity to chat to some lovely people. There isn't very much interaction between visitors to Hay which is a pity as the people I did get to speak to were quite charming, particularly the lady who agreed with me that more or less 'nothing happens' in a book we had both read recently.
Philip Pullman - The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
The length of the queue for Howard Jacobson's signature made me a bit late for this so I missed the beginning and had to sit on the side quite a long way back.
A much more serious man than other writers at Hay, even the scientific ones. The way he expresses himself suggests to me that he is rather less concerned about whether readers agree with, or like him, than many other writers. Thoughtful and outspoken Pullman strikes me as a man with integrity happy to share his views and opinions which some people find radical.
David Wengrow - What Makes Civilization
This was quite scholarly and intense for a late evening session. In common with many academics Wengrow was publicly scathing of rival historians and commented that he had no 'killer apps'. You certainly got the impression that history on TV is not for the serious.
However his lecture, it was a lecture, was very interesting and contradicted some of the received wisdom of European preferences.
No comments:
Post a Comment