IFOA rundownWell, IFOA is over for me. It's still going until the end of the week, and I'm sure there are some great authors ahead, but my time is done. It was quite nice, to be sure. Thanks to organisers for asking me to be part of it.
On Sunday I hosted three events: Anita Diamant, Italy's Melania Mazzucco, and Francine Prose at noon, Tim Winton and Jonathan Coe at 2pm, and David Rakoff, Rick Moody and Seth at 5pm.
Anita Diamant and Francine Prose were both wonderful, but Melania Mazzucco's first English language reading was electric. I have to buy her book, Vita. Prose is a very funny lady, I suspect most of the crowd was there for her and Diamant (of The Red Tent fame -- she said she'll never escape that book), but were pleasantly surprised by Mazzucco and Vita.
The Tim Winton and Jonathan Coe reading/interview was a highlight for me. My friend Jonathan has been slipping me Aussie writers for years: Patrick White, David Malouf, etc. He never mentioned Winton, but he keeps giving him stellar reviews in the Globe. And truth be told, Winton is one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I've ever met (never mind authors). Really a nice guy. And I just love Jonathan Coe's work. He took a few extra minutes to warm up, but what can we expect from a dry wit Brit? He also turned out to be an extremely pleasant and generous person. There was great chemistry between the two on stage. The interview, with Jason Sherman moderating, got off to a shaky start, but seemed to come around near the end.
David Rakoff, Rick Moody and Seth were an interesting mix. I had seen Rakoff read at a Canada Day event in Central Park in 2001. If I remember correctly, he was opening for The Barenaked Ladies and the crowd was impatient. But his funny book Fraud won them over. So I knew he'd be good, and he was. A seasoned pro, he is.
I lived in Guelph with Seth and though he comes off as an odd bird sometimes, I quite like him. He was very charming and generous in his multimedia presentation, reading from his strips and graphic novels. Interestingly, he read from his comic-form diary, which made some revealing references to people in the Canlit scene. Funny stuff.
The Moody story is extra hysterical. When I walked into the dressing room, Rick was there with someone who was likely a publicist. I sat down and said hello. He was chipper and sweet, considering that he'd been up since 4am. He seemed really engaged and eager, I nice guy. Of course, I'm the kind of dickhead who can't resist a joke, right. You know that, don't you? So after a few words were exchanged, I said, "Okay, Rick, let me read you the introduction script and you can tell me if there's anything you want me to add or delete." "Shoot," he said. So I held up the paper and started in a deadpan, "Rick Moody is the worst writer of his generation..." He's such a good sport. I feel sorry for him, though, that he can't escape that line. I hope he gets to smack Peck in the face someday... Anyway, he read from a section The Diviners that was about a werewolf television show patterned after the Buffy genre. The audience seemed to be largely made of crickets. I was surprised, because, even though it was an odd choice to read, I thought it was kind of funny. I don't know if anyone else did, which is a shame. Obviously not on his vibe.
I got way too blitzed at the after party, so my apologies to those I stumbled into a flirted with, as I'm sure I did. If it's any consolation, you were only one of many. Zadie Smith was there with Coe, Dennis Bock, and others. One of my favourite Canadians showed up: Steven Heighton. What a great guy he is. It was great to get to hang with Dennis and Steven, though I almost fell asleep in a chair. It was not the conversation, but the free Bushmills, I swear. And shame on Bert Archer for making me drink those extra glasses when I very clearly said I shouldn't (rubber arm).
Last night I hosted Jenny Erpenbeck and Zsuzua Bбnk from Germany and Jim Lynch and Jonathan Saffran Foer from the US. A great reading. Four totally different pieces read with wit and aplomb. Erpenbeck, for me, was the real find here. I already knew Foer was good, but Erpenbeck's book, The Old Child, is now definitely on my must-read list. Unbelievably smart and deep. Lynch was also very good, especially considering that he was dying from Booktour Flu. Saffran Foer was, of course, the star of the show and I can report that he's at least as nice as Tim Winton. Aside from looking like everyone I knew in Brooklyn, he's a real sweet guy. We chatted about kids and books and he cracked jokes constantly about this and that, never afraid to be really smart or sink down to bathroom humour. The audience could barely restrain themselves from talking to him, and he was often turned around in his seat during breaks, chatting with fans. He was also a gracious reader who thanked the volunteers at IFOA and made a fuss about what a great festival it was. A real class act. I want to say "nice kid", but he's beyond that. Just a nice guy who's relatively humble about his success and still connects with his base. Anyway, I'll go buy his new book today because his reading convinced me. Yep, dear publicists, it works.
A great year at IFOA. Congrats to Geoffrey Taylor and his team for putting together a great lineup.
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