Philippa’s Saturday thus far

I am starting to feel just a little “spacey” this afternoon as I settle down to update you on this incredible experience that is Auckland Readers and Writers (or maybe the late night last night at the London Bar has something to do with it?). The calibre of writers here is quite mind-blowing and we have little time to reflect on sessions before we are running to the next one – this morning I ran from J M Coetzee to Hermione Lee for example. ….. Witi Ihimaera introduced Coetzee, and declared “every household should have at least one JM Coetzee book in its library”.  Coetzee lectured on censorship, read (well) from 2 of his earlier works though didn’t invite questions from the audience. Personally I didn’t connect with him. Then into meet Hermione Lee, literary biographer, who was accessible, generous in her Q&A time and really brought her latest subject Edith Wharton to life. Lee, who has also written a biography of Virginia Woolf, says she has filled the last 17 years of her life with these two women……and in her opinion Woolf is the greater genius; dark and complex.  I certainly now want to read Wharton – especially her letters which have been published and sound fascinating. Lee’s biography of Wharton is LARGE – she said it was so big because she wanted ethnographic denseness of the material, and also to let Wharton’s voice to speak……I am heading on down to look at the wonderful books from Unity and Women’s bookshop now, and maybe time for coffee before heading into another session.