I eavesdropped to a conversation between Steven Hall, author of The Raw Shark Texts, during his book signing session in the onsite bookshop, Pembertons, when a young writer came to him and asked:
‘I have written a novel. How do I make it great?’
‘It’s easy. Hardwork.’ The young writer looked bemused.
Hall elaborated, ‘You see, it took me 10 years before my first book was published. I am sorry to say but that’s the way it works. It's just hardwork.'
The young writer walked away wearing a dejected face even before he has begun his journey to be a writer. I felt sorry for him.
After reading When a Crocodile Eats the Sun, I was eager to meet Peter Godwin, maybe more because we happen to share the same heritage. So we ended up standing in a corner talking about home - Zimbabwe - our frustrations, our hopes, our yearnings for home, our prayers for the future. Festival encounters like flirts don't last, they quickly melt. Time or some 'ad hoc commitment' pulls you away. New faces chat you. Some lady dances beside me harping an old familiar tune, Can You Show Me Where The Loo is Please? I don't have time for a dance, but I do point out the lady to a toilet nearby. Peter decided we meet for coffee and catch up in detail, possibly tomorrow. I say yes, why not?The weather has dropped in temperatures. The night air is cold. I regret leaving my coat behind. I steal a few moments to talk to my mother. How serious is it? Why did they take you to hospital. She insists. I am fine. Don't worry yourself to death son, she said. I smile to a group of kids staring at me speaking in a weird language. It certainly was not Welsh. I had to use Shona. My mother has a stammer. It gets heavier when she speaks in English, perhaps it is her violent refusal of the language.
I am holding two fresh Kent roses to hand to the prodigious music composer Michael Nyman and Francine Stock. They had an interesting discussion about music, cinema, collaboration, inspiration. I am wiser. There is certainly more to Hay Festival than just books and their writers.
