Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who decided to forego a chance to see the tri-politician debate on television last night and came instead to Blackwell Bookshop in Broad Street, Oxford, to talk instead about books.
Chaired by the BBC’s Special Correspondent Razia Iqbal, the event brought together a panel of writers of fiction and non-fiction, Sir Ian Blair, Naomi Wolf, Ali Shaw, Roma Tearne and me, plus Blackwell’s own highly experienced bookseller Euan Hirst. As you might expect of Oxford, the audience had put forward many more questions than could be answered in a single evening and the debate could have gone on for several hours more than scheduled.
There were some pertinent questions. Among them: Is there a place for a women-only prize (The Orange) in today’s society? The answer from the panellists was a resounding no. There was a time when women needed such a spotlight on their work, but that time has passed and if we don’t believe there should be a men-only prize, why should such a distinction remain? This brought a supplementary question about the value of prizes and quality of judging – for example, do celebrity judges really bring anything extra to a panel? At this point there seemed to be a split into two camps. Those who write and those who read (plus Euan who buys). The readers felt a sticker telling them a book had been short or long-listed for a prize was a shortcut and helped their buying – especially when time was short. The writers, particularly those writing fiction, had another view, finding the process of judging and prize giving excruciating on the one hand and thrilling on the other. Prize nomination is fine for those on the list and soul-destroying for those left off it – a real roller coaster of a ride – though novelist Ali Shaw also made the point that he let the process (his book, The Girl with Glass Feet was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award) wash over him rather. It was an interesting insight into the world of fiction writing and a reminder to those of us who browse and buy to look beyond the obvious.
Another insight came from the results of Roma’s General Genre Election.
Knowing how difficult it is to persuade anyone to do anything in a public space, I was impressed that so many people in the bookshop took time to fill in their forms and votes. Though one audience member highlighted that actually, it was hard to choose between the candidates (where else have we heard that recently?) since one doesn’t categorise books and one’s buying in that way. The overwhelming winner was “books you have discovered by yourself.” Interesting, bearing in mind that as readers we also like to be pointed in the direction of good reads by the prize and shortlist stickers. Perhaps we also like the thought that we can find the lost gem in the dross. Roma’s face was full of glee at the outcome, since one of her favourite reads of all time was a Once Upon a River Love, Andrei Makine which she found in the secondhand bookshop in New Inn Hall Street in Oxford. It had perfectly fitted her mood and the moment and as a result she sought out his other books.
There was also a comment about blockbuster novels and celebrity boooks (fiction and non-fiction). Is there a place for these in a bookshop like Blackwells? Sir Ian Blair nailed his colours to the mast and said he really didn’t like such books, but as Euan Hirst pointed out, it’s the sales of these that allow bookshops to champion less well-known and more niche books and authors. Though one member of the audience commented that the panel appeared to be book “snobs” another very well read member of the audience opined that she loved to read – anything, everything, comic, Grazia, literary fiction. And as someone who reads the back of the cereal packet each morning, I have to agree with her sentiment.
I’ll post more on this later and put up not only the results of the poll, but invite you to cast your own vote here in teh future.
Today is the last day that I’ll be at the residency and I’ll give you an update at the end of the day. Roma will be at the bookshop again tomorrow, so if you’re likely to be in town, why don’t you look her up.
Sandra
