I hadn't known he was coming to JU, and I suppose not many people did either. It was Ad Libber who informed me (and I am deeply grateful to her). Anyways I had arrived much earlier, so I chatted with our lab attendant Palash da who informed me that our batch had the lowest lab attendence in recorded history and we were bound to fail in the exams. Feeling much braced, I again went outside and prowled around for a while, a forlorn figure. Dr. Rimi Chatterjee, the smiling Professor of Creative Writing, was also there - waiting for the BCL people to arrive. I really like her blog, by the way.
Anyways, I waited and waited and finally some friends arrived and while we were chatting the BCL people started to arrive. Then came this beautiful lady looking for the KP Basu Hall ( She turned out to be Susie Nicklin, Director Literature, British Council). And then, finally, he arrived.
Ad Libber had asked me to get an autograph if possible, and I lost no time in cornering him even as he entered Eng Sc. As I cornered him with a 'Mr. Smith?' he immediatley smiled and shook my hands, and seemed delighted to have been asked for an autograph. And when I thanked him for the autograph, he replied ' Thank you very much indeed!' as if I had done him a favour by asking for his autograph, and not the other way round! There's this phrase which I've often read- 'Old World Charm'. I think I saw it in action today.
Not more than 30 people had arrived, including the members of the Faculty of English. So KP Basu was quite empty. Which was a pity, but also a pleasure for those present because they all got to ask questions. The introductory speech was given by the HOD of English Department, who informed the audience that JU English was one of the few places where Alexander Smith's work was taught. The Talk was chaired by Susie Nicklin, who told us that instead of reading, they would have an interactive session. Which was much cooler really. She then proceeded to interview Smith, and we learned much about the man and his works.
We learned about Smith's connect to India through RK Narayan, a major literary influence on him. Narayan wrote about people who were far removed from the centre of history, and yet he managed to capture many important things about the world in those stories. This was what appealed to Smith. He said that if there was any justice in the world, Narayan should have gotten a Nobel prize. Smith talked about how he had loved being in Botswana and how his works are in a sense a homage to the place. He talked about Mma Ramatswe, someone who had suffered much and could still be very kind and generous. He spoke of the Little White Van and of author's relations with movie people ( They think authors are irritating people') 'I'm sure we all know such people', he said. Is he really a crime writer, his books seem to be somewhat lacking in bodies? Smith said that murder is statistically one of the least significant of crimes, so perhaps people should write about more common crimes - like parking offences. He had the audience in splits recounting a story he wrote about an author who chose to write about real parking offences. Nicklin mentioned his Really Terrible Orchestra - an orchestra of people who can't play of which he was a founder-member. ' We don't always finish at the same time' he said, ' The audience expects something to go wrong, and we never disappoint them.' A possible show in Kolkata? Sure, Smith said.
It was a wonderful session, and Smith had us laughing all the time with his delightful sense of humor. Then came the question-answer session. A lady-fan complained to Smith why Jamie and Isabelle didn't have a full-fledged affair, which would have cured her of her prissiness? Smith said that they do in the later books, and Isabelle even has a child. He revealed to us that he had never had an idea in the beginning of any such development. Isabelle is forteen years older than Jamie, not to mention his ex-girlfriend's aunt. ' We don't approve of that sort of thing In Edinburgh' he claimed mock-seriously. But it's pressure from his lady-fans which made him make Isabelle and Jamie have an affair. 'I'm an interactive writer', he said, and proceeded to ask the questioner if she would like them getting married. Many other interesting questions were asked and answered very fully. I asked how he thought of those very interesting titles for his books. He said that he sometimes came up with the names before writing the books and would then write a book that had something to do with the title. He told us that his editor insisted on an adjective in the titles - so while he had come up with ' An attitude to rain' , it was to become ' The Right Attitude to Rain'.
And then, finally, the session was over, and Smith signed some books. I left, knowing that I had had some really wonderful time.
[ Note: The Smith quotes in the post should not be considered exact Smith quotes. I have obviously forgotten his exact words and may have understood him incorrectly. This is what I understood and remembered of his words.]
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