The Lewinsky example
Talking this week to Charlotte Wood about The Natural Way of Things, her Stella Prize-winning novel in which all the women characters bar one have come off worse after sexual scandals involving powerful men, conversation turned to a recent interview Jon Ronson, whose most recent book was So You've Been Publicly Shamed, did with Monica Lewinsky. Wood had read the interview and said Lewinsky's situation was absolutely typical. "Her whole life is defined by that and I feel really sad that that is the case ... it remains the defining thing about her life and probably always will be. And Bill Clinton has moved on. He's an international statesman, possibly about to become co-president again. Nothing happened to him; no effect on him. And this is what happens all the time." Someone should send Lewinsky a copy of Wood's novel.
Down a third Avenue we go
It doesn't seem that long ago that Chris Redfern's Avenue Bookstore – winner of the independent bookseller of the year award in 20103 – became a "small chain" by opening an Elsternwick branch on the site of the old Sunflower Bookshop. Now the Avenue is turning itself into a slightly larger chain by opening a shop in Swan Street, Richmond in August. A nice way to mark the 30th anniversary of the original Avenue. The shop is the former BookTalk, a secondhand bookshop and cafe that went out of business. "I'm not celebrating their demise," Redfern said, "but it provided an opportunity. I've always thought Richmond could use a really good bookshop." Redfern said the Elsternwick shop had done well since opening, but he hadn't been contemplating a third shop until that opportunity arose. The Richmond shop will have a strong emphasis on art and design as well as having everything else an Avenue shop offers. "It's a good time for independent bookshops, what with Readings winning the 'best bookshop of the world' award and opening two new shops. The independents have certainly turned the situation around from where we were a few years ago."
Flanagan, Kelly and a bit of the Bard
The Boisbouvier Founding Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne – that's Man Booker winner Richard Flanagan to you and me – is making his first public appearance in his new capacity as a professor on April 28 when he will be interviewing Paul Kelly about books, writing and the way writing influences his music. Along the way, Kelly will talk about Seven Sonnets & A Song, his album that marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death (today). Kelly will also perform a track or two from the new album. Flanagan says Kelly is one of the best readers he knows. "He thinks deeply about it," he said, "and this is a different way of talking about Australian literature and the largeness of it." There's no danger of Flanagan singing, though, but he might clap along (with one hand). events.unimelb.edu.au
