We Saw Susanna Clarke
September 10th, 2004Last night, Lady Crumpet and I went to see Susanna Clarke. I thought she was just going to read and sign, but she also prefaced her reading with a talk about the genesis of the book and later took questions from the audience.
I don’t want to give anything away, but I thought one of the most interesting things about the book was the relationship between northern and southern England. She touched a bit on the difference and how important it is for her, and I thought that, since my mind is always grasping for analogies, northern England was a little like the American south and southern England was a little like the American north, specifically New England. At least in terms of culture and psychology, to be vague and reductive.
Anyway, I got my copy of the book signed and was able to tell the author how much I enjoyed it. Lady C. chatted with her about their shared enthusiasm for Jane Austen, making me want to reread Emma. This was the first stop on Clarke’s American book tour, and she is an articulate, witty, and fascinating reader and speaker. Go see her if you can!
September 10th, 2004 at 10:57 am
I managed to edit the one picture that turned out just okay, and then was too tired to write a post from my notes. I have multiple copies of Emma if you’d like to borrow one. [/nerd]
September 10th, 2004 at 11:35 pm
While I’m not one for autographs, sounds like a very nice night. Still haven’t seen the book in our local B&N - wonder what the holdup is.
September 14th, 2004 at 11:01 am
I am so jealous of you. And, no, I don’t have any ties to this site whatsoever, I just came across it while searching fanatically for anything to do with Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.