IAN MCEWAN – AUTHOR EXTRAORDINAIRE
I was fortunate enough to be included among a bunch of journalists and booksellers invited by Random House NZ to enjoy cocktails and conversation with Ian McEwan at the Maritime Museum in Auckland this evening.
It was a gorgeous night, (is this summer ever going to end?), looking out over the harbour and with a glass of Trinity Hill Chardonnay in hand and pleasant company, one had to feel that life was pretty bloody good.
Ian McEwan has been on the road for weeks, book festivals in India, Australia and New Zealand but finally the end was in sight and being an avid walker/tramper the pay off was coming with two weeks hiking around the South Island with his wife.
Ian McEwan told a wonderful story about being on a boat with a group of artists and scientists in Norway near the Arctic Circle and of the problem with boots and clothing which kept disappearing. There were probably only three others in the audience that had heard this story before at NZ Post Writers & Readers last week, and in any case it got bett
er with the telling as one picked up aspects of the story that one had missed previously. But it does go to show how wearying it must be for authors on a literary festival tour, especially if they have no new or forthcoming book from which to read. McEwan’s latest is the 2006 novella On Chesil Beach, one of the Man Booker Prize shortlisted titles from last year.
It was a grand night, great to catch up with so many special independent Auckland booksellers. They will all be selling more McEwan titles as a result of being there and chatting to him. I guess that is what author tours are all about.
McEwan was introduced in his usual highly competent style by about-to-depart-for-India Random House NZ’s Michael Moynahan. His successor Karen Ferns was also present having just arrived back earlier today from a visit to Random House HQ in London.
I was fortunate enough to be included among a bunch of journalists and booksellers invited by Random House NZ to enjoy cocktails and conversation with Ian McEwan at the Maritime Museum in Auckland this evening.
It was a gorgeous night, (is this summer ever going to end?), looking out over the harbour and with a glass of Trinity Hill Chardonnay in hand and pleasant company, one had to feel that life was pretty bloody good.
Ian McEwan has been on the road for weeks, book festivals in India, Australia and New Zealand but finally the end was in sight and being an avid walker/tramper the pay off was coming with two weeks hiking around the South Island with his wife.
Ian McEwan told a wonderful story about being on a boat with a group of artists and scientists in Norway near the Arctic Circle and of the problem with boots and clothing which kept disappearing. There were probably only three others in the audience that had heard this story before at NZ Post Writers & Readers last week, and in any case it got bett
er with the telling as one picked up aspects of the story that one had missed previously. But it does go to show how wearying it must be for authors on a literary festival tour, especially if they have no new or forthcoming book from which to read. McEwan’s latest is the 2006 novella On Chesil Beach, one of the Man Booker Prize shortlisted titles from last year.It was a grand night, great to catch up with so many special independent Auckland booksellers. They will all be selling more McEwan titles as a result of being there and chatting to him. I guess that is what author tours are all about.
McEwan was introduced in his usual highly competent style by about-to-depart-for-India Random House NZ’s Michael Moynahan. His successor Karen Ferns was also present having just arrived back earlier today from a visit to Random House HQ in London.
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