The Bookman was greatly taken by the reflective editorial in this week's NZ Listener which carries the above heading. The Listener has kindly agreed to allow me to carry that editorial here in full. Note that it is not only a fine tribute to Margaret Mahy but is also thoughtful piece on New Zealanders making their mark internationally through creative endeavours and the importance of government support to the creative industries.
Which is more important, imagination or
knowledge? It’s a trick question, of course, because true genius requires both.
No less a brainiac than Albert Einstein
recognised this fact. Asked by a curious mother what she could do to encourage
her son to be a scientist, Einstein supposedly replied that she should read her
boy fairy tales. And yet more fairy tales.
The quote is disputed, but it may well be
correct, given that the brilliant physicist later told a notable German doctor:
“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that
the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive
knowledge.” It was the ability to ask “what if?”
In any case, New Zealand author Margaret
Mahy, who died on Monday, was well aware of this truism. Like another notable
author, CS Lewis, she knew perfectly well that children’s fiction often says
best what needs to be said.
There were lions and witches in Mahy’s
wardrobe. Plenty of pirates, too. Her musical ear enabled her to trip the light
fantastic in her waltz with words, while her deep understanding of children’s
psyches enabled her to delve into the depths of fantasy that some adults
struggle to understand.
Over the past few days, the nation has
fondly remembered her wigs, her warmth and her wild streak, as well as her joie
de vivre. But it should not be forgotten that she was also fascinated by
science – both natural and social. As children’s literature expert Betty
Gilderdale once noted, Mahy’s novel The Tricksters is basically a speculation on quantum
physics, and The Catalogue of the Universe plays with Ionian philosophy.
As many have suggested following Mahy’s
death from cancer, she, too, was a genius in her field. That she touched so
many people’s lives in a positive way, not just in New Zealand but around the
world, is testament to the power of skilful storytelling.
It is also a fine example of how New
Zealanders are able to make their mark internationally through creative
endeavours. Mahy won the Carnegie Medal – the children’s literature equivalent
of an Olympic gold – not just once, but twice, and she also had a slew of other
awards to her name, assuring her place in the pantheon of New Zealand writers,
alongside Janet Frame and Katherine Mansfield.
More recently, writers such as Lloyd Jones
and Emily Perkins have continued to show that New Zealand’s voice is being
heard globally, while filmmakers such as Sir Peter Jackson are proving that
size and distance don’t necessarily matter when it comes to securing locations
for big-budget productions.
Thanks to such developments, our creative
industries these days carry considerable economic clout. And they will
undoubtedly get a further boost in October, when New Zealand is the guest of
honour at the world’s biggest and most important book fair, in Frankfurt.
It will be a shame, then, if our Tourism
Minister John Key does not put his mana where his mouth is by showing up. He
has, after all, damned the industry with faint praise by reportedly noting that
“while our literary heroes may never challenge the glory and respect given to
the All Blacks, we still need role models to inspire us”.
There is much speculation about the future
of the book industry and the impact of new technology, but no one is seriously
suggesting humans are losing interest in good yarns, as the phenomenal success
of the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises showed.
And the outpouring of emotion in the wake
of Mahy’s passing should give the Prime Minister pause for thought about
literature’s legacy in this country.
One suspects Mahy herself may have been
surprised by how much she is already missed. She once explained to the Listener about her early books: “What I was doing
was simply making the world a nicer place through the power of imagination.”
As
far as role models go, that seems sufficiently inspirational to us.
Footnote:
Thanks to the unnamed person/s at The Listener responsible for this editorial. I hope it is read by many. It deserves the widest possible audience which is why I sought their permission to reproduce it here on the blog.
May I also add that in my view The Listener is itself a huge and valuable supporter and contributor to the NZ creative arts sector. Week in and week out the magazine provides many pages in their fine books and culture section and beyond that frequent interviews with authors and artists, other back stories and features on the arts from their fine stable of reviewers and columnists.
Look this week for the three page story on NZ author Jacqueline Fahey and her new book, Before I Forget; a review of Witi Ihimaera's latest, The Thrill of Falling; as well as a roundup of recent crime fiction and thriller titles, and much else besides. And of course the sensational cover story coinciding with publication of Joanne Drayton's The Search for Anne Perry.Listener Arts & Books Editor Guy Somerset has collated memories of Margaret Mahy here.
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