Glad that I decided to stay for the Writer’s Conference. What a privilege to hear Barbara Kingsolver in person – first as the keynote speaker and then in two additional panel discussions, discussing her most recent novel, Lacuna and her approach to writing.
Lacuna is a piece of historical fiction, set both in Mexico and in the United States. It brings to life such figures as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Trotsky. During one of the Conference’s evening fiestas (see photo of me leaning over Barbara), I had an opportunity to say a few words to Barbara. I was still in the midst of reading the novel, so couldn’t say anything yet about the overall impression. In fact, I hadn’t yet reached the portion of the book that portrays what it may have felt like to live in the States during World War II and during the rise of McCarthyism. However, I was thoroughly enjoying the depiction of Frida and thanked Barbara for allowing me to see Frida Kahlo as a vibrant, sexy, and mischievous woman – a magnetic personality who was overflowing with powerful vitality despite her physical and emotional adversities.
I like to think that my comments pleased Barbara, because I think that she worked hard to being Frida to life in that way.
B.K. told us that she always starts her writing with a theme that she wants to depict. She thinks about the questions that the novel will pose and what needs to happen in the story to raise these questions, and then creates the characters who will tell the story. She generally invents her characters. They are not based on her own life. She said that she doesn’t really like to write about herself. She is more interested in writing stories about ideas.
In Lacuna, she has also woven in some real, historic figures and she tried to be as accurate as possible, doing lots of research, using the actual dates that Frida was hospitalized, etc.
A major impetus for writing this novel was the flak that Barbara received when she dared to suggest that the attack on Afghanistan was not a logical or appropriate reaction to 9/11. Thus, the theme of the howlers is the predominant theme in the novel.
Some people seem to feel that any criticism of one’s country—particularly during a time of danger—is a sign of disloyalty. This is an issue that continues to be relevant.
My sympathies are aligned with Kingsolver’s. Even if we love our country, we should be able to criticize some of its actions. It’s a basic tenet of democracy. I can relate to this both as an American and as an Israeli, as I happen to have dual citizenship. I love both the USA and Israel. Nevertheless, I do not feel that these countries can do no wrong. I believe that the ability to tolerate criticism is an essential component of a healthy democracy.
But Lacuna is a novel, not a political essay. And I thought it was a very good read. Felt sorry when it was over.
The other photos in this posting are from the same fiesta - at a resort in the hills above San Miguel. One photo shows me standing with Elizabeth Powell, who taught one of the first mini-workshops that I attended at the Conference. She is an Assistant Professor in the BFA program at Johnson State College in Vermont, teaching poetry, fiction, and literature. The mini-workshop was just one hour. That's not much time, but she did a good exercise with us on recognizing and using either implicit dialogue or explicit dialogue. She did a really good job on the workshop and she was also a very warm, likable woman.
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