Ali Smith at Winter Wordfest 2012 – artful or artless?

On Sunday just gone (25 November 2012) I went to see local writer Ali Smith, originally from Invernesss, speak about her new book Artful at Cambridge’s Winter Wordfest 2012. 

Before the festival I had never even heard of Ali Smith and her writing but I was so completely captivated by the description of her new book that I decided to take a gamble and book tickets anyway. In a way, I think it’s always more exciting to go and see someone completely unknown, even if it is a risk, because if you end up liking them it feels like more of a rewarding discovery. Plus, you don’t go in with expectations that could easily be shattered. It’s like going to see an unfamiliar band who you end up falling in love with, having seen them in their rawest, most natural form. Although my mum and sister were initially wary of seeing someone they’d ‘never heard of’ – I kept having to answer the question, ‘who is she again?’ – in the end they too were blown over and went away feeling enriched by the experience. My mum even bought the book and had it signed by Ali Smith herself.

This is what I love most about living in Cambridge – you can never be short for inspiration – the city is seeped in art and cultural events at all times of the year.

Ali Smith

Before I move onto my own account of Ali Smith’s talk, here is a quick summary of the book to give you an idea of what it’s about (hopefully without giving too much away):

• It is supposed to be narrated by a character who is haunted – literally – by a former lover, the writer of a series of lectures about art and literature.
• Although in book form, it is actually a collection of four lectures that Ali Smith gave at Oxford University under the themes: “On Time”, “On Form”, “On Edge” and “On Offer and On Reflection”.
• Ali Smith refuses to categorize her book into fiction or lecture form – this being the central idea of the book: the relationship between thought and art.

Ali Smith at Winter Wordfest 2012

The talk was held in the Union Library which seemed the perfect setting – a literary event surrounded by great literature! These events also provide a unique chance to enter places we would never usually have access to. I remember it was a beautiful crisp day and on entering the Union a magnificent Christmas tree lit up the  low lit hall, welcoming attenders as they arrived. The scent of pine needles wafted up the stairs after me until I reached the Union Library, where it mingled with the musty residue of ancient books.

Once Ali Smith began talking and reading an extract from her book, I was pleasantly surprised and compelled by her animated reading style and warm, charming nature. I usually find it difficult to sit still for more than five minutes, but Ali was almost soothing, mesmerizing.

These are the main points that arose from the discussion (chaired by Erica Wagner, Literary Editor at The Times). I hope you find them as interesting as I do:

• It was asked whether there is a question of cheating in the book as it is called Artful. Smith affirmed that this was more to do with the play on language in the book rather than the concept of cheating in relationships.
• Someone stated that it is unusual for lectures to be told in this way – Smith suggested that it causes the reader to question the story told but that ‘lectures are fiction’ anyway.
• Smith quoted ‘fiction is truth, suspended in time.’ I found this idea fascinating. 
• Smith gave herself permission to be ‘fictitious in a lecture space.’
• Smith spoke about the progressive nature of her book and how it was published before it was finished, as nothing is ever completely finished.
• Smith wrote her book as she was reading Oliver Twist, hence the references to this and Dickens throughout the book.
• In reference to this, Smith quoted ‘books make books, writers don’t make books.’ 
• Smith stated that ‘there is a learning curve in trusting the serendipity of art.’
• There is ‘knowledge without knowing’ – this is the central idea to the book. Smith explained how we think we know it all when we don’t – we can just Google anything now, without storing this in our mind and remembering it. We know less as there is so much information now that it all slips away.
• Smith believes that we piece together meanings for nonsensical things and that we have our own personal meanings for words – like we have our own personal copies of books. This is why her book can’t be defined or interpreted in one way, reflecting the different meanings of language.
• The book also deals with the ‘authority of memory‘ and how it has authority over us – it is a ‘filtered down narrative’. 
• Apparently Smith wrote Artful in just four weeks ‘this book came so fast, so freely – it felt like it wrote itself’. 
• Smith admits to not using speech marks in her book which some readers found slightly confusing. She said she feels it ‘immediately divides the text and meaning’ and ‘splits languages into separate categories – it’s not how we live.’
• James Joyce held a similar belief that speech marks are ‘not real.’ 
• Interesting fact: Smith wanted to use a lyrics from Beyoncé’s Halo in her book but would have been charged £1000 for copyright just within the UK. Who knew Beyoncé could be so mean.
• At the back of Artful are a collection of thought-provoking images which are referenced to throughout – Smith believes in the power of picking up and reading a beautiful book and thinks this is much more exciting than e-readers.
• Finally, Ali Smith expressed concern over Gove’s plans to cut art teachers from schools and remove it from the curriculum. ‘We need the arts now more than ever to understand our stratified natures.’ 

You can buy Artful at any bookshop or online at Amazon (depending on who you’d like to support. Although I am sad that physical bookshops are declining, one click on Amazon is just too easy these days…)

The next planned Cambridge Wordfest is in Spring 2013…so watch this space.