Chekhov’s Mistess

Well Maybe I Just Owe Someone an Apology

It’s not who you’re thinking, owing to a couple of my recent rants here, but to Annie Proulx. I wrote about the Short Story panel at the PEN World Voices Festival last week, dismissing in the end an unidentified woman who wanted to make her own statement on the form (rather than pose a question).

Here’s David Haglund on that event:

“Funny story: At the short stories event last week, after the readings and the panel discussion, there was a question and answer session. A woman strode to the microphone and lambasted the assumption, which she felt had been reiterated by some of the panelists that afternoon, that the short story is a less important form than the novel. She mentioned having some experience with the form, as well as with novels and films, but no one— including those on the panel and those who have written (quite thoughtfully, I might add) about the event— seemed to realize that the woman speaking was Annie Proulx. (In fact, as she walked past my row and back to her seat, a well-meaning audience member sitting by the aisle bucked her up with an encouraging, ‘Good job,’ which I thought was awfully nice.)”

I imagine modesty kept her from identifying herself, but her words would have carried greater weight had she done so, at least for me who has clearly been to way too many conferences.

p.s for more great pics, click on the one above which will take you to PEN’s Flickr pool.

comments

ROTFL

Wow. That made my day.

You know, I nearly wrote a snarky post about how few of the introducers bothered to introduce themselves. It can be so frustrating not to know whom we’re listening to.

But in this case I wonder something else--about reputation, privilege, the right to speak, etc. I *do* care a lot about what she says about short fiction & fiction but--and I’m writing faster than I can think here--I don’t want just everyone to stand up and declare themselves, to imagine they’re so important.

So it’s a funny but ultimately unclear lesson in who gets to speak, maybe.

    – Anne Fernald (05/09  at  04:22 PM)

Bravo to her. Fascinating, really, on many levels; especially in context here on the web, where everyone can express an opinion, and it can carry equal weight with anointed experts. In someone else, it would be an expression of arrogance to assume everyone would know who she was; but I don’t think that’s the case here. Based on some of her previous opinions, if asked, I imagine she’d say something like “The truth needs no introduction!” You go, girl.

    – Barry Long (05/11  at  03:55 PM)

I didn’t realize who it was myself, even after I saw Annie Proulx at a later event. At any rate, I didn’t agree that the writers were underrating the importance of the short story—just exercising some appropriate humility, I thought.

    – Geoff Wisner (05/13  at  09:46 AM)

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About this Post

• Posted by: Bud Parr
• Date: May 09, 2008
• Filed Under:
  Wise Men Fish Here: Literature

• Comments:3
• Links to this Post: Technorati

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