Blogger David Hebblethwaite on Dinner with…Elvira Dones

As soon as I walked in, I felt there was something inherently bookish about Hardy’s Brasserie; it was probably all the little rooms branching off in every direction, which reminded me of a second-hand bookshop where the greatest surprise could be waiting innocuously in any nook or cranny. Off to the right and down a couple of stairs was a little room that was certainly bookish: the Library, dominated by three large bookshelves. The table was set for seven: the author of Sworn Virgin, Elvira Dones; the novel’s translator, Clarissa Botsford; And Other Stories’ very own Nicci Praça; and four guests, including me.

This was the first in what And Other Stories plan to be a series of informal dinner evenings with their authors. I love the idea of this: AOS’ books are always fascinating, so the chance to talk directly to an author (and, indeed, a translator) about their work is an exciting prospect. It also strikes me as something that an independent publisher with a small list is well placed to do: when a publisher doesn’t release many books, there’s a sense that each one becomes an event in itself, which seems to lead readily into the idea of creating a unique celebration around each title (for another example, look at Peirene Press, with their range of salons, supper clubs, and other events).

In a nice twist, Elvira, Clarissa, and Nicci swapped places after each course, which helped keep the conversation dynamic (though it was also quite possible for the whole table to talk together at any point). Elvira told us more about the phenomenon of sworn virgins, and the upcoming film version of her novel, which had finished shooting only three days earlier. It sounds as though the movie will be intriguingly different from the book, as Hana will emigrate to Italy rather than the USA. It was also interesting to hear from Clarissa about the challenges of translating Sworn Virgin; the English prose feels very straightforward, but capturing some of Elvira’s techniques from the original Italian was rather more complicated than it might seem to a reader.

The evening wasn’t all talk about the book; there was plenty of enjoyable general chat, too. But what it did was to enlarge the experience of reading the book in a way that you don’t quite get with standard author events. Sure, you can go to an interview or reading and find yourself understanding and appreciating a book more; but this felt more personal – the writer (or translator) and reader in actual dialogue. And being there with other AOS subscribers was a welcome reminder that there’s a whole community of readers out there.

In sum: the company, the conversation, the atmosphere, were all highly enjoyable – as, I should add, was the food! What would have made the night event better, though, was more people; so, next time And Other Stories hold one of these events, why not come along? In the meantime, thanks to everyone involved at AOS and Hardy’s, and of course to Elvira and Clarissa, for making this such a special occasion.

We’re so pleased David enjoyed the event, and very grateful he took the time to give us his feedback. He blogs about literature, translated and not, here – you should definitely check it out!