The Politics of Art & Authenticity

It was such a privilege to hear Katherine Vaz read excerpts from her new book last night. I am happy that it was a mandatory event, because otherwise I probably would not have gone- and I would have missed out- big time!

The experience was especially interesting to me because on the way home, I read another piece of her work, LISBON STORY.

I really dont like Vaz’s writing style. I think she sounds like she is trying too hard to be good, purposely putting in extra words that sound complicated and fancy but dont really make any sense. What was up with eating the sounds of birds, anyway?

It was easier for me to understand Lisbon Story, because I was able to re-read the parts I didn’t get the first time. And its actually a great story! I enjoyed reading it, and I liked getting to know the characters. I think Vaz developed the relationships beautifully and had a real story to tell.

When Katherine Vaz was reading, I kept finding myself thinking, wait- what did she just say????

At least with the written story, I ended up finding the story amidst all of the words. Vaz should take a page out of William Zinsser’s advice.

“Look for the clutter in your writing and prune it ruthlessly. Be grateful for everything you can throw away. Reexamine each sentence you put on paper. Is every word doing new work? Can any thought be expressed with more economy? Is anything pompous or pretentious or faddish? Are you hanging on to something useless just because you think it’s beautiful? Simplify, simplify.” (Zinsser, 16)

So, why am I grateful that I went to the reading? What would I have missed out on, you ask? A great experience. Listening to a writer give over her work is an extremely intimate experience. She is so vulnerable. All of the years she spent working on this are being handed over to a potentially ruthless audience, who may laugh in her face. I heard Vaz’s fear in her voice, and it enhanced the experience for me.

Although I may not condone her writing style, Vaz certainly has a clear one. The novel is written more abstractly and elaborately than the short story, but both gave over a certain rawness and honesty. Vaz uses countless (literally) metaphors and similes in her work, and that makes her writing understandable on many levels. Even though you might not know where the story is going, you know exactly what the mothers wrinkles look like- a musical staff. The imagery she employs is beautiful.

I truly enjoyed listening Katherine read her book. I did not understand what she was saying, but I understood what she must have felt like reading it. I truly enjoyed reading Vaz’s short story. I did understand it, and I think about the complex relationships that I got to witness. Both were enjoyable, albeit in very different ways. I wonder how i’ll feel about the movie 🙂