Nov 04 2012
Her “Vaz” Was Hurting Her
Credit to: http://disquietinternational.org/sites/default/files/katherine%20vaz%20small.jpg?1349124661
I never thought I would ever say this but as good as it is to hear an author read their own work, Katherine Vaz should never read anything. As I was sitting in that crowded room, filled with Vaz’s closest friends and some of her students I thought to myself, they must be used to the raspy, cutting sound of her voice, my guess is from years of smoking. I simply couldn’t get her voice out of my head. Her new story seemed interesting and the detail she uses is quite vivid, sometimes too vivid, but powerful. I would have enjoyed it more if someone else had read it unfortunately.
As I was reading the “Lisbon Story” I was trying to read with the main characters voice, a sultry Portuguese voice that I would have enjoyed to hear, but all I kept hearing was a chronic smoker reading the story and puffing smoke in my face. With such imagery and detail as the “Lisbon Story” had, I was captured by this women’s time in Lisbon and her various interactions in her father’s house. The story, as well as the new story Vaz is writing, was very interesting and had clear signs of her originality as an author. Vaz clearly has some connections to Portugal, constantly referring to places in the small coastal country in both of her works. Her knowledge and research of the times and the places she writes about are also evident in her work. Vaz uses numerous metaphors as well to describe something as simple as pajamas with sea animals on it and turn it into “marine animals around his remains were floating at the ready to coast him…” (Lisbon Story, 48.). There were similar uses of metaphor in her reading that really brought up the idea of feeding someone who is imprisoned with bird songs. Vaz uses her metaphors well and in abundance, my only feeling is that she can be too descriptive sometimes and it hurts the story more than it helps the reader get her vision.
When it comes to the way she read the story and the way I read “Lisbon Story”, Vaz destroyed my inner voice. Every sentence I read I heard Vaz’s voice reading it the way she did. It hurt my experience greatly in both reading the story and at her reading. When my inner voice finally kicked back in and I began to enjoy “Lisbon Story”, Vaz’s voice came running back into my head, talking in unison with my inner voice. Once again I began to not like the story and I had to stop reading. It seems to me that hearing the author’s rendition of their own work should be more about the emotion and vision the author wants to impress upon the reader. But when a person is hearing a story, they want to hear the character, they want to hear the soothing voice of the narrator, not the author. When I was read to as a child I wanted to hear the funny voices my parents gave every character, not the monotone voice of the author. This is the same way I felt when hearing Katherine Vaz. I just believe some people simply shouldn’t read, leave that to British actors and Betty White.
I completely felt the same way! Well.. you phrased it a little more harshly that I would but I kept hearing her voice in my head as I was reading the story– completely different from the what the characters’s voices should have sounded like. It slightly ruined it for me. There were spanish words mixed in that I kept hearing as an heavily American-accented woman.
Anyway, I loved the tone and the imagery your blog post gives off. I literally laughed out loud because of your title.
I love puns. I love Betty White. I really enjoyed reading this.
A little unhappy with her voice Konstantin? I agree with what you are saying, but it wasn’t that disruptive. The real issue was that her voice didn’t match to her writing style. Swift, flowing, and elegant does not go with a “smoker’s voice.” If she was reading something else, it could have been better… But she wasn’t.
This sounds like the kind of blog post I would’ve made if I actually listened to her speak. You bring up an interesting point in comparing the voice you imagined her to have and the grim disappointment in the reality of the situation. It’s funny how we all make assumptions about the way we expect an author to sound judging by the way they write. Your experience makes me not want to go to any readings because I wouldn’t ever want to ruin the image I have of an author based on the way he or she reads.
Best response ever, all because you said “sultry Portuguese voice.” I can understand how your “inner voice” was ruined by hearing the author’s voice before reading the story on your own, but your imagination should be stronger than that! That’s the character speaking, not the author. But, you know, I wouldn’t have minded if it was Betty White reading to us…
I think everyone felt the same way about her voice. I don’t know if Betty White would be a better story teller though. But hey, everyone is open to their opinions. I agree that she knows her material when she’s writing, and it’s apparent that she does her research. I’m not the biggest fan of her writing style (or her voice) but I still really appreciate that she came to teach the Harman class. As a student who will be taking it next semester I have a great respect for anyone who gives up their time to teach aspiring writers.
First off, Betty White is a saint and would be a better story teller without a doubt. However, one must respect the apparent amount of work that goes into her writing and, like Stevie said, the willingness to sacrifice her time to teach a class at Baruch.