Review- Hannah Kent and Lior talk books and music for the Wheeler Centre

We braved a grey cold Melbourne and left the house on Saturday to hear Lior and Hannah Kent talk about their inspiration. I’m a fan of both of these creatives- I love Lior’s music in its many varied forms and Hannah Kent’s debut novel Burial Rites deserves all the accolades it receives.

Rather than a straight-forward ‘who inspires you?’ conversation, Lior (musician and singer) spoke about books that influenced his music; Hannah about music that informed her writing. The session was hosted by Genevieve Lacey for the Wheeler Centre, herself a musician and artistic director.

Genevieve opened with the key observation of the night- the similarities in theme that both Lior and Hannah shared in their work. Compassion and empathy were qualities that both artists choose to explore, and both are clearly evident in their material by the stories they choose to tell.

Lior – photo from his website

So what writing has influenced Lior’s music?

Given Genevieve’s observation it was no surprise that Lior spoke about his piece Compassion – a series of traditional Hebrew and Arabic melodies set to a classical backdrop that he arranged in collaboration with Nigel Westlake. The story of how this collaboration came together was fascinating (I wouldn’t do it justice in the retelling), but essentially when faced with this direction for his music, Lior arrived at a quandary.

Lior is an Israeli-Australian musician, and as he elaborated, a Jewish heritage meant access to melodies and music full of the richness of that culture. It was here that the idea for Compassion was seeded. But here also lay the dilemma- Lior explained he is not religious. So how do you record an album of religious songs and make it about something other than religion?

From there entered the his first book choice, Alain de Botton’s Religion for Atheists. In what may seem like irony Lior’s predicament was answered. From here, he and Nigel Westlake embraced music from across Arabic and Hebrew cultures, and Compassion was born. Not an ode to one particular religion, but a reflection and appreciation of compassion and empathy that lives at the heart of these cultures.

His second book was also based around philosophy, When Nietzsche Wept, by Irvin D. Yalom. The premise of this book was based around a fictional conversation between Nietzsche and the famous psychologist Dr Breuer (the two never met in real life). Nietzsche sits on Dr Breuer’s couch as a patient, but as the conversation progresses, it becomes less clear who is the patient and who is the doctor. Through sharing experiences and empathy, the two men begin to heal each other. It was this evolution of two strangers into confidantes that Lior took as inspiration for his music.

Hannah Kent – photo credit Nicholas Purcell

What music inspired Hannah Kent?

We’ve written a bit on this blog about music and creativity, so it was interesting to hear Hannah’s take on it. She tried initially to write in silence because it was the ‘done thing’, she thought. As she progressed through her novel though she realised that listening to music while she worked helped her to access her subconscious better- to ‘get out of her own way’ and just write.

The first piece she picked was a Laura Marling song- which had a line that spoke deeply to Hannah: ‘I used to be so kind.’ It’s a pretty powerful sentiment, and really forms the basis for why Hannah’s protagonist is so compelling. It’s not about the person she is at the end, it’s about what shaped her. It was a great choice of music, Laura Marling has that haunting folky melancholy that fit so well with Burial Rites, I could almost see Hannah busily typing under the song, growing Agnes Magnessdottir on the page.

Back to the idea of listening to music while you write – both Genevieve and Lior echoed questions for Hannah around listening to lyrics and how they influenced her own words. Hannah’s take was that she needed to know a song well enough that she no longer heard the lyrics, but instead the rhythm and mood was what carried through into her writing. Often, she said, she would put a song on repeat until the lyrics faded away before listening to it while she worked. Or she would listen to music sung in a language other than English.

So following that comment, her second music choice was from Icelandic band Sigur Rós. As she put it, this band captures the Icelandic landscape so completely she assured us that if we hadn’t been to Iceland, this would paint the picture for us. It is beautiful sweeping music with an electronica edge and a poignant sadness that only a country stuck in cold dark winters can produce. It was a perfect soundtrack to the Iceland that Hannah paints.

Lastly…

The event was held at the Substation in Newport, which I hadn’t been to before but was a fantastic space- great high ceilings, and little red tables nestled amongst our chairs for beverages. As a closing gift, Lior sang a song from his new album, while we all sat back and bathed in the humming of possibility left by his and Hannah’s inspiration.

Links

• Here’s some more info about what’s on at the Wheeler Centre.
• Here’s a link to Hannah Kent’s website
• And to Lior’s
• And a link to the Substation venue

Review- Elizabeth Gilbert in Melbourne for the Wheeler Centre

Last night a fellow writer and I headed to Fed Square in Melbourne to hear Elizabeth Gilbert talk about her new book, presented by the Wheeler Centre. Whatever you might think of Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth is a creative force to be reckoned with. Before the phenomenal success of that book, she had published four others- all of which are well regarded.

Elizabeth Gilbert, photo credit Deborah Lopez

Her latest, The Signature of All Things, tells the story of Alma Whittaker- ‘scientific trailblazer, a woman of the Enlightenment Age who stands defiantly on the cusp of the modern. Though her passion for botany and brilliant career are her driving force, she is disappointed in love. While Alma’s careful studies of moss take her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, the man she comes to love draws her in the opposite direction.’ from the Wheeler Centre

It’s a far cry from the travel-memoir-self-help she is now so famous for, it’s ambitious and literary and there’s a lot about moss. Not your average selling point. But as Elizabeth pointed out- she had been given a gift with her success; she’s an independently wealthy woman, able to afford the luxury of funding her own travel and research time, unbeholden to a publisher- so why not aim high and write the story she felt passionately about telling? In fact there are many similarities between Elizabeth and the women scientists she researched; they had opportunity, but more than that- they decided to use their independence to explore a field far from what they were expected to do.

Elizabeth herself is an engaging and generous speaker. As she said herself she ‘has the soul of a writer but the personality of a flight attendant.’ It’s this humour that I love most about her writing. She also shared many tips throughout her talk- my favourites are below:

1. Preparation is key. Her research for this book was more than thorough, it was excessive. While most of us can’t afford to travel from Tahiti to Amsterdam in the name of research, it does pay to know your subject matter inside out. She used the analogy of painting a room; in her twenties she decided to be a writer, so she opened a bucket of paint and started slapping it on the wall. Then she realised she hadn’t moved the furniture, hadn’t taken the pictures off the wall- there were holes to be patched, plaster to be repaired- and suddenly it got too hard. Now her room is so prepared she just gets in their with a great big roller.

2. Always write with a reader in mind. By this she doesn’t mean a demographic, or a made-up average, but write to someone specific. For The Signature of All Things she wrote to her 4th grade teacher (someone whom she is still close with); and every time she questioned whether to cut or leave parts she asked, would she (her teacher) be bored? Or would she want to know that detail?

3. Get out of your own way. This was a note particularly to women- all of us who hear that voice that says ‘I can’t do this.’ As she pointed out- many stronger, tougher women with more obstacles in their way have come before us and cleared the way for women to have more equality- don’t let your own issues undo the opportunities that come across our paths; throw your hat into the ring with confidence.

With insights into her process, intelligent observations and a healthy dose of self-deprecation, Elizabeth Gilbert was inspiring to watch. It’s so often the case that I walk away from hearing writers talk with an impeding sense of doom about my own work. It wasn’t the case last night- I’m feeling ready to roll up my sleeves. Maybe it was her winning flight attendant smile.

Here’s some more info about what’s on at the Wheeler Centre.

Elizabeth also gave a great talk at TED some years ago- it’s well worth a watch.

The Signature of All Things is available at bookshops and on the web.