One of my favorite events of the year is the annual Words Alive author luncheon. Last year, I got to listen to — and talk to! — Anna Quindlen, and previous keynotes have included big names from Alice Hoffman and Chris Bohjalian to Jane Smiley and Vanessa Diffenbaugh.
Words Alive is a fantastic non-profit organization whose mission is “to open opportunities for life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.”
I was disappointed that I had to miss this year’s luncheon because it took place while Michael and I were on our Viking River Cruise through the Heart of Germany. Thankfully, my good friend, Elin Stebbins Waldal, happily took my place so she could share her experience with you.
On Monday, November 30th, I had the good fortune of attending the sold out Words Alive 12th Annual Author Luncheon in San Diego, where I got to hear author and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Isabel Allende.
To say she stole my heart is an understatement. She is funny, smart, quick and unapologetically comfortable in her 73-year-old skin. Her new book, The Japanese Lover, provided the backdrop for a lively conversation between the author and Seth Lerer, Distinguished Professor of Literature at the University of California at San Diego.
The title alone tells us The Japanese Lover is a book about love, but it is so much more that that. It is about aging. It is about remembering. It is about displacement. It is about living. It is about being human.
Although the book may deal in subjects of a serious nature, Isabel has a marvelous sense of humor. While speaking of her writing process, she described how her characters not only come to her with personalities but nationalities too. She joked that it would have been easier had the Japanese gardener in her book been Mexican, then quickly became thoughtful.
“People think that authors get to do whatever they want with their books, but it’s not true. When I start writing I don’t see the characters very clearly but as I write they become more present and they walk into my house, into my life, into my dreams. I can’t change anything. They start doing stuff that I don’t even want them to do.”
Seth responded, “That’s amazing! Are you suggesting that part of the experience of writing is that sometimes you lose control?”
And on a dime her quick wit returned.
“You do,” she admitted. “The only control I have is that, in all my books, beautiful, tall blondes die on page 60.”
Seth picked up his copy of the book and announced he was looking up page 60, to which she quipped, “You won’t find them there. I killed them before.”
“What is it about beautiful, tall blondes?” he asked.
“I hate them.” There were gales of laughter and a pregnant pause before Seth questioned her again, “Have you seen the crowd?” She explained she couldn’t see because of the lights. He laughed and, with calculated drama, retorted, “Do you know where we are? Do you know why I moved to San Diego?” and there was another eruption of laughter.
The conversation became more serious as Isabel shared that, by traveling the world, she learned that people everywhere want the same things: love, safety, to be valued. She said that everyone, regardless of where they live, can relate to books about our basic human desires.
One of the more poignant moments occurred when Seth asked Isabel, “In your book, one character says to another, ‘happiness is not for everyone.’ Do you believe that?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Only Americans think that happiness is for everyone. In other places, just surviving is a great thing, and sometimes being content is a great thing. Having all your children alive is wonderful. And here we think we have the right to happiness? Oh my God.”
Seth then turned the conversation to her writing about the Japanese Internment Camps in America.
He mused, “Whatever was going on in the book historically seemed so much of a lesson for us today about how we, in America, understand and relate to those individuals we do not understand or those individuals we perceive to be a threat.”
His observation led Isabel to say something I could not agree with more. When talking about government, she said, “Once you instill fear in the population, you can do whatever you want with them.”
“Fear is a terrible, terrible thing,” Isabel warned. “I think it’s very important to resist it. I would rather live with less safety and embrace life. Life is risky. It’s always risky.”
So many valuable points! To think that happiness is expected in some places, while in others contentment is enough, really gives me something to think about.
What a fabulous luncheon! Wish I had been there, too. She seems like an amazing person and writer. Very wise, indeed! I wholeheartedly agree with Isabel, fear is a very dangerous thing. History shows us this, over and over again.
I think she’s right about the FEAR factor. Wise woman. You’re review is wonderful.
Yes, life is very risky, that’s for sure. There is a huge fear factor especially with all the craziness going on in the world. Seems like a great luncheon for sure!
“Only Americans think that happiness is for everyone. In other places, just surviving is a great thing, and sometimes being content is a great thing. Having all your children alive is wonderful. And here we think we have the right to happiness? Oh my God.” What a quote! So true, and it is going directly into my quote library.
Life is always worth the risk. This sounds like a great opportunity! I would have loved to hear this. I love learning from new people and ideas. Thanks for sharing this for me to read.
I enjoyed the author speak and then read her latest book. Volunteering for Words Alve has been very rewarding. Attending the luncheon was an added treat. The write up captured the highlights of her interview. Overall, it was a delightful experience.