Report from IFOA: Colm Tóibín delivers the goods

As the IFOA eases into its closing weekend, Torontoist correspondents look back at the night that was. Erin Balser cozied up in the Studio Theatre to hear five excellent readings from five very different authors. Edinburgh’s Poet Laureate Ron Butlin opened the evening with a delightful short story from his collection No More Angels that retells Exodus from the perspective of Moses’ younger brother, who, truth be told, is never mentioned in the Bible. “My book is the only chance you get to read about him,” Butlin joked. After the poem “Recipe for Whiskey,” Butlin concluded with an excerpt from his unfinished novel about 1940s Canada, tentatively titled The Invisible Woman. Giles Foden then read from Turbulence, a novel inspired by a Quaker weather scientist who refused to let the government use his research for military purposes during the Second World War. The Last King of Scotland author captivated the audience with his original and creative selection. Tessa McWatt followed with an excerpt from her latest, Step Closer, while the evening’s fourth author, Eric Laurrent, read the original French text of his English-language debut, Do Not Touch, with actor Brad Hampton reading the English translation. The reading was as beautiful in English as it was in French and translator Jeanine Herman deserves high praise. Michael Turner ended the strong night, reading from his esoteric novel 8×10, a work lacking in traditional narrative structure and proper nouns. Turner’s carefully selected excerpts made the complex book accessible and entertaining.

Hamutal Dotan was disappointed that so few of our dear Torontoist readers headed our recommendation and to hear the fabulous Colm Tóibín read at the Fleck Dance Theatre. The last of four readers, all of whom acquitted themselves nobly, Tóibín took the evening over the top. His prose is as good as any you’ll likely hear: a delicious, brilliant melding of keen-eyed description and empathy for his characters. Tóibín seemed charmingly nervous when he reached the podium, skipping the standard reminiscence about the last time he was in Toronto and plunging straight into setting up the scene he then read from his latest novel, Brooklyn. Tóibín evoked the plaintive life of an immigrant girl working in a department store with a deftness reminiscent of Zola. He relaxed as the evening wore on, pausing to tell some stories between chapters and leaving the crowd utterly in his spell.

IFOA XXX: Oct. 30

Today’s Events

8 p.m. — Non-Fiction Night: Tim Cook, Dani Couture, Lorna Crozier, Graeme Gibson (Brigantine Room)
8 p.m. — Interview: Anne Murray by Michael Posner (Fleck Dance Theatre)
8 p.m. — Round Table: On Getting it Done (Lakeside Terrace)
8 p.m. — Reading: Lisa Foad, Jen Hadfield, Sarah Hall, Jean McNeil, Michael Thomas (Studio Theatre)

10 p.m. — Discussion: This Book is Broken (Lakeside Terrace)

After spending the better part of our week swimming in the exotic, sometimes brooding, always transporting world of fiction, it can be nice to have a brisk refresher in the form of a return to reality—and that is the theme of our IFOA picks for today. Nothing is more real than war, and that is where we shall begin: Charles Taylor Prize–winning Tim Cook reads from Shock Troops, which examines Canadian fighting forces during several seminal conflicts. On the bill with him is Graeme Gibson, who will keep with the adversarial theme but move into a different kingdom; his book, The Bedside Book of Beasts looks at the fraught encounter between prey and predator.

And because that’s rather a heavy slate, you can take the edge off by following it up with some reportage of a slightly more congenial kind: a discussion of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of Canadian indie-rock outfit Broken Social Scene. Members and former members of BSS will be talking to This Book is Broken author Stuart Berman. Pitter patter goes your heart.

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Report from IFOA: Sampling the Shortlist

Torontoist’s Erin Balser was back at the IFOA last night, this time taking in a reading in the Brigantine Room by the five shortlisted authors of Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Attendees were treated to five strong readings, though Nicole Brossard and Alice Munro were not on hand for the event. Sections of Brossard’s Fences in Breathing were brought to life by her translator Jacqueline Larson, who was followed by Douglas Coupland, reading from his shortlisted novel, Generation A. Annabel Lyon more than made up for the Governor General live-feed debacle earlier this week with a reading from The Golden Mean. Jane Urquhart read the titular story from Munro’s nominated work, Too Much Happiness, telling the audience, “You can imagine how wonderful it is to be Alice, even for a minute.” Andrew Steinmetz rounded out the memorable night by reading the story Monkeylife from his debut novel Eva’s Threepenny Theatre. The winner will be announced at the Writers’ Trust Awards on November 24th.

Report From IFOA: Tales of Mystery and Indignation

Globe and Mail books editor Martin Levin lead an author panel at Harbourfront’s Lakeside Terrace last night. As Torontoist Erin Balser reports, the panel, which consisted of Colm Toibin, Quintin Jardine, Ian Weir, John Bemrose and James Nichol, were asked to comment on Saul Bellow’s statement, “there is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an undeniably good book.”

The panelists spent the next hour and a half trying to decide who Bellow’s enemy was, and in turn, theirs. Was it the mythical Other? The reader? Themselves? From this enquiry spiraled debates about whether Bellow was right in the first place, and how the relationship between the writer and the enemy changed throughout history.

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