I haven't been a published author all that long but I've done a fair few appearances by now, and I've got used to how they work. Jewish Book Week was a little different. Nice turnout - about forty people, I think, including a regular blog reader (hello Hagbar!) I read a couple of chapters (one and four, if you're interested) and discussed my novel - a humourous novel about Greek Gods living in modern London, lest we forget - in a reasonably straightforward way with the friendly compere. Then we opened it to questions from the floor.
First question - yes, from you, the older woman with the long grey hair. Thank you.
"Would you say that extreme orthodoxy in religion, Jewish or otherwise, is in fact a barrier to moral and ethical engagement with the world?"
Well, it makes a change from "How did you get your publishing deal?"
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4 comments:
Top 10 signs that we were in for a treat:
1) Plastic bag ratio exceeds 50%
2) Age profile: a 'daytime crowd'
3) Widespread anticipation of some more top class radical-Islam--bashing (can one ever get enough?)from the Daily Mail's most forthright neo-con columnist.
4) the Chair urges us instead to read a book written by someone called Mary
5) young beautiful brunette intellectual author MUST be
jewish so what on earth did she mean by writing about a born-again Christian? Who lives in North London? It's just not REALISTIC.
6) The book does not really deal in any depth at all with the Hitler issue. Can we have some clarification on that?
7) I can see why we might want to be ruled again by ancient gods of lore but is it really PRACTICAL? Shouldn't we all move forward now?
8) I start the applause for the first reading but some mamzer beats me to it for the second
9) If you ask me one more stupid question I am going to put you in your place with a reference to Ben Stiller. There. It's no more than you deserved.
10) How the hell did LCJ get in here without a plastic bag?
An admirable and extremely accurate portrayal of the event, my dear Hag (though I must be modest about point 5). I am slightly disappointed though that you didn't mention the bit where I was castigated for denigrating the Ten Commandments.
11. There is a commandment about no other gods besides me but these days people worship CELEBRITY (I understand) and (apparently) it is THE TELEVISION which rules their lives. Good for you for taking a stand against such things.
I missed it because I was praying with laughter.
But you're such a tease! Is extreme orthodoxy a barrier to moral and ethical engagement with the world? C'mon, what did you tell her?
(And I take it that a "daytime crowd" means "older"? And what's a "mamzer"?)
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