Giancarlo De Cataldos Book Launch Event Evaluation - Essay Example

Evaluation of a Literary Event The event which I will be evaluating is the book launch of the Giancarlo De Cataldo’s edited collection of crime short stories in English translation. This event consisted of a brief discussion by the author of the process he went through when editing the work, issues surrounding translation of crime fiction, some readings from the books, questions from the floor about his writing and progressed into a wider discussion of crime writing more generally. The presentation was attended by approximately fifty members of the public and was held in a small lecture theatre on a university campus. It was held early in the evening, around 7pm in an informal manner and with an informal atmosphere. A book signing was held after the main discussion and drinks and snacks were served to allow an informal mingling between member of the audience and the writer. The event terminated at approximately 10pm. The setting for the literary event was well chosen and suitable for the intimate nature of the presentation. The setting consisted of a small lecture theatre with a bank of seats in a amphitheatre around the author. This made for excellent communication between the speaker and audience. Each of the audience members had an excellent view and the author could be heard clearly by everyone. This kind of planning makes for a successful literary event because it avoids the all too common situation where those at the back see and hear very little of the evening’s events. It also meant that questions could be taken very easily from the floor, the author could see all the people he needed to respond to and all questions and answers could be heard by all the people in the room. The author also did not need to use a microphone, eliminating distracting issues such as technological failure and buzzing. The informal atmosphere created by the setting was also appropriate to the event. The author was of most interest to students and local people interested in foreign and crime literature. A formal setting would have been inappropriate because it would have discouraged debate and interaction between these groups. It was also have been more intimidating to ask questions to the author. The event was partly intended to encourage the student population and local residents to come together and the atmosphere really facilitated this. Rather than an overly formal and pretentious book launch, the event was treated more as an opportunity for author and public to exchange ideas and feed off one another. I was expecting a far more structured affair with a distancing between author and public, so this was a pleasant surprise for me. I think it was a real success as a way to bring two communities together which are usually quite separate. The event opened with a discussion by the author of his role of editor of the book. The book itself included a short story by the editor as well as a selection of others by leading crime writers in Italy. His point of departure was the complex and political nature of approaching writers for submission. Only a couple of the authors included had received recognition outside of Italy. This was because De Cataldo attempted to choose a couple of names which an international audience would recognise whilst also giving plenty of space to lesser known authors still trying to get themselves established internationally. However, this meant that some top names in Italian crime fiction were not included since the purpose of the book was to help launch new names. This was a difficult political tight-rope which the editor had to walk in order not to bruise too many egos. The engaging and amusing way in which he described this process gave a real insight into what it is to be an editor. This is not an angle which I was expecting would be covered during the book launch and it really opened my eyes to the difficulties of the job. The issue of translation was also focused on. One of the most fascinating issues of this was that many of the characters in the Italian version spoke in dialect. This was to reflect the underground nature of criminal gangs and the often very localised nature of their formation and operation. Great attention was therefore paid by the translators in attempting to find equivalent dialects or regional accents in English. Would a criminal from Naples speak like a London cockney, a New Yorker or a Texan? This amusing and fascinating debate was a central part of attempting to translate the underlying authenticity of these stories. What really emerged through this discussion was that fact that the Italian crime genre is not just about churning out page turners or pot boilers. In fact, it is about deep rooted social commentary. Organised crime in Italy is well established and a real part of everyday life for many Italians. Crime fiction, therefore, becomes a way of battling social problems and exposing corruption. Indeed, De Cataldo even told of some Italian crime writers who had been threatened by criminal organisations due to their all too realistic depiction. This really was an eye-opening discussion. The author then moved on to read two pieces from the collection. The first was from the opening story in the collection which took an amusing look at the issue of drugs trafficking. The high level of humour in this story surprised me given the serious nature of the crime fiction genre discussed during the introduction. Indeed, although well written stylistically, the story came across as a little frivolous and far too flippant to make a serious statement. Although I can perfectly well accept such use of humour, it went against my expectations from the introduction and seemed a surprising choice for an opening reading. I suspect that the story as a whole may have much more offer than the excerpt suggested. However, the second piece read was much more indicative of the sort of issues which had already been discussed. This dealt in stark, clear and at times disturbing language, of police corruption. The open disrespect by the police for acceptable ethical form of interrogation of foreigners left me wondering who were more worthy of prison, the so-called ‘clandestine’ criminals or the police themselves. Mention must be made at this stage of the author himself. De Cataldo is not a particularly imposing or impressive character in person, nor is he blessed with an imposing stage presence. However, his readings were excellent and he brought life, vibrancy and above all believability to the readings. His deep voice and thick Italian accent made the dark corners of the stories ever darker and more terrifying. He read with commitment, passion and above all sincerity which managed to communicate, at times more than the stories themselves, the seriousness of the subject matter. Having had a career as a high court attorney in Rome, De Cataldo is clearly versed in the art of rhetoric and he brings this to his book readings in abundance. Once the readings were completed, time was then given to questions from the floor. It was at this stage that proceedings became most interesting, since a debate emerged over the very nature of crime fiction itself. I say that this was interesting because I was not anticipating that such a challenging topic would be put to the author by the audience. A lot of people in the audience were American crime writing enthusiasts who had come to hear an Italian talk about the genre. They wanted to know if De Cataldo agreed with the idea that American crime writing showed less social and political commitment than European crime writing. As a non expert on this genre, I thought the debate provided I useful background to the differences of crime fiction in the US and Europe. De Cataldo in fact argued that Italian crime fiction owed a lot to US crime writers in term of plot, suspense building and other literary devices. The depth of discussion helped to challenge my perceived notions of American crime fiction and therefore made for a stimulating evening. While not a fan of the genre, the variations in approach of different cultures was something which I had never before considered. During this section of questions from the floor, De Cataldo went to great lengths to engage with the audience, answering on a whole range of questions from Italian politics, to life as an Italian attorney, to the inspiration for his own work. This willingness on the part of the author to share his experiences gave the event a very personal feel and also increased my perception of De Cataldo as a writer who likes to engage with real life. Indeed, De Cataldo would often question audience members with greater knowledge than himself about elements of American crime fiction, or American criminal activity. He gave the impression that the event was far more than an stage for him to publicise his new book, but rather an opportunity for him to tap into the American psyche a little. This level of engagement meant that I came away with the feeling of really having got to know the author. Such intimacy is to be cherished. The event was concluded with a drinks reception where students, locals, university professors and the author all mingled together and got to continue some of the debates generated from the audience questions. The level of enthusiasm with which so many of the audience members took part in this, together with the high proportion of people who stayed for drinks rather than leaving immediately, is perhaps a reflection of the fact that other people were as captivated and intrigued by the evening as I was. Read More