Island Twenty-One - Isle of Everyday Epiphanies and Creative Friendships

(Extract from: Muse of the Long Haul Thirty-One Isles of the Creative Imagination)

Copyright, Dr Ian Irvine, 2013 all rights reserved. All short extracts from the texts discussed are acknowledged and used under fair usage related to review and theoretical critique contained in international copyright law. Cover image The Battered Silver Wheelbarrow beside the Overfull Dam Copyright, Ian Irvine, 2012, all rights reserved. Image 2: The passport image of William Carlos Williams is in the public domain internationally and belongs to the US Federal government. Publisher: Mercurius Press, Australia, 2013. NB: This piece is published at Scribd as part of a series drawn from the soon to be print published non-fiction book on experiential poetics entitled: Muse of the Long Haul: Thirty-One Isles of the Creative Imagination.

Island Twenty-One - The Isle of Everyday Epiphanies and Creative Friendships

Harry supposes he followed a few paces. But then he froze. He remembers the terror of not knowing what the smoke might conceal, remembers turning back, only to see the mules, one with its belly pouring out onto the snow. Still upright, it stumbled and stamped He can still see its entrails, smooth and marbled, steaming in the cold air a paler vapour than the prevailing smoke and fumes. Astonishingly the mule didnt scream or whinny. [John Charalambous, Silent Parts, p.6, UQP, 2006]. The small corpse was still warm and its head flopped to the side like a rag doll. Apart from the obvious fact that it was dead, Gerald could see nothing wrong with it. There was no wound; not a drop of blood or a crease on its perfect grey and white feathers He placed the bird gently on top of the crushed aluminium cans in his shopping trolley and wondered how he would find his way back to the lift. [John Holton, A Sense of Direction in Snowdropping, p. 23-24.]

In 1999 I did a modern day rewrite of Gustave Flauberts Madame Bovary. The narrative was top-heavy with compressed time narrative i.e. it had very little dramatic real time narrativebut was apparently well enough written for the New Zealand journal Southern Ocean Review to publish it. So continued a strange relationship with Flauberts most famous novel. Id studied it at La Trobe in the early 90s and had analysed it in my PhD thesis. Id also delivered one-off lectures on Emma, Realism and the theme of morbid ennui in Madame Bovary to literature undergraduates in the mid-1990s. In terms of world view, Flaubert confessed to being a Romantiche loathed the ugly modern world seeing it as mean and petty; a prison for the soul. Despite this, Flaubert is these days remembered as a great Realist writer and Madame Bovary is seen as the archetypal Realist novel. The book is interpreted as both a critique of bourgeois values and a critique of escapist forms of Romanticism. Flaubert said that writing Madame Bovary was one of the most painful experiences of his lifethe subject matter, a realistic depiction of middle class life in a French provincial town, quite literally nauseated him! Flaubert was also obsessed, as all novelists should be, with finding the precise word. He hated clichs and vaguely expressed ideas. In terms of his philosophy of life he supposedly said: To be stupid, and selfish, and to have good health are the three requirements for happiness; though if stupidity is lacking, the others are useless. What most fascinated, and still fascinates me, about Madame Bovary is its unflinching psychological honesty. The stark portrayal of the psychological disintegration of an ordinary middle class woman seems to me to encapsulate important aspects of life in post-traditional societies. One need only visit the local shopping centre here in Central Victoria to meet any number of contemporary Emmas. Given I am also prone to flights of Romantic escapism something in me loves the literature of awe, of the fantastic and the otherwordlyFlauberts surgical deconstruction of the false Romanticism of the 19th century served as a warning to me. In the novel Emmas psychic addiction to Romantic literature and consumerism moves in rhythm with (almost as a precise counterpoint to) the melancholy progress of her soul sickness (which is morbid ennui). False Romanticism hijacks her attempts to transcend middle class existence and helps guarantee a tragic conclusion to the novel. In short: a particular kind of escapist (rather than transformative) Romanticism coexists with her illness. Madame Bovary is an Existential text in many respectsquite apart from being Realist since it documents the tragedy of gradual loss of self, i.e. the giving over of self to others during

ordinary relational exchanges. It is also a text about female oppression, since every institution in nineteenth century French societythe school system, marriage, religion, the economic system, the legal system, etc.are seen to contribute to Emmas eventual downfall. Her image of life never seems to match realityand the resultant mismatch propels the tragedy. Emmas slow and painful deathafter deliberately swallowing rat poisoninghighlights another of the books major themesmost of us do not live heroic, Romantic lives (or deaths). Surely, then, we have something to learn from writers and artists prepared to look at the reality of our existence in the world with honesty and compassion? Perhaps such a literature of the real is ultimately more moving, more relevant to us, than a literature fixated on fabulous abstractions (such as was the case with Romanticism)? By 1999 my sojourn in academia was ending thanks to both the completion of my PhD (and resultant loss of scholarship income) and lack of tenured academic work at La Trobe (Bendigo). In truth, the University at Bendigo had a relatively small humanities/social science faculty and its budget seemed to shrink almost annually. Likewise, new students were constantly beginning their Masters or PhD studies and were thus in need of tutoring work to help fund their studies and launch their teaching careers in academia (as I had been). After teaching the Medieval World unit in second semester 1999, I packed up my office in November aware that my only secure income over the summer break would come from the part-time contract I had with Bendigo TAFE. Id been trained for academia but the income insecurity associated with casual teaching at University level made long-term commitment to that world all but impossible. By the end of 1999 I also had three children to help support (my daughter Kara was born in December 1999). Sue and I had also built a log cabin on our five acre block near Bendigo and were enjoying our life out in the bush. I was faced with a simple choice: either sell up and leave Bendigo seeking more secure university work elsewhere, or find ongoing work in Bendigo outside of the university. By the time I graduated in early 1999, I was feeling intellectually liberated (i.e. ready to move on from the subject matter of my thesis) and excited about my teaching contract with Bendigo TAFEs Koorie (Aboriginal) unit. A year earlier, Sue and I had enrolled in a Short Story class at Bendigo TAFE taught by much published Australian writer, Justin DAth (though in fact he was born in New Zealand). PostPhD the fiction writer and poet in me were clamouring for airspace after so many years of repression due to the demands of PhD research. My first class with Justintaken soon after Sue and I had returned from south-east Asiawas the ultimate reality check. Since the age of 17 Id seen myself as a writer. However, even though Id written songs that had been played on radio and used in a feature film, even though also Id been paid for some years to write a thesis, I still didnt feel like a professional writer. I was facing a hurdle faced by many creative peoplethe difficult transition from being a young-adult creative artist to an adult creative artist. Moderate professional success in academic non-fiction and minor success in music werent enough to satisfy all the writing muses that had sought creative expression through me since early adulthood. As it turned out I was in need of a good dose of industry realism and the BRIT writing program delivered. The stories I wrote during that period symbolise what was on my mind. They were mostly about marginalised artists and writersFive Boxes and a Knife, The Phantom Library, The Artist and the Phoenix and The Orpheus Plague are partly poor alienated creative me stories. Not only did the classes on fiction writing expose the gaping abyss that existed between

university level prose analysis of literary texts and the activities of creative writers, but on a more practical level it introduced me to a fictional style that allowed me to develop a more effective, contemporary writing voice. The trick was to separate my poetry and lyric writing voices from my fiction writing voicea sparser, more functional writing voice ensued. Justin gave us a short story by Ernest Hemmingway called Hills like White Elephantsthe piece is composed almost entirely of dialogue. The raw, evocative simplicity of the writing was a revelation and I resolved to delete all extraneous material from my novel manuscript. I realised, in short, that Id been over-writing my novels. This insight eventually helped make DreamDust Parasites (my first novel) readableless was most definitely more. More importantly, I was finally beginning to think about the reader. The other major technical task of the period was to move away from the objective, scientific voice that my PhD research had demanded of me. Justins classes, as well as his matter of fact, hard-working and wonderfully mischievous approach to the writing industry, were a revelation to me and within months I was editing and sending out my backlog of stories, poems and non-fiction pieces to journals and magazines all over Australia and internationally. I followed his recipe for getting published exactly and soon found myself being published in all kinds of place. Although John Charalambous, John Holton and Justin DAth are very different types of writers who have explored all kinds of genres and styles I think it is fair to say that contemporary psychological realist elements are prominent in a lot of their adult fiction. Even as I write this, however, I recall two of John Holtons storiesone of which appeared in Best Australian Short Stories, 2007that display obvious magical realist elements. John is also a wonderful poet and the voice of his poetry differs from that of his fiction. Likewise, Justin DAth is best known these days as a much published childrens and young adult writer and some of that material is far from psychological realismfor example Shaedow Master (2003) is a rollicking fantasy novel. His psychological realist novels are Hunters and Warriors (2001) and The Initiate (1989). Justins Hemingway influenced realism is evident in many of the short stories hed had published in the 1990s. What Im suggesting, then, is that all three of these writers are very interested in the ordinary moments of life. This approach to fiction, and in John Holtons case, poetry became a grounding influence on my own fiction. It helped me split my poetic voice (which tends toward magical realism) from my fictional voice and to rein in the Pynchonesque (i.e. psychedelic) impulses that marred my early fiction. To these three writers the present moment is always more interesting, complex and pregnant with meaning than we realise. Quite apart from the obvious literary value of such an approach, it also conceals profound life-lessons. For many people these days life is only meaningful in relation to the spectacle, the grand achievement, closeness to celebrity, etc.in a sense our entire culture works to denigrate, ignore and flee from the everyday, the ordinary in life. In truth the metaphoric philosophers stone of alchemical fame is all around usthe trick is to develop a sensibility capable of perceiving it in among all the clutter of our lives. In thinking of my friends I recall some of the novels that first got me interested in literatureKen Keseys One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (which I read in my last year of high-school), Thomas Hardys The Mayor of Casterbridge, which I also read and loved as a teenager, and Gustave Flauberts Madame Bovary (see discussion above). One of my favourite novels at the moment is The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnesdiscussed elsewhere in this book. It is psychological realism at its contemporary best. I should also mention my long term interest in writers like Camus, Mann, Woolf, Hesse, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Orwell, Hemingway (one of Justins

favourite authors) and Patrick White (one of John Charalambous favourite writers). Each could be described as excellent proponents of psychological realism. The three Central Victorian writers Ive been discussing also provided me with an invaluable model of craftsmanship devoid of egosince they model a no-nonsense just get on with it commitment to the writing life that has inspired my own efforts. Since the late 1990s Ive found Ive grown closer, in particular, to my two long term friends John Holton and John Charalambouswere on similar journeys in many respects. We live in the same town and the literary markers have been popping up at regular intervals for all three of us since 2000. John Charalambous has published three novels through Queensland University Press, Furies, Silent Parts (which was long-listed for the Miles Franklin award) and Two Greeks. More recently, Silent Parts has been converted into a telemovie to be released by the ABC in 2014. All three novels demonstrate vivid characterisation, profound psychological insight and a commitment to the experience of life as lived (rather than as theorised). There is a phenomenological/existential sub-text to his fiction that brings readers close to the bedrock of contemporary life. His characters are typically ordinary people struggling to make important decisions in among lifes diversions and relational complexities. Occasionally, only occasionally, are they granted life changing epiphanies. Johns long-term commitment to the craft of writing has always been inspirational to witnessday after day, week after week, year after year he accumulates words. Sometimes he experiences profound breakthroughs that give his work a degree of forward momentum, other times he hits dispiriting dead-ends after months or even years of work and is forced to scrap a cherished idea and start over. In the twenty-five years since I first met him (on that dusty twenty acre block he and Evalyn owned near Wedderburn), he has never stopped working on ideas for novels. Given Johns talent and dedication he deserves every ounce of the success finally coming his way in recent years. John Holton, on the other-hand, has published two collections of short stories, numerous non-fiction books and a number of poetry collectionsall this whilst raising a young family and holding down jobs in journalism and publishing! In 2007 one of his short stories appeared in Black Inks annual Best Australian Short Stories anthology alongside the giants of Australian literary fiction. Again lifes everyday epiphanies figure strongly as well as a love of the absurd that arises, sometimes, out of its opposite, i.e. seriousness. When I first met John back at La Trobe in 1990 one of the first writers we discussedand weve talked about many hundreds over the past two decadeswas the poet William Carlos Williams. I recall that John particularly loved Williamss shorter poetry The Red Wheelbarrow, for examplesometimes referred to as the classic objectivist poem (though some see it as an Imagist poem). Others see it as the greatest poem of the twentieth century. As Ive grown older Ive come to appreciate this poem (and Williamss ideas about poetry) more and more. Ive also come to see The Red Wheelbarrow as a wonderful metaphor for Johns long-term writers modus operandi. How amazing that a poem about a red wheelbarrow glazed with rain (impermanence?) standing beside some white chickens should come to represent one of the major poetic breakthroughs of the 20th century. Williams is famous for the statement: Say itno ideas but in thingsby which he perhaps meant that poets should seek to allow the phenomena (objects)

of the everyday world to become reality in a poem, i.e. without imposing abstraction/ideas etc. upon them. According to objectivists, imposed ideas (abstractions) deplete the capacity of literature to depict and capture reality. The poem famously begins: so much depends upon before going on to describe the barrow and the chickens. To me, the poem suggests that a lot depends upon our capacity to truly experience the world in all its raw vividness. So much also depends upon our capacity to see profound patterns among the bric-a-brac of ordinary existence. Perhaps our essential humanity begins and ends with our success or failure in such enterprises. A commitment to something like an objectivist poetic is evident throughout Johns poetry, fiction and non-fiction workthough there is more in his work besides, in particular a life-affirming love of comedy, absurdity and whimsical observation, as well as an underlying existential commitment to the experiences of individuals over the dictates of the mass mind. The Red Wheelbarrow conceals something else of importancesomething not immediately evident from a straight reading. In describing the inspiration for the poem, Williams spoke of his friendship with an old African American man called Marshallindeed the red wheelbarrow and the white chickens were observed in his friends backyard. Williams says: I suppose my affection for the old man somehow got into the writing. I like the idea that a poets commitment to tracking the wisdom concealed in ordinary objects can birth extraordinary writingin this case a poem also inspired by friendship (since somehow the objects speak the essence of the poets relationship to his friend). John Charalambous and John Holton have inspired me creatively for decades. Im inspired by their long-term commitment to close observation of everyday life, and their general love of the arts and innovative perspectives on life. They and their partners, Evalyn Charalambous (a musician, teacher and theatre director) and Cath Holton (an artist/photographer and teacher), along with a handful of other people, have also contributed much to my personal soul stability over the past two decades. I feel very lucky to have had such friends in my life and suspect that such creative friendships are essential to all writers and artists. Despite mass media clichs emphasising individualism and competitiveness among writers, my experience has been that writing can be a profoundly inter-relational and community building vocation. These days I have many creative friendships some of whom are mentioned on other Islands, or have been mentioned alreadyMiranda Aitken, Neil Boyack, G.N. Braun, Buzza Borrell, Di Dempsey, Tru Dowling, Sue Gillett, Pam Harvey, Jenny Mellberg, Bruce Oakman, Mary Pomfret, Penelope Sell, Bec Sutton and John Snowdon being just some of the many wonderful writers and poets Ive got to know since 1998. Many of these creative friends appeared in Scintillae 2012 which was launched at the Bendigo Writers Festival in 2012. However, back in 1998 when a future in writing seemed but a distant mirage to me it was Justins classes, as well as the long-term support of John Holton, John Charalambous and Sue that kept me on the camel in the sweltering heat so as to speak. They gave me the faith to believe that some sort of creative oasis was just around the corner (provided I was prepared to continue with my apprenticeship). The goal, put simply, was to be paid to write something ... more particularly, something meaningful to me. I had a fairly traditional idea of what it meant to be a writer at that timerevolution however was in the air and writing was about to become a journey aboard the star-ship Enterprise.

Author Bio (as at June 2013)

Dr. Ian Irvine (Hobson) is an Australian-based poet/lyricist, writer and non-fiction writer. His work has featured in publications as diverse as Humanitas (USA), The Antigonish Review (Canada), Tears in the Fence (UK), Linq (Australia) and Takahe (NZ), as well as in a number of Australian national poetry anthologies: Best Australian Poems 2005 (Black Ink Books) and Agenda: Australian Edition, 2005. He is the author of three books and co-editor of three journals and currently teaches in the Professional Writing and Editing program at BRIT (Bendigo, Australia) as well as the same program at Victoria University, St. Albans, Melbourne. He has also taught history and social theory at La Trobe University (Bendigo, Australia) and holds a PhD for his work on creative, normative and dysfunctional forms of alienation and morbid ennui.