Afaceri de la zero

English summer with literature and bed&breakfast

15.08.2000, 00:00 Autor: Saviana Stanescu


As any voyage begins with a parking lot, a railway station or an airport I will also start my journey at the Otopeni Airport, on a Tarom plane with stewardesses, unexpectedly young and beautiful, fish or chicken - your choice of meal and the clocks two hours earlier - looking forward towards Heathrow-terminal 2, towards the London rain that was a good change after the oven-like Bucharest.

Any journey starts with an invitation. I was invited to the Cambridge Literature Seminary by the British Council (Jeremy Jacobson) and, of course I honoured the invitation.

I will now share with you my month in London, not only out of generosity but out of a genuine desire to remember an itinerary that I traveled with an open mind for information. Cambridge, Downing College. Much to my surprise, the ancient student's rooms have no bathroom, only a sink; the showers are for common use, a separate room on the floor.

The rooms are, however large, with a single bed and big windows, so the students will be better inspired by the rain outside. We are some 45 participants, "overseas fellows" (writers from all over the world) from Canada to Iran, from the USA to Pakistan, from Holland to Greece, through Romania. Professor Christopher Bigsby is the Chairman and Prof. Damian Grant helps him.

The Grand Master of Ceremonies is Alastair Niven, Director of Literature at the British Council. The main character for the practical part of the seminary is Val Striker from the University of East England. We have our readings but we mostly listen to the special guests, consecrated British writers that we literally devour here in Romania. I found Muriel Spark, Malcolm Bradbury and David Lodge very interesting and "sparkling."

George Steiner was provocative and apocalyptic, as we knew he would. Doris Lessing, Rose Tremain, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Wendy Cope are some very nice ladies. Patience Agbabi is a black poet who specialises in poetry-performance, had a lot of successes and Biyi Bandele - a young novelist-playwright, was born in Nigeria, and has been recently launched on the British market.

The lectures, discussions, questions and answers were, as you might have guessed, inciting. The meals finished with big, excellent cakes that, by the time the seminary was over, increased the number of pounds per writer. I will also tell you about a short theatrical intermezzo: "The storm" by Shakespeare, at the world-famous Globe Theatre in London. Playing Prospero - surprise - Vanessa Redgrave!

Misfortunately, the actress is beginning to lose her stage voice. The vantage point of the setting was a rather cute Caliban and the directing of a young Belgrade director. This is a paradox: an East-European goes to Shakespeare's native land and expects to see a play "as il faut." Instead you find Balkan rhythms and Kusturica-like images. It was exciting, nevertheless, although it is clear that these productions are for "tourist use only."

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