“People who don’t read or write poetry always hold it in very high regard.” -- Nick Laird
I’m a Zadie Smith fangirl. I love the poems of Nick Laird. They are married to each other. I adore Paris. I am an avid listener to the Shakespeare and Company Bookshop podcast. This is a video of Smith and Laird being interviewed for that podcast. What makes this moment in time so interesting for both writers (July 2018) is that the books they are both pressing on the world have the same title -- Feel Free. The reason their books have the same name is hilarious. Watch and find out.
On a side note: On November 5, 2014, I arrived in Paris for a week. It was cold and pouring rain. Perfect bookshop weather. I dropped off my bags in my AirBnB and headed out the door to Shakespeare and Company. I got there about 4:00 pm. On the door was a sign that said, “Tonight. 7:00 pm. Editor Dan Gunn talks about The Letters of Samuel Beckett: 1957 - 1965.” I stuck around. That’s a pretty good start to my time in Paris.
My students from a distant Beckett class will remember my fascination with Beckett's mother. He was so stressed by their relationship, he would break out in boils. I asked Gunn if Beckett talks about his mother in this volume of letters. The answer was no.
This is my proof. In this photo, I’m right in front of the woman in the red sweater with my burgundy jacket over my lap.
