A Writer's Reputation
The Uneasy Alliance between a Writer and his Readers
The case of Peter Carey reveals the difficulty in negotiating the terrain between the public literary figure and the private man.
Shunned
On his 2006 Australian book tour to promote Theft, A Love Story, a dazzled audience member asked Carey how living in New York influenced his writing. He gave a prickly one-word answer. Another time, someone asked him to explain the motivation of the lead character in one of his early novels. Carey’s response? A dismissive “Sorry, I’ve got no idea…I wrote that so long ago.” At the Adelaide Festival in March 2008, Carey retorted loudly and angrily “None of your business!” to a question from the floor on why he continued to live in New York.
Australia’s International Star
Australians are divided when it comes to Peter Carey. One the one hand, they are proud to claim the two-time Booker winner as one of their own. He is the most renowned Australian literary figure since Patrick White, truly an international star. He consistently uses Australian locations, locutions, and icons, as well as historical, social and literary material, as the subjects of his innovative novels.
Unfortunately, his audience is fast growing weary of his dismissiveness. Those who attend his readings, the fans who stand to ask a question, are among his most devoted readers. His surly responses threaten to alienate them.
Whether he likes it or not, Carey is a public figure. And like most successful writers, his reputation depends upon the public. He is justified in being angry at the public intrusion into his private life. It’s no one’s business to be concerned about the details of his marriage or his current relationship or where he lives. However, a dignified reply to intrusive questions is what’s needed, not oil added to flames. How is it that one of the foremost writers of our times, a novelist in line for a Nobel Prize, can’t imagine a graceful answer? If anyone can, it should be him.
Changing Attitudes
With the rise of the Internet, everyone has the opportunity to retrieve information and offer opinions instantly. It’s created a new attitude towards fame, success and privacy. Unthinkingly, with a simple click, the whole world is brought into the home; with another, just as quickly what’s private is made public. In fact, the technology has moved faster than the social codes that control it. Because the Internet offers a platform for individual expression like no other, and because so many willingly expose themselves publicly, a shift has taken place: the ‘private’ is diminished, replaced by the ease with which one can reveal all.
Just as significantly, the Internet is increasingly seen as the single most powerful tool for reaching others. No one wants to be left out. Publishers now market books on YouTube, posting author interviews, even creating trailers for books much like those for movies.
Carey’s current difficulty exposes this conceptual shift. One suspects he’s operating from an older world view, in which the private life of a public person is seen as off-limits.
A Two-Way Street
Carey often complains that reviews of his work are cooler, less effusive in Australia than in the US. It's possible much of this is to do with the way he behaves at festivals and on book tours. Carey needs his reading public more than they need him. But the price should not be that he surrender his privacy. Perhaps he should look at the way other celebrities handle fame.
Why not follow the example of Nicole Kidman’s graceful silence about her personal life, which of course has nothing to do with her latest performance? Why not do as George Clooney does and charm the pants off his public while revealing nothing?
It’s a two way street. Like a marriage, the alliance between a literary figure and the public must be constantly negotiated. But a literary reputation, by definition, requires an audience. Writers must find a way to respect readers--in turn, commanding respect.
