I had the best weekend! I went to the American Literary Festival and met Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club). I talked to him in the toilet (god love the unisex restrooms here) and he asked me about my accent because he couldn't place it. I told him I was from Arkansas, but since most French people do not know where that is, I usually just say I am from Texas. He laughed, I laughed and felt pretty clever until he signed my book. The inscription in my copy of Haunted says, "To Angela, a real Texan in Paris." Not quite, but at least he was kind of paying attention to me in the toilet.
I also met Benjamin Kunkel, author of Indecision, and talked to him for a while. AND, I met Guillermo Arriaga, the author/screenwriter of 3 Burials of Melquiades Estrada and 21 Grams; he approached me because I was reading Faulkner (while I was waiting for one of his sessions to begin) and told me Faulkner was the reason he became a writer. Magaret Atwood was also there and, as it turns out, I speak better french than she does.
All in all, I had a great time. I can't imagine a better way to spend a Saturday. For me, writers are the equivalent of rock stars or movie stars, except I don't have the urge to throw my panties at them.
8 comments:
i had to make a comment: yes, it seems to have been a fantastic weekend, but it wouldn't have been so had it not been for the great party i threw on saturday night!!!
:))
see you soon
seb
ps: i signed the contract for the flat today!
Very cool! Yeah, even in America Arkansas is not always well known. lol I can laugh because I have family members that were from Little Rock. ;o)
Ohhhh, Angela, I am green with envy, I just adore literary festivals! How fun you got to meet Chuck Palahniuk and that you actually got to talk to him and the other writers for a while - the festivals here are usually so crowded, you barely have a minute with them as they sign your book (and that is if you're prepared to line up!).
And LOL @ speaking better French than Margaret Atwood! Did you get a good feel for her new book "Moral Disorder"?
i love that you're having fun again. this move appears to have changed much more than just your location! yay!
that does sound fun! Now those toilettes... haha never heard of that before...
Glad you found something you enjoyed!!! I'm working on that for our Canadian thanksgiving weekend coming up.
Hi there - we have to meet up soon - hope you're OK and that your work life is sorted.
I received an sms from you the other day - though I think it was a mistake.
Take care and speak soon
Rebecca
hellomelissa is right -- you sound much happier! Seems like the move was a good move.
I have to confess that before reading this post I was not familiar with the name Chuck Palahniuk. I'd seen Fight Club but had no idea who Chuck Palahniuk was.
The day after reading this post I was in the car, listening to NPR and they did a story about him.
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