About writers and idiots at the annual conference of the Israel Science Fiction and Fantasy Association. A bit late but accurate report
Adu Reif, Haaretz
Guy Gabriel Kay (left) at the science fiction convention. Fantasy doesn't have to be escapist
Every year the peaceful cinematheque in Tel Aviv finds itself victim to the invasion of thousands of barbarians. This traumatic event, known as the "annual convention of the Israel Science Fiction and Fantasy Association", or ICon for short, leaves traces behind: for a long time you could still see there ticket stubs for the "Rocky movie show", and brochures of "The XNUMXth Dimension" and " Dreams in Aspemia" (respectively, the magazine of the Association for the Madev and the magazine of short Madev stories) are thrown in dusty corners. The beams of the entire building shook and echoed, as if experiencing the wild gallop of a herd of nervous bison. The atmosphere that prevails over the place during the three days of the festival is difficult to describe without resorting to superlatives. Endless enthusiastic fans crowd the corridors, the lecture rooms and the cafeteria.
Last year, the author of the MDB writer Orson Scott Card, the author of "Ender's Game" and "Past Observation" and the biggest name in the field to be hosted in Israel since Isaac Asimov, received at least the treatment of a rock idol. The main hall of the Cinematheque was full to the brim, and lines of fans stretched for dozens of meters waiting for an autograph. Card himself was a little shocked: "I'm not used to being the attraction," he said. "I'm usually less in demand than a guy who played a Klingon thirty years ago in 'Star Trek.' You don't even realize how much you read compared to other countries."
This year, the guest of honor of the conference ("Festival!" insists the representative of the municipality of Tel Aviv, probably because the term "conference" discourages him and evokes in him associations of doctors and philosophers), the Canadian-Jewish writer Guy Gabriel Kay, stood in front of an almost equally huge audience in the hall the main "Caution", he jokes. "If you continue to treat me like this, I will come back."
I met Kay at "Book Crossing", in Azrieli Mall, where he signed books for fans. Then we made our way to a nearby cafe, only to find that a dignified lady with oxidized hair stormed the last table we walked to. I still stand helpless, and Kay takes control of the situation. "Want to sit at the bar?" he asked with a tolerant shrug.
Hello and welcome to Israel. I hope you are enjoying your hospitality so far.
"Very well. Actually this is my second time visiting here. The last time was thirty years ago - too long."
You often base your books on certain periods of history. why?
"15 years ago I became interested in using fictional writing to examine recurring themes throughout history. I found that when using the fantastic genre, the book is not really about history itself (what did or did not happen) and thus it is easier for the reader to connect with the feeling of the past. I believe that in some ways history repeats itself, and it has a lot in common with our world today."
What periods are you particularly drawn to?
"I mainly use the Renaissance and the Middle Ages because I am familiar with them, but I never know clearly which period I will choose the next time I write a book."
Have you ever considered basing a novel on ancient Israel or the Kingdom of Judah?
"Yes, but equally my next novel could also be about the Chinese Empire. On the other hand, I have already written a novel that includes the Jews of Spain (in the book "Aryot al-Rasan")".
You tend to combine epic plots on a global scale with the private and complicated lives of characters with strong motivations (like revenge or redemption). Do you consider one more important than the other, or do you pre-target stories that allow you this latitude?
"I think the definition of a good book is a book in which interesting things happen to interesting people. The story needs to be interesting so that the reader cares about what is happening. That's why I always try to maintain a balance - the plot moves quickly, but slowly enough to arouse the reader's interest. I try to combine these two things."
What was it like to work with Christopher Tolkien (son of G.R. Tolkien)?
"It is difficult to give a short answer to this question. I met Christopher through a marriage connection between our families. He needed help organizing his father's writings. I was young and passionate, and he trusted me. It was an important year in my life. I learned a great deal from the writings Tolkien left behind. We were sitting in the middle of a sleepy English village, and it helped me look at the world differently. In addition to that, it was so quiet that I started writing and realized how important it is for me to be a writer."
Do you think the fantasy genre has seriously changed since the days of "Lord of the Rings"? In what ways?
"Fantasy has changed a lot since then. In the first years after the publication of the book, because of the tremendous success of 'The Lord of the Rings', many bad writers saw an opportunity to make money and 'jumped on the bandwagon'. My series, Marg Fionbar, was in a way my response to this. I wanted to show that it is possible to write a Tolkien-style fantasy without imitating him and without being formulaic. Later, readers who were young when the book was published matured and could write mature and original stories and books because an opportunity was created for this - the genre was legitimized. Now, of course, there's another change: the movies have brought the original book—and consequently, the entire genre—back into the public consciousness and exposed it to global attention once again. Of course, there are many types of fantasy. For example, I write historical fantasy, which is not the same as, say, Robert Jordan, or Gabriel Garcia Marquez."
What books do you usually read, and who influences your writing?
"Today I read a lot of historical novels, such as 'Atonement' by Ian McEwan, or books by Philip Roth. Those who influenced me were Shakespeare on the one hand, and historians on the other - Dorothy Donald, Mary Reynolds, and also my wife and son. I became a parent, and that changes the perspective."
Kay added in his lectures: "Fantasy seems escapist, hiding from the real world behind dragons and wizards, but in fact most types of writing are escapist - they run away from our reality. There are many books that try to entertain, like most television and film, but not all genres have to be that way. Why don't I just write historical novels? Because fantasy is closer to the patterns of the human soul - it is ancient and powerful, and enables universality in its approach, by breaking away from the narrow context of a specific culture, time and place.
"In 1990, a Polish MDB editor complained to me: 'Within a year I will lose half of my readers and writers, because there is no more communism and censorship, so there is no need for allegories.' This shows that fantasy and fantasy don't have to be escapist, but they can relate to reality. I have always been interested in the rewriting of history by conquerors. By placing a plot that deals with this in a world I made up, I made it universal - it can happen anywhere. Also on the question of whether we are allowed to put things in the mouths of people who have already died; In one of my books I created an analogy to Al Sid, both because I wanted to write a tribute to him and because I felt that I did not know him and his life well enough to write about him.
"In historical writing it is also easier to write stories about values. In the present there is something that diminishes us, there is resistance to the idea of the larger than life hero. Such characters tend to become cartoonish, or at best - Tom Clancy's hero-technician."
Of course there was a lot to see at the conference besides Kay's lectures. The diverse events ranged from a premiere of the movie "The Eighth Passenger vs. The Predator" to lectures on the perception of life and death in ancient cultures, from the screening of the documentary "Turquoise 2" on the (more) drowsy fringes of "Star Trek" fans to gladiator fights and demonstrations of aquatic weapons The intermediate in the square in front of the Cinematheque. Lt. Col. Itzik Mayo told about NASA's space program, and Emanuel Lotem conducted a translation workshop. At the end of the conference, the Geffen Prize was awarded to the best translated Madev book, the translated fantasy book and the best original story. Everything happened with a kind of general feeling of joy.
"This is my first conference," says Lavi Tadhar, 27, one of the most promising writers in the local scene, and the owner of the most impressive dreadlocks I've ever seen on a white man. "I left abroad at the age of 18, and now I'm actually seeing all of this for the first time, and I must say that I'm impressed by the size, the amount of people here."
Tadhar, originally a kibbutznik, published for the first time in the literary monthly "Mazanim" when he was 17 years old, published a book of poems in 1998 and became a book critic in England. Two and a half years ago he decided to write seriously and contributed a story to the anthology "Nemonimos" where stories are published anonymously, and the names of the authors are published only a year later, in the next edition. In a story he wrote in a competition for young writers about practical technology for settling the solar system, he chose the Internet, his field of activity. The story won the prestigious Bradbury-Clark Award. One of the two writers named after the award, the MDV legend Arthur C. Clark was angry at him for coming up with this idea before him. Tadhar was informed of his win when a co-worker informed him: "There is someone from the European Space Agency on the line for you."
Today he is writing his first novel: the first fantasy book in a trilogy that will be based on Jewish cultural principles, instead of European ones as is customary. "Including kibbutzim", he promises, referring to a recurring motif in his stories.
And how is it possible without a short anecdote to finish about idiots? As fate would have it, I met a significant part of those who were at this conference precisely at Tadhar's lecture on original writing in Israel. This was how things looked:
Tadhar: "Writing an original in Israel is definitely possible, and there is no point in trying to imitate writers from abroad. For example, if you write about space travel-"
Dumb: "Like in 'Star Wars'!"
Tadhar: "Um, yes, I mean... it's an option, but the idea is not to imitate." Be original, invent new worlds and forms of life, don't follow the rut -"
Dabil: "Yes, just like 'Star Trek'!"
Tadhar: "Yes, oh, actually this is actually a good example. Think, for example, how life will be conducted in space, how Israelis will look in space -"
Avile: "Israelis in space will be like Frenchmen! (A repulsive anti-Semitic caricature-like race of greedy aliens)”
Me (getting annoyed): "What did you say?"
Evil (reluctantly): “Oh, it's not personal, really! I would say that about any culture that worships money!”
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