CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus

The Outsiders. Catch 22. My Brother Jack. Three very different books but with a commonality: all were titles given to Markus Zusak at some stage in his reading life, which on reflection, he treasures as great gifts.

The Old Hospital at Fremantle Prison* has probably never been so full** as last night when Markus Zusak gave the annual Leslie Rees Memorial Lecture for Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre. Many celebrated authors and illustrators were among those who came to hear Markus speak about the transforming power of books and his journey as a writer.

At the age of 14, Markus realised for the first time, through the character of Ponyboy, that ‘aloneness’ was OK, that there were others who thought like him, who enjoyed the solitary pursuits of reading and watching films, and that it was possible to be transported to another place and totally believe in the magic of a novel. The Outsiders came into his hands via his school library.

A little later, an English teacher took the risk of exposing his students to great writing, knowing that they were not yet ready, but that some would be later. At 16, Markus was no way near ready for Catch 22, but a few years later he revisited Heller’s novel and saw its genius. He still turns to its brilliance and absurdity after a tough day. Markus paid tribute to teachers and teacher librarians who expose their charges to such excellence, in full knowledge that not all will appreciate it. If not exposed now, when?

Later again, a man as close to Markus as a brother gave him a copy of My Brother Jack, and it was this novel that crystallised for him that it was possible to be a writer. Never discouraged by his own parents, he was horrified that David, the narrator, could be thrown out of the house for bringing a typewriter into the family home, although like David, he was a secret scribbler and a loner.

Three stories. Three gifts.

The Book Thief has now been published in 30 countries. More gifts have been the stories of his own parents’ European childhood that gave him the impetus for the time and place at the core of this novel.  There’s been talk of a film, but nothing firm, and ever-philosophical Markus won’t even mind if it’s a bad one if it does get made. He figures people will say that ‘the book was better’ and therefore buy it, and if it’s a good film, they’ll still read the book. How can he lose?

But there’s a dark side to success. Pressure. Expectations. He’s finding the next novel tough going but if the first pages we were privileged to hear are indicative of what follows, there is another masterful piece of writing on its way.

One of our most personable young writers, Markus charmed the large audience last night with his humour and honesty. And at the end, there was yet another gift, as Jenni Woodruffe, Vice-President of IBBY Australia, presented Markus with his Ena Noel Award for Encouragement.

Markus has spent time this week around the state encouraging young writers as part of the Centre’s Youth Literature Day Programme. And he’ll be back at the Centre on Sunday as part of the Family Open Day, along with Narelle Oliver, Matt Ottley, Jan Ramage, Ellen Hickman and their artwork.

The Leslie Rees Lecture honours the WA writer who won the CBCA’s first award (and only category) in 1946. Deborah Lisson started the evening with a reading from Panic in the Cattle Country and Katy Watson-Kell followed with an extract from Quokka Island.

* The entire prison complex is now a heritage space, with the FCLC housed in the Old Prison Hospital. No ghosts, as the power of literature has created a warm and welcoming space for readers, writers and illustrators to share the joy of reading and writing.

** Too crowded and definitely not the right circumstances to tweet!

If you are in the vicinity on Tuesday 27 October, don’t miss the opportunity to hear Markus Zusak give the 2009 Leslie Rees Lecture at Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre.

The lecture honours Leslie Rees, who died in 2000, after a lifetime of  journalism, travel writing, drama and children’s literature. He won the  first Children’s Book Council Book of the Year award in 1946 with the picture book, The Story of Karrawingi the Emu, illustrated by Walter Cunningham.

Markus will speak on issues he believes to be important in youth literature.

The first lecture in 2000 was given by Libby Hathorn. Last year’s lecture was delivered by Matt Ottley.

Where: Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre, Old Prison Hospital: cnr Knutsford Street and Hampton Road, Fremantle WA

When: Tuesday 27 October, 7.30pm (drinks on the veranda at 7pm)

RSVP: 20 October 08 9430 6869 or email: freoclc@iinet.net.au

Free, but reservations essential for seating and catering purposes

When Requiem for a Beast was awarded the CBCA Picture Book of the Year in August, the critics came out in unprecedented numbers. Matt Ottley, the CBCA judges and the organisation’s National President were personally vilified and the hate mail flowed in. Such a strong reaction for a book that had languished almost unnoticed until then. Some of the loudest voices even later privately admitted that they had not read it before condemning it publicly.

In the intervening months, Matt has had time to heal and reflect. In the annual Leslie Rees lecture last night at the Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre, Matt examined the relationship between critics and art – a long history in which he is in good company.

Matt acknowledges that although his lecture was titled The Art of Corrupting Youth, he doesn’t really know how to do it. It’s just that people – many people – have told him he has. Corrupted youth that is.

From James Lorimer (1849) on Emily Bronte : “Here all the faults of ‘Jane Eyre’ are magnified a thousand fold and the only consolation which we have in reflecting upon it is that it will never be generally read.” to the brouhaha about Pollock’s Blue Poles, with Beethoven (‘musical anarchy’) and countless others who have challenged artistic boundaries in between, Matt is in excellent company. The true test will be time. Will we look back at Requiem in years to come and wonder what the fuss was all about?

It is to be hoped that Matt will find the time to publish his lecture so that many more people than were present last night can enjoy the philosophical underpinning of his theories. Impossible to do justice here, but in a nutshell, the Western tradition is to think cyclically, so that at the beginning of a new cycle of artistic thought we haven’t yet learned the language and all but a few are fearful or dismissive. With time, if the art is good, it is referenced by others, we become familiar with the language and look back to the original and appreciate it for the groundbreaking idea it was.

Artist, musician, or writer? Matt Ottley is all three in equal parts. Musician Matt composed a short sonata to reinforce the notion of cyclical thinking. The form is a perfect cycle – new musical idea, variations on the theme creating aural familiarity, returning to the now familiar and no-longer-new starting point, which also becomes the conclusion.

Frane Lessac and Liliana Stafford both gave moving readings of the work of the late Leslie Rees, whom the lecture honours.

Matt’s latest book, a collaboration with John Marsden, has just been released. Home and Away will not sit quietly on the shelves either.

Previous CMIS Fiction Focus blog posts about Requiem for a Beast