Time to Put Things on the Shelf
“I think he acquitted himself quite well.”
“Me too, pretty thoughtful, open,” I said as we drove away
from the 2024 Leacock Medal “Meet the Authors” dinner.
My companion’s comment was significant. A longtime member of the Leacock Associates,
he wasn’t sure Patrick deWitt would show up let alone lead in the discussions
that night. My friend had thought the Oregon-based deWitt
aloof and maybe unimpressed with
smalltown Canadian laurels. But
the author’s demeanor and words changed minds this night.
Destined to win the 2024 Leacock Medal that weekend,
deWitt joined his fellow award nominees on the Friday evening in Orillia to eat
ravioli and chew over the craft of humour writing. A golf course banquet room provided the venue
for the panel discussion as well as author readings and presentations to student
award winners.
DeWitt garnered my friend’s skepticism over a decade
earlier when the author accepted the 2012 Leacock Medal for his book The
Sisters Brothers with a few muffled words of thanks. At least that is how
his acceptance speech is remembered.
DeWitt did add a few crumbs on the subject of creativity for those
listening closely. But his remarks were
not much compared to the fulsome and funny speeches that had become customary and
an expectation among the banquet attendees.
This terse episode left many wondering whether the
Canadian-born, long-time U.S. resident even cared about winning or whether he
appreciated the intended honour. For my
part, I suspect the then early-career author was caught off guard and, in a
way, shy at the time. But on this
mid-June evening in 2024, after a decade of accolades, interviews, and book
events, the writer seemed at ease on the stage and in the spotlight. He seemed anxious to interact with the audience
and was first out of the gate when the panel of authors were invited to muse
about amusing literature.
“Life is strange,” deWitt said explaining why any work
that conveys the humanity of its characters might seem strange and why what we
do in life is inherently funny. “I think if you live a life unmarked by
weirdness, then you may well be doing something wrong.”
He suggested that his own tendency toward humorous writing
might reflect his affection for his family which looked at the
world through a skewed lens. He stressed
that all of his writing flows from an affinity for humanity and that he is
always rooting for his fellow human beings.
Near the buffet table, I had a chance to talk to him and
ask specific questions about his somewhat strange novel The Librarianist. My
questions came from my own skewed perspective, that of a non-fiction writer
with creative ambitions. His book, which would win him that humour award
twenty-four hours later, tells the story of Bob Comet, a book-loving retiree around my age. So, I was intrigued by the premise and initially gave little thought to the style
of its recounting.
The plodding protagonist is an introvert whose retirement
routine is disrupted by a disoriented woman in the 7-eleven. The encounter leads Bob into mild present-day
adventures and meandering memories. Some
readers might find the story retired-librarian dull and even consider
abandoning it in the early pages. But many critics and award juries praise its
entirety as a moving character study and a masterwork of episodic writing.
Slow and sad at times, but also weirdly funny and
compelling.
Though I struggle to point to specific bits of humour,
deWitt’s writing has a humorous effect that makes you care for the characters while amplifying the weirdness of their daily doings.
One deWitt technique features obvious repetitions
as in
“… she’s worried you’re depressed.” “I’m not depressed at all.” “You
don’t seem depressed. I think Jill is depressed.” “I think Jill is depression.”
Other times the author would say what
Bob is going to do, say that he did it, and then say that he had done. It seems odd at first but works in the
context of a story about an introvert with a repetitive, routine life.
So, when I had a chance to talk to Patrick deWitt, I asked
why he decided to do this and how he knew it would be effective as a kind of
poetry.
Seemingly flattered by the poetry notion, he said that he just tries different ways of writing exchanges or scenes, often five or six times, settling sometimes on the last attempt, sometimes on the first or third. He made me feel that answering the question was worthy of a few minutes of his time and thanked me for reading his book. As he walked away, I recalled how I do the same thing and thought it likely most writers, in their own way, do something similar. You just keep trying and trying to express an idea until it feels right.
My question did not seem all that insightful.
So, I was astonished when deWitt referenced our
conversation in the panel discussion identifying me as “the gentleman,” a label that reminded me of my age, the
author’s respectful demeanor, the icon of the polite Canadian Everyman, and Bob
Comet.
But they were split on whether they are haunted by certain word choices in their past works. Terry Fallis said he starts mentally editing his books immediately after publication and wishes he could change passages when recording audio versions.
DeWitt, on the other hand, says he almost never looks at one of his books
after he puts it on the library shelf and chooses instead to focus on the
future and the work at hand.
I had to return to my Port Dover home the next morning and
was not present to hear the evening announcement of the 2024 winner. But I was told that the acceptance speech was,
again, touching, thoughtful, open, and full of gratitude. The U.S.-based author told the Orillia audience that he took the
Leacock laurels as evidence of a special connection with Canada and Canadian
audiences.
After the 2012 Leacock Medal banquet, many of the attendees may have had mixed feelings about Patrick deWitt as they drove away. But I would guess most at the 2024 incarnation left liking the writer and the man.
They probably felt that it was time to put
those mixed feelings on the shelf and turn the page.
Writing Exercise
Write a short story about a period in your life that was dull but funny.
(June 2024)