This Tuesday, I went to Blackwell’s in Oxford with friend and fellow Garner devotee Fiona to see Alan Garner’s daughter Elizabeth, (also an author of two novels I’ve long meant to read) in conversation with Robert Powell. Yes! The Robert Powell of the gorgeous blue eyes and lovely voice. Powell is 80 now, and has been a friend of Alan Garner for over 50 years, recording all of his work for audio. They both went to Manchester Grammar School, studied the same subjects and had the same teachers. Although ten years apart in age, and Powell being from Salford and Garner from Cheshire, they shared so much, once they met, they were friends for life.
They were doing a one-off event to celebrate Alan Garner’s latest book, Powsels and Thrums, a collection of bits of memoir, stories, poems and essays covering his creative life. Indeed, I managed to get a late ticket to see Garner himself deliver a lecture presented in this book in essay form at Magdalen College 11 years ago, A Bull on My Tongue: “Creativity and its expression in modern English fiction” was an excellent travel through his writing career and how the language he uses developed.
I’ll be reviewing Powsels and Thrums soon for Shiny, but it is a lovely collection of work by Garner, celebrating craft and a creative life. You may not know, but Garner lives at the Blackden Trust which includes a preserved Medieval house, it is situated nextdoor to Jodrell Bank telescope. The photo on the cover of the book showing both was taken by Griselda, his wife, you can read about the house and its archaeology in the book.
The evening began after introductions with Powell reading from the book’s own intro, telling us what powsels and thrums are: essentially remnants and trimmings from weaving cloth; Garner’s antecedants having been weavers. The book is dedicated to his grandfather and he is a presence throughout. Then Elizabeth and Powell discussed her father’s work, Elizabeth always being very careful not to speak for him, and getting quite emotional at times. Powell read more selections – a couple chosen by Alan himself for the evening, and a favourite of Robert’s, plus a short piece from Treacle Walker. It was lovely to hear these two talking away about Alan Garner’s singular skill at never writing down for children, but always ‘bringing them up’, which really does mean his books for children can be enjoyed by adults too. This was something quite special.
The event was filmed, so hopefully will appear somewhere Blackwell’s are soon. I highly recommend Powsels and Thrums, especially for those not familiar wth Garner’s work.
Powsels and Thrums, 4th Estate hardback, 176 pages, Oct 2024. BUY at Blackwell’s via my affiliate link (free UK P&P)
It was such a fantastic event. I could easily have listened to them talking for another hour!
I enjoyed an earlier book of miscellaneous talks, papers and essays by Garner – The Voice that Thunders – which I keep meaning to reread and review, but then this will definitely be next! What a treat this must have been, Annabel, I’m quietly envious.
The Voice that Thunders is being reissued soon, but I think I have a copy. It’s not one I’ve read.
After reading several reviews of ‘Treacle Walker’ by Alan Garner that praised it to the heights, I read this novella. No matter how hard I tried, I could find nothing profound or deep about it. I was so unimpressed, I decided to not even write a review of it. This is the first time that has happened.
I can understand that, for Treacle Walker’s layers are many, and very very English indeed, mainly stemming from the local myths and folklore of Garner’s countryside, although the Uffington chalk horse on the cover is in Wiltshire.
Well, that sounds like quite a night, Annabel! And Robert Powell – that’s unexpected!!!!
He is very old at 80, but his voice was in fine fettle still, and still lovely eyes – which I could see having nabbed front row seats.
How wonderful! I need to catch up with Treacle Walker (I’m a bit scared of the WH of Uffington still even though I have tried hard to allay that) then read this one.