Ali Smith, a celebrated Scottish author known for her experimental narrative style, joins Sarah Wood, an artist and filmmaker, for an engaging discussion. They dive into Smith's latest novel, Gliff, exploring how contemporary issues manifest in a dystopian landscape. The conversation highlights the significance of language during crises, the transformative power of storytelling, and the enduring connection between humans and nature. Personal anecdotes enrich their dialogue, emphasizing the vital role of art in confronting societal challenges.
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insights INSIGHT
Multiple Meanings of Glyph
The Scottish word 'glyph' contains over 50 meanings ranging from a momentary glance to a synonym for spliff.
Ali Smith uses this to explore how language can seem meaningless yet overflow with meaning and evolve continually.
insights INSIGHT
Language and Meaningfulness
Language in a novel cannot be meaningless; even the smallest words hold significance.
The novel critiques the deliberate reduction of meaning in language and society's attempt to render things meaningless.
insights INSIGHT
Untranslatable Words Show Identity
Some words, like the untranslatable 'sleep' in another language, highlight cultural identity differences.
Translators struggle with such words but help give a new life to novels in other languages while preserving family resemblance.
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The novel is set in a near-future New England in the Republic of Gilead, a patriarchal, totalitarian state that has overthrown the United States government. Offred, the narrator, is one of the 'Handmaids', women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the ruling class, known as 'Commanders'. The story explores themes of powerless women, loss of female agency and individuality, and the suppression of women's reproductive rights. Offred's life is marked by her restrictive routine, her memories of her past life, and her interactions with the Commander, his wife Serena Joy, and other Handmaids, including her friend Ofglen who is part of an underground resistance movement. The novel is a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense[3][4][5].
The God of Small Things
Arundhati Roy
The novel tells the story of Estha and Rahel, fraternal twins whose lives are shaped by the 'Love Laws' and the societal norms of 1960s Kerala, India. The story is intertwined with the past and present, exploring the complex family dynamics, the lingering effects of casteism, and the impact of British colonialism. The narrative is characterized by its non-sequential style, reflecting the process of memory and the resurfacing of painful memories. The book is a poignant exploration of the loss of innocence, societal injustices, and the universal human tragedy of unfulfilled dreams.
Justine and Juliet
Justine and Juliet
Ali Smith
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson
The story, narrated largely through the perspective of Mr. Gabriel John Utterson, a London lawyer, revolves around the mysterious and sinister figure of Mr. Edward Hyde and his connection to the respectable Dr. Henry Jekyll. As the narrative unfolds, it reveals Jekyll's secret: he has created a potion that allows him to transform into the evil Mr. Hyde, embodying his repressed desires and darker impulses. The novella delves into themes of dual identity, the struggle between good and evil, and the social hypocrisy of Victorian society[3][5][2].
Theory and Practice
Theory and Practice
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Michelle de Kretzer
Glyph
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Ali Smith
Gliff, the latest novel from Ali Smith, forms the first part of a duology; its title, the Scots word for a glimpse or shock, will be echoed but not replicated in next year’s Glyph. In a dystopian, Kafkaesque fictional lanscape, Smith explores how we make meaning and are made by it, and what it would actually mean for the next generation to sort out our increasingly toxic world.
Smith read from the novel and was in conversation with artist and filmmaker Sarah Wood.