Lisburn Library hosted a special author event on Wednesday 20th March, 2013, and for Lucy Caldwell, author of All The Beggars Riding, it may even have been a kind of homecoming.
Originally from Belfast, Lucy visited the
Library to talk about her third novel, which charts a mysterious life - or
half-life - in the city in the
early '70s. It is a life that reaches to London and back again, but that,
crucially (for the narrator, Lara) never quite rests in either place.
Engaging her audience with a refreshingly
honest account of the writing process ('you need to hold yourself at the edges
of your skin'), Lucy reminded us that fiction is 'the art of great empathy'.
Citing Henry James, Chekov and DH Lawrence
as relevant to her own writing and reading, Lucy provided fascinating access
into a process that pushes us to - and beyond - our own perceived limitations.
'It's not about writing what you know', she
offers, 'but about knowing what you write'.
All The Beggars Riding is this year's 'OneCity, One Book' choice for Belfast.
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