Edwina in New York
It was when Ivan referred to me as his friend on the flight over (“my friend would also like some sparkling water, please”) that I wondered how others may speculate on the nature of our relationship. Like that bar scene in PAST LIVES where an outside voice asks what and who the three characters are to each other? Part of my curiosity stems from ‘the pleasure of being narrated’, an admittedly self-important comfort Ivan and I discussed following our first day of editor meetings in New York. Stories and storytelling have of course been central to our conversations over the past few days.
Not any more so than usual though.
The more I read, the more I forget where I’ve read things. Ivan’s line “everything is metaphor (except death)” for instance, with its echoes of Jhumpa Lahiri’s “translation is a metaphor for life” or Nora Ephron’s “everything is copy”, has a foggy chronology. More interesting (and practical) than attempting to place it, is watching its refrain play out in our New York meetings, largely around translation, imitation and authenticity. “Everything is metaphor” has most memorably manifested in the ways no experience (meeting) has been wasted or wasteful. A connection with an editor isn’t always measured by deals done or numbers crunched. Understanding someone (trying is enough) creates the foundations for a story that might be picked up later. That is what I’ve learned with my colleague (and friend) during our trip together.
I’ll reach for a final metaphor whose origins I can remember (I read this two weeks ago and have been sharing it widely with loved ones.) From Maggie Nelson’s LIKE LOVE. I’m going to paraphrase because my memory is short of photographic. But also to ‘claim’ it ever so slightly as my own. It’s no coincidence Nelson herself is quoting Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick quoting Buddha (which makes me think metaphor is what we use to get close to while keeping a distance from): in Buddhist thought, learning what you already know (knowing something theoretically versus experientially) is not a paradox or a problem… but a deliberate and defining practice.
Warmly,
Edwina, from New York.
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