Conference 2009

5th Biennial Anthony Powell Conference

Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 September 2009
Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

Conference Report 1

from Dr Peter Kislinger

I had the pleasure of attending, and presenting a paper at, the 5th Biennial AP Conference, held at Georgetown University Conference Center.

I had to rush back to this side of the pond in the afternoon of the first conference day, more’s the pity, thus missing inspiring papers, discussions, conversations and networking in the evening.

The conference had been perfectly prepared and organised — praise and thanks to (in alphabetical order) Nick Birns, Jeff Manley and Keith Marshall.

It was a wonderful opportunity to meet old friends, meet familiar names in the flesh and make new friends — as well as an opportunity to gain new insights into, or new perspectives on, matters Powellian.

Michael Henle, judging from the quotes he seems to be drawing on in his forthcoming New England branch lecture, would have enjoyed Rick Rylance’s keynote speech.

Annabel Davis-Goff’s paper impressed me among other things with a welter of details (the structuring leitmotif of “tipping”, for example, and her memorable phrase: “at the centre of Dance there is a space rather than a spine”), Gabriela Walfridson with her enjoyable exploration of male friendships in Dance; would it be an exaggeration to say it was almost a vindication of a — moderate — feminist reading of Dance? And the reading of an enthusiast! Mark Facknitz in his talk quietly enthroned Powell as the most original and profound writer of his generation — his title “Was there a Powell generation?” — turned out to be purely rhetorical.

Alison Lurie (all of us who shook her hand are now just one handshake away from AP, and two from … !!!) was a joy to listen to; Alan Furst’s (enthusiastic) novelist’s perspective on a fellow writer was both great fun and enlightening (his informal talk at the dinner and a brief personal conversation made me want to read his novels). And then all those Powell-related books Joe Trenn (The Book Shed, Benson, VT, USA) had lovingly arranged and spread out — irresistible. Not to mention the most attentive, active and knowledgeable participants one could wish for.

Nick Birns was the ideal compère — erudite, witty and charming. Don’t miss the 6th conference.

What a pity I (and so many other members) missed John Gould and three former students of his master class (but we can buy his anthology!), the world premiere of Ed Bock’s play and Keith’s guided tour through Powell-land on Saturday.

Thank you all for an unforgettable event.

Waiting for Belkin

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Conference Report 2

from Noreen Marshall

Friday 4 September. Our journey to Washington went so smoothly that we hoped it would be a good augury for the important event to come. The Society’s first conference outside the UK, and it was a packed programme. It was great to be able to attend as ordinary delegates, and of course we doubly appreciated all the hard work put in by everybody organising in the States. Sadly we could not have AP’s friend John Monagan as guest of honour, as he died during Centenary year (2005) but his widow Rosemary attended Thursday’s pre-conference dinner.

Thursday 10 September. Italian buffet dinner at Georgetown University. This got things off to a sparkling start, with delicious food, good company, and readings from AP’s work. Alan Furst was the after dinner speaker, on intimate aspects of Dance — what can I say? Warm, incisive, witty, entertaining … definitely a high note to begin on.

Friday 11 September. The Papers. We started out by mysterious Hyperborean seas with Peter Kislinger; Rick Rylance’s keynote speech diverted us to Anthony Powell and the Burden of the Typical; Annabel Davis-Goff considered Powell and the problems of the long novel; and we shared Alison Lurie’s memories of AP, complete with an astrological chapter. At which point we paused for a lavish lunch and a lot of conversation …

In the afternoon Gabriella Walfridson dwelt on male friendships in Dance, Mark Facknitz considered whether there was an AP generation, and John Gould not only spoke about his Dance Class project, but brought along some of the students who had contributed to it.

We were then treated to a performance of Ed Bock’s play Waiting for Belkin, acted by members of the Society under the direction of Leatrice Fountain, to rapturous applause. The action of the play wittily explores the predicament of some of the un-named characters from Dance and their application for an identity to the Doctor and his ‘Non-Entity Nurse’.

Saturday 12 September. To Georgetown University Library. First to hear the Hon. Secretary give a guided photographic tour of AP’s London. And then we were shown some of the library’s Powell-related holdings, which include the Monagan-Powell material. This had one slightly surreal moment: “Is that Powell’s signature?” the Archivist asked me, as he showed round a Society postcard from the collection. “No, I think you’ll find it’s his,” I found myself saying, indicating the Hon. Secretary who had written the card to John Monagan.

Lunch at The Tombs — still with literary connections: founder Richard McCooey was nicknamed for TS Eliot’s Bustopher Jones and took his restaurant’s name from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

Then off on the Grand Coach Tour devised by Jeff Manley, which took in both the quirky and historical charms of Georgetown and the monumental and marmoreal splendours of central Washington.

Sunday 13 September. Those still able to stand took a walking tour of Georgetown, for a closer look at all those charming celebrity residences seen from the coach the previous afternoon, ending with well-deserved refreshments at Mr Smith’s bar.

To those unable to be at this conference, it was brilliant — nobody seemed to want to leave. And in accordance with Conference tradition, Keith announced the next one — so try your best to join us in London in 2011, for Anthony Powell’s Literary London.

These articles were first published in Issue 37 (Winter 2009) of the Society’s Newsletter.

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