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sMall woNder<br />
beth Miller talks to a pork-pie-hatless Alexei Sayle<br />
The short story had been in d<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>ty<br />
decline for many years, but lately<br />
has made something of a comeback.<br />
Its revival is due in part<br />
to events such as Charlest<strong>on</strong>’s<br />
Small W<strong>on</strong>der Festival, a four<br />
day celebrati<strong>on</strong> of all things<br />
short story-ish. This year’s starry<br />
line-up includes A.S. Byatt,<br />
Salley Vickers, Joseph O’C<strong>on</strong>nor<br />
and Michele Roberts. Flicking<br />
through the programme I<br />
thought for <strong>on</strong>e heart-quickening<br />
moment that Colin Firth was<br />
also appearing, and he is, but<br />
<strong>on</strong>ly in celluloid form – a latenight<br />
showing of A Single Man.<br />
There are events for families<br />
too, including the intriguingsounding<br />
Ho<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>e of Fairytales, a<br />
storytelling/theatre thing which<br />
runs over a whole weekend.<br />
Last year I attended the<br />
legendary short story slam (my<br />
name wasn’t picked from the hat<br />
so I can’t report <strong>on</strong> a marvello<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
triumph), and to the lovely<br />
Stories under the Stars, which<br />
took place in a c<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>hi<strong>on</strong>-strewn<br />
Arabian tent. The slam is <strong>on</strong><br />
again – take entries al<strong>on</strong>g <strong>on</strong> the<br />
night - and the tent will host a<br />
m<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>ic event this time.<br />
The speaker I am most keen<br />
to see is Alexei Sayle, himself<br />
w w w. V I VA l E w E s . C o M<br />
an accomplished short story<br />
writer. I spoke to Mr Sayle the<br />
other day and asked if he would<br />
have been a member of the<br />
Bloomsbury Set had he been<br />
around in the 1920s. ‘No! They<br />
would have hated me and I<br />
would have hated them’, he said.<br />
‘We would cut each other dead<br />
at sal<strong>on</strong>s.’ On further reflecti<strong>on</strong><br />
he made an excepti<strong>on</strong> for Lytt<strong>on</strong><br />
Strachey, who looked as if he<br />
‘liked a laugh.’<br />
Alexei’s writing CV is impressive:<br />
tv scripts, five novels, two<br />
short story collecti<strong>on</strong>s pl<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
‘almost enough for another<br />
collecti<strong>on</strong>’, and most recently a<br />
memoir entitled Stalin Ate My<br />
Homework. He enjoyed writing<br />
the memoir most, though it took<br />
a while to get the technique: ‘I<br />
threw a first draft away.’<br />
I asked Alexei if he had any<br />
unfulfilled ambiti<strong>on</strong>s, other than<br />
the <strong>on</strong>e noted in his blog: to<br />
be <strong>on</strong> the ‘pretentio<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>’ South<br />
Bank Show. He c<strong>on</strong>fessed that<br />
he would love to win a literary<br />
prize – ‘or be short-listed.<br />
Or even j<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>t l<strong>on</strong>g-listed.’ His<br />
proudest achievement was<br />
having made the transiti<strong>on</strong> from<br />
comedian to serio<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g> writer, and<br />
he felt an award would be a fine<br />
l I t E r At U r E<br />
ack<str<strong>on</strong>g>now</str<strong>on</strong>g>ledgement of that.<br />
The c<strong>on</strong>versati<strong>on</strong> returned to<br />
short stories, the best of which,<br />
he said, were like ‘little gems’.<br />
His favourite short story writers<br />
were Raym<strong>on</strong>d Carver, Saki<br />
and Graham Greene. And his<br />
favourite story was Bartleby the<br />
Scrivener by Herman Melville,<br />
which he described ‘as like<br />
nothing you’ve ever read.’<br />
The festival programme is also<br />
like nothing you’ve ever read,<br />
taking in as it does not j<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>t<br />
writing workshops, interviews<br />
and disc<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>si<strong>on</strong>s, but also plays,<br />
the actress Kerry Fox, ping p<strong>on</strong>g,<br />
c<strong>on</strong>versati<strong>on</strong> cards, tiny figurines<br />
and other little gems. Beth Miller<br />
Small W<strong>on</strong>der runs from 23rd-<br />
26th September at Charlest<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Alexei is appearing <strong>on</strong> Sunday<br />
26th September at 2pm. The full<br />
programme is at www.charlest<strong>on</strong>.<br />
org.uk/smallw<strong>on</strong>der. <str<strong>on</strong>g>Call</str<strong>on</strong>g> 01323<br />
811626 for a printed copy. Details<br />
of how to book tickets can be<br />
found in the programme.<br />
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