Meet the public
Flak Magazine features an interesting opinion piece by Robert Francis on the popularity of the literary festival in our book-challenged times. Francis argues that literary festivals and readings continue to grow in popularity because of the allure of the contemporary author and his or her willingness to mingle with and answer the questions of the common reader. “The golden age of secluded, priest-like author-heroes” is over, Francis claims. Today’s readers, saturated with celebrity culture and increasingly abstract media, want to feel a personal and intellectual attachment to another person. This, according to Francis, explains the allure of author readings, signings, and onstage interviews: “they bring readers and writers together in an atmosphere that is much more democratic and egalitarian than it was in the past.”
Related links:
Read the Flak Magazine article
