A cafe, a book, and a new writer to follow

I must admit that I had forgotten about the major things that involved a master’s degree. For example, the amount of reading every week that gives you all sorts of nightmares. I was focusing more on meeting new people, exploring London, going to gigs, finding comfort in complaining about lack of affordable food in the city, etc. But smart and thoughtful as our professors are, it becomes only a matter of few hours before they introduce you to a new set of reading material which takes days to get through.

Though, given the fact that I have been in London for several months now, it’s easier to find ways to deal with endless reading and academic writing. One of my favourite places, when I am not enjoying the comfort of various libraries, is Ray’s Jazz Cafe which is located at a walking distance from all the major areas of central London. The cafe gained prominence in my life for more concrete reasons though. First, it is right above Foyles, a bookstore quite unlike the ones that stock only the popular material. Second, they know their coffee and their cakes are fresh and delightful. The decor is phenomenally welcoming and cosy. Essentially all the clichés of an addictive space put together make Ray’s Jazz Cafe one of the easiest to get used to. They play mild jazz while you sit and read, browse, write, or make conversation. The place is right next to an art school which often means finding a talented illustrator sitting in a corner with his pencil and tissues. What I am trying to say is that the place is pretty darn good.

So these guys often invite writers and musicians to hang out, talk, introduce a new creation. Two weeks ago, I read that Anne Enright was going to be there to read from her new book The Forgotten Waltz. Now, shamefully enough, I’d never heard of her. So I grabbed an obscenely large mug of coffee and read about her on the internet. Booker-prize winning Irish writer? Count me in, I declared, and joined the few fortunate souls the next evening. I was convinced I wasn’t going to buy her book given its price. Also, as customary book orders on monster platforms like amazon.com go, I was never going to spend that much of my student money (now you get the picture, stop the “oh come on, forget the price, it’s a book” rant) on ONE book if you know what I mean.

The reading was going along fine, I thought. Enright has a powerful voice which had everyone paying attention. Her narrative seemed simple and engaging by the sound of it, and was full of appropriately placed humour. How had I never known of this writer? I really need to be more aware and quickly made a mental note about the same. Enright spoke of her book, the Irish boom and decline and things that create a subtle imagery for the book. She also spoke of human relationships, as she discussed her characters briefly, written on themes of attraction, longing, and desires. I normally tend to stay away from such stories but Enright made it seem suitably interesting. So I gave up on my plan of waiting for months for a cheaper paperback version and bought the book straightaway. Enright signed it for me too, made quick conversation, and boy she’s hilarious.

The Forgotten Waltz has been an engaging read. Enright tells a story set in Dublin winter with ridiculous simplicity. Her characters are deliciously normal and funny, with desires and thoughts you can draw a connection with. I am not going to describe the story at all and would urge everyone to read it. Enright describes relationships and the range of emotions people experience without losing the pace of her story as her characters grow and deal with a variety of everyday situations. It’s a story that doesn’t necessarily make you sad. It makes one wonder of the things that go unnoticed and seem rather nice once they are over. Interestingly, I noticed the lyrical quality of chapter titles in the book, as they strangely add an untold musical aspect to Enright’s writing. Is that why the book is called The Forgotten Waltz, apart from the fact that it is a love story? I shall be thinking about this for a few days.

I am certainly going to read everything published by Enright, not just because she is Irish and I tend to love them blindly, but because she is a fantastic writer and I am glad I finally learnt about her work.