...in books

Meeting Lawrence Norfolk

Usually my only interaction with authors is via the internet (which is awesome, don't get me wrong) and I have to live vicariously through all my US or UK blogger friends when they are meeting authors I love. To be honest, I get jealous from time to time. But right now there are quite a lot of author signings and readings in Vienna and yesterday I went to an event with the British author Lawrence Norfolk at the Vienna Library.

He and the Austrian actor Wolfram Berger read passages of Lawrence Norfolk's new book John Saturnall's Feast. I got the book for my birthday but still haven't read it (big surprise!) but after yesterday evening I cannot wait to start.

Here's the summary from Goodreads (adapted):
Orphaned when his mother dies of starvation, having been cast out of her village as a witch, John is taken in at the kitchens at Buckland Manor, where he quickly rises from kitchen-boy to Cook, and is known for his uniquely keen palate and natural cooking ability. However, he quickly gets on the wrong side of Lady Lucretia, the aristocratic daughter of the Lord of the Manor. In order to inherit the estate, Lucretia must wed, but her fiancé is an arrogant buffoon. When Lucretia takes on a vow of hunger until her father calls off her engagement to her insipid husband-to-be, it falls to John to try to cook her delicious foods that might tempt her to break her fast.

Lawrence Norfolk read incredibly and had this wonderful British humor I adore so much. It really was an experience and I am so happy that I went.

Afterwards he signed my book and was really amazed that I had the English edition of the book because all the others had the German one. 

I can now finally understand how it feels meeting people who write books that take you to foreign places and make you escape your life for a little bit.

Lawrence while he signs my book

I cannot wait to dive into the story of John and his journey through life in 17th century England.