selenak

London continues to be fabulous again (and abnormally sunny, for London in my experience); on Tuesday, I met

rozk and got introduced to a couple of other writers. Somewhere between hanging out eating curry in an Indian restaurant and hanging out in a pub, it occured tome that while this totally reminded me of the Frankfurt and Leipzig Book Fairs (i.e. spending time with other folk from the publishing industry), there was one significant difference, and no, it wasn't the language. (I once had to battle one evening with my French from school, which is abominable, because the writer in question didn't speak English but the publisher spoke French, so, French it was. Speaking English is easy as cake in comparison, as I'm fluent in same.) Then it hit me: no one was smoking. People other than myself were drinking mineral water! It was most refreshing. (The book fairs always leave me with the impression I'm the only person around who doesn't smoke or drink when I'm doing the hanging out with other people from the publishing industry bit in the evenings. It always makes me feel vaguely guilty about being a spoilsport, not not guilty enough to start smoking or drinking when I just don't like the taste.) Also, I got reminded again that I'm wildly envious of the Brits who can start intense debates about Tolkien and Lewis at the drop of a hat whereas in Germany outside of fannish circles, you still have snobbery about anything fantasy and sci fi going on and have to go back to the Brothers Grimm anyway to come up with professors who also contributed to the genre.

Wednesday was for

kathyh, who went to the Royal Academy with me where we visited the Impressionists by the Sea exhibition and chatted, as well as for enriching various bookstores. I predict a major weight-lifting problem tomorrow when I'm on my way back home. In the evening,

kangeiko and self went to see Wicked, which was delightful. Also, I'm no longer surprised this musical produced a lot of (femme)slash, because well, it wasn't even subtext anymore. Elphaba/G(a)linda OTP! I had heard some of the tunes before, since

gentilhomme had used "I am a sentimental man" for her Arvin Sloane soundmix (sung by Joel Grey, no less, who I take it originated the role on Broadway - the Wizard in the Wicked version, that is), but not the entire score, which struck me as a pleasant cross between Sondheim and Disney (on acid, much like Joss' first song for Buffy in Once more, with feeling is Disney on acid). I must get the novel it is based on, but not on this trip: see above, heavy lifting. But seriously - I think the most ingenious thing about it is that Gregory Maguire didn't flip flop the Oz presentation of good and bad but went for the rivalry becoming friendship becoming no sub in this text relationship between Elphaba and Glinda instead. Encapsulated in the ball scene, in which the traditional teen movie cliché of the ugly duckling being revealed as a swan by the handsome guy asking her to dance is given a fresh spin when instead of their mutual beau, Glinda is the one who goes to Elphaba to dance with her.

Today: British Library and

londonkds, and in the evening Saint Joan, which is my favourite Shaw play, at the National.