Page 96 - The Gonzaga Record 1985
P. 96
THE GONZAGA LITERARY SOCIETY MEETS MARY LA VIN
Wednesday, 13 March, 1985. We neared a rather modem set of apartments. One
flick down onto our directions told us we had reached the right place. In a matter of
minutes we were staring at the set of buttons connected to the inhabitants of the
building. Mary Lavin-number five. Soon her voice sounded on the intercom; it
was husky and distorted through the speaker. After telling Mrs Lavin that we were
the two Gonzaga Literary Society Presidents, we were quickly ushered up to her
room.
The door opened and Mary Lavin, completely clad in black appeared at the
door. By all accounts she appeared to be extremely kind, goodnatured and very
obliging.
We took our places in the sitting room opposite a very welcoming fire. In a
matter of minutes Mary Lavin was sitting down next to us. She appeared to be
remarkably energetic and healthy for her age; she's 75 in fact! Upon plugging in
the tape recorder, the following questions were asked. (The answers to these
questions are transcribed colloquially, i.e. as we have heard them)
Q. What steps did you have to take in your younger years to get noticed and
recognised as a future story-writer?
A. Now, again I don't want to depress you, but for God's sake don't rush into
things. You're going to progress and improve, mentally and spiritually; your ability
to express yourselves is inevitably going to improve. So don't rush into things! I
think too many people rush into major things far too quickly, at such a young age.
Now, I know it works for some people but as far as I was concerned, it didn't.
What I mean is people have to start sometime but I never wanted to write, I only
became a writer by chance. I was doing my Ph.d thesis at the time. I really started
writing at 26 or so; no, I was a bit older, just before I got married. It was a story
called 'Miss Holland' from Tales from Bective Bridge. I sent the story away-it was
during the war years, and I got the story printed in the London Mercury which was
one of the most prestigous magazines in the world, at the time; naturally, I was
very excited. However, I did not regard myself as a writer just because that one
story. The next thing I did was to send a letter to the Dublin Magazine and told
them I had a story printed by the London Mercury. Seamus O'Sullivan was the
wonderful editor at the time. He invited me to tea and he just advised me and told
me to go out and write more and to send the results to him. He published a
great number of my works in his older years. When it was published in the Irish
magazine, I then sent it to an American magazine.
Q. Whom do you respect most as a write of any literary Form?
A. Well, every short story writer looks up to Chekov and the short story is my
favourite reading. I mean, I've read a lot of novels but just to keep me occupied. It's
much easier to write short-stories; they just flow out of you. Like they say, you
know, it wastes much more electricity turning on and ofT switches and trying the
ignition of a car - stopping and starting. Well, I think the mind is like that.
Although Chekov is my favourite writer, Racine, the French writer appeals to
me greatly. When we were in school we only read the old classics and I think we
should have read contemporary writers. When I was young I loved mystery stories, I
88
Wednesday, 13 March, 1985. We neared a rather modem set of apartments. One
flick down onto our directions told us we had reached the right place. In a matter of
minutes we were staring at the set of buttons connected to the inhabitants of the
building. Mary Lavin-number five. Soon her voice sounded on the intercom; it
was husky and distorted through the speaker. After telling Mrs Lavin that we were
the two Gonzaga Literary Society Presidents, we were quickly ushered up to her
room.
The door opened and Mary Lavin, completely clad in black appeared at the
door. By all accounts she appeared to be extremely kind, goodnatured and very
obliging.
We took our places in the sitting room opposite a very welcoming fire. In a
matter of minutes Mary Lavin was sitting down next to us. She appeared to be
remarkably energetic and healthy for her age; she's 75 in fact! Upon plugging in
the tape recorder, the following questions were asked. (The answers to these
questions are transcribed colloquially, i.e. as we have heard them)
Q. What steps did you have to take in your younger years to get noticed and
recognised as a future story-writer?
A. Now, again I don't want to depress you, but for God's sake don't rush into
things. You're going to progress and improve, mentally and spiritually; your ability
to express yourselves is inevitably going to improve. So don't rush into things! I
think too many people rush into major things far too quickly, at such a young age.
Now, I know it works for some people but as far as I was concerned, it didn't.
What I mean is people have to start sometime but I never wanted to write, I only
became a writer by chance. I was doing my Ph.d thesis at the time. I really started
writing at 26 or so; no, I was a bit older, just before I got married. It was a story
called 'Miss Holland' from Tales from Bective Bridge. I sent the story away-it was
during the war years, and I got the story printed in the London Mercury which was
one of the most prestigous magazines in the world, at the time; naturally, I was
very excited. However, I did not regard myself as a writer just because that one
story. The next thing I did was to send a letter to the Dublin Magazine and told
them I had a story printed by the London Mercury. Seamus O'Sullivan was the
wonderful editor at the time. He invited me to tea and he just advised me and told
me to go out and write more and to send the results to him. He published a
great number of my works in his older years. When it was published in the Irish
magazine, I then sent it to an American magazine.
Q. Whom do you respect most as a write of any literary Form?
A. Well, every short story writer looks up to Chekov and the short story is my
favourite reading. I mean, I've read a lot of novels but just to keep me occupied. It's
much easier to write short-stories; they just flow out of you. Like they say, you
know, it wastes much more electricity turning on and ofT switches and trying the
ignition of a car - stopping and starting. Well, I think the mind is like that.
Although Chekov is my favourite writer, Racine, the French writer appeals to
me greatly. When we were in school we only read the old classics and I think we
should have read contemporary writers. When I was young I loved mystery stories, I
88
