Lisa Robertson : Riverwork
episode
Between The Covers : Conversations with Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry
2h 25m
1 speaker
8 chapters
transcribed 22 days ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is Lisa Robertson’s novel *Riverwork* about and how does it connect a missing aunt with a buried Paris river?
One review that I came across after my conversation with today's guest, Lisa Robertson, a review by Claire Foster for Book Forum, describes her latest book Riverwork as a hymn to slowness and close reading, unknowability, imperfection, wobbly human labor, false starts, and angry love, a scream against the engagement. Increasingly omnipresent, automatically generated offers to synopsize or synthesize, and therefore to strangle. it opts for excess. This characterization of Lisa's book stood out not only because it rang true, but also because it described my own hopes and aspirations for the show as a whole. Where by ignoring the normative mode and length of an interview, by allowing the space to be slow,
to think together in that space, to conjure a very different relationship to time, to be maximal in service of creating a little oasis or sanctuary space that moves differently than this automated summarization that happens outside of thinking that Claire's describing in her review. That's something I reach for. So it's particularly exciting to have Lisa on the show to discuss her latest book that exists in this mode, River Work, in relation to her life as a writer and the works that precede it. thinking of hymns to close reading, there are certain conversations where I'm fairly confident they will become ones people listen to more than once, where they will reread them, so to speak. The two with Jory Graham perhaps come most to mind, but I suspect today's with Lisa will be one many of us will return to again and again and hear it again differently each time.
For the bonus audio, Lisa introduces her translation of the long poem by Charles Baudelaire called Haggs, and talks about how it becomes an inspiration for both of her novels, including the one we talk about today. And then she gives an electrifying reading of it for us, one that echoes against so many of the themes we discuss during today's conversation. So be sure not to miss this if you are subscribed to the bonus audio. Also, as listeners who've been hearing me say this for years, while the bonus audio is one thing you can choose from among many when you join the Between the Covers community. community as a listener supporter. One of the things every supporter is invited to do is join our collective brainstorm.
And today's conversation is a prime example of how that has shaped the show, as many supporters have reached out to suggest Lisa beginning years ago now. And it's thanks to the between the covers community that I'm presenting this unforgettable conversation today. If you want to check out all the rewards and benefits of becoming part of the Between the Covers community, As a listener supporter, You can do so by going to patreon dot com slash between the covers. And now for today's conversation with none other than Lisa Robertson.
Good morning and welcome to Between the Covers. I'm David Nayman, your host. Today's guest is poet, essayist, translator, and more recently novelist Lisa Robertson. In the late 80s and 90s, Robertson was an important part of Vancouver's literary scene and culture. She left her English literature and art history studies at University de Helma Bookstore, Proprioception Books. A bookstore that, under her vision, focused on contemporary poetry, theory, philosophy, and art criticism in downtown Vancouver. She was the poetry editor of Front Magazine, a board member at ArtSpeak, ran a poetry reading series at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and became part of the storied writers' collective, The Koutenay School of Writing, which, paraphrasing Rob McClellan's description,
Of it has since the 70s carved out a unique space in Canadian writing, both in regards to pushing writing and language to thrilling extremes, and with regards to social involvement and community organization. And it was one of the few Canadian writing organizations that engaged with the avant-garde of other countries as well. For the past 20 years, Robert Robertson has lived in rural France, and her work is increasingly engaged with the literary culture and history of her second home.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is Lisa Robertson’s novel *Riverwork* about and how does it connect a missing aunt with a buried Paris river?
0:00–21:49
2
How did Robertson develop the book’s “ribbon” structure and what was her physical writing process?
21:49–43:43
3
What historical facts about the Bièvre River, its textile industry and laundry workers does the novel reveal?
43:43–1:05:29
4
How does the novel explore doubling—between Lucy Frost, her aunt, the archivist, and the river itself?
1:05:29–1:27:30
5
What role does rhythm play in Robertson’s conception of language, form and anti‑form?
1:27:30–1:46:50
6
How does the book link feminist/working‑class labor, textile production and the politics of care work?
1:46:50–2:04:12
7
Why are surfaces, garments and ornament important to the novel’s aesthetic and thematic concerns?
2:04:12–2:22:12
8
What final thoughts does Robertson share about the interplay of surface, depth, and the act of reading?
2:22:12–2:24:59