Author Helen Garner is fascinated with the mushroom murders | 7.30

Key Concepts

• Freedom in Writing: Writing without the expectation of an audience or publication leads to more authentic and potentially better quality work.
• Re-evaluation of Domestic Life: Feminism has contributed to a greater acceptance and appreciation of details from domestic life, which were previously dismissed as trivial.
• Shift in Perceptions of Women's Writing: Historically, women writers were categorized separately and their work deemed "too small-scale" or "too domestic," with an overemphasis on feelings.
• The Significance of Small Details: The juxtaposition of profound reflections with mundane observations (e.g., "I bought a pen") reflects a writer's ability to find meaning in everyday occurrences, akin to Shakespeare's "undo this button" in King Lear.
• Universality of Jealousy and Rage: The honest portrayal of infidelity and the resulting rage resonates deeply with readers, highlighting shared human experiences of shame, humiliation, and helplessness.
• Marriage as a Difficult Endeavor: Marriage is presented as an enormous psychic labor, requiring individuals to suppress aggression and navigate complex emotions to maintain the relationship.
• Writer's Observational Capacity: Writers possess an enhanced ability to perceive and notice things beyond the ordinary, a gift that requires a fight to express and share.
• Brutal Frankness and Honesty: The appeal of the diaries lies in their "stony honesty," a desire to know what people truly think and what genuinely happened, without pretense.
• The Nature of Non-Fiction: A desire for a category of writing that is simply "a book," free from the constraints of "novel" or "non-fiction," allowing for unadulterated expression.
• The Law as a Framework for Life's Difficulties: The legal system is seen as an attempt to make sense of and smooth over the "awful jaggedness of people's lives," mirroring religion's role.
• Courtroom Experience: The trial process offers a unique environment where the mind and emotions work in tandem, providing a sense of purpose and engagement.
• Challenges of Hearing Loss in Court: The acoustic difficulties in courtrooms and the inability to clearly hear proceedings can hinder participation, especially for those with hearing impairments.
• The Enigma of Motive in Crime: The prosecution does not need to prove motive in murder cases, as perpetrators may not understand their own reasons for committing a crime, with motive being a "phantom idea."
• Women and Rage: Women are perceived to stifle a significant amount of rage, lacking adequate outlets for its expression.
• Intuition and Empathy in Reporting: The ability to connect with and convey the emotions of interviewees, even breaking through the formality of the situation, is a powerful journalistic tool.

The Diaries and Their Reception

Helen Garner attributes the worldwide praise and attention her diaries are receiving to their inherent quality, stating, "I think they're good. I'm happy with them. I'm glad about them and I'm glad they exist." A key factor in their authenticity is that they were written "in a state of freedom," with no consideration for an audience or publication. Garner believes her writing is at its best in these private reflections, surpassing other forms of her work.

The Evolving Landscape of Domestic Life and Feminism

Garner suggests that the increased welcoming of details from domestic life in contemporary literature might be a result of the "great onrush of feminism." This movement has prompted a re-evaluation of subjects previously dismissed as "trivial or too small to care about." She recalls her early writing days in the 1970s, when women writers were often pigeonholed as "women writers" and their work criticized for being "on too small a scale," "too domestic," and containing "too much... about feelings." Garner notes a recent observation in court where a male barrister inquired about a client's feelings, suggesting a potential shift towards a more natural inclusion of emotional inquiry, even from men.

The Art of Juxtaposition: From Profound to Mundane

Garner's diaries are admired for their ability to seamlessly transition between deep reflection and simple, everyday observations, a quality she describes as perhaps "vitigenous." She illustrates this with the line, "I bought a pen." For Garner, even such a seemingly minor event can be significant, especially given her particular attachment to specific writing instruments. She recounts the loss of a beloved "MLAN shorthand pen" that was damaged, highlighting the personal importance of such details. This ability to shift register is compared to a "fabulous change of register" in Shakespeare's King Lear, where King Lear, amidst profound despair, asks his servant to "undo this button." This exemplifies how small, immediate actions can hold immense weight within a larger narrative.

The Universality of Jealousy and Infidelity

Garner discusses the profound impact of her honest portrayal of discovering infidelity and the "rage that you are experiencing in that moment." While not necessarily the most talked-about scene, she feels women read it with "glee." She references a review by Anne Enright, who expressed a fervent hope that this particular passage was true, suggesting a vicarious release for readers. Garner's admission of feeling "weak and helpless" in such moments resonates with many, as she notes that "nearly all of us have been so weak and helpless." This shared vulnerability offers a sense of relief. The shock of women telling her, "that could be my marriage," has led Garner to reflect on marriage as potentially "the hardest thing you ever do," even more challenging than raising children. She posits that marriage requires individuals to "throttle back quite a lot of aggression" and engage in "enormous psychic labor" to keep the relationship afloat.

The Writer's Capacity for Self-Observation

Garner acknowledges that throughout her adult life, she has been "reproached for looking at things too hard or seeing things that they didn't want to be seen." This led to a significant relief upon reading Nadine Gordimer's introduction to her collected short stories, where Gordimer described writers as having an "ability to perceive things and notice things that's developed beyond the normal." Garner sees this as a validation of her own observational skills, emphasizing the need to "fight to make to get have the prerogative to say them and to show them."

The Power of Brutal Frankness

The "absolute frankness" in Garner's writing is identified as a key element generating joy in readers. She expresses a personal desire for "stonally honest" accounts, finding it difficult to tolerate when people "beat around the bush." This leads to a wish for a broader category of writing beyond "novel" or "non-fiction," simply "a book," where the author can express "what I wanted to say." However, she acknowledges the need to warn readers if they are expecting a novel.

Revelation in the Courtroom

Garner experienced a profound revelation in court, realizing, "I knew exactly what I'm supposed to be doing." She felt "absolutely at home" in the trial process because her "mind and my emotions were working in tandem." She views the law as akin to religion, representing humanity's efforts to "bear what we've been handed to bear in life" and to "smooth the awful jaggedness of people and make sense of it." Discovering the ability to observe trials felt like "dying and gone to heaven," as it engaged "every part of me."

The Impact of Hearing Loss on Courtroom Observation

Garner has had to cease her courtroom work due to hearing loss. While she uses hearing aids, they are not effective in the poor acoustics of most courts, where people "mutter and murmur." This inability to hear clearly "drives me insane." She notes the existence of specialized equipment but questions its accessibility to ordinary citizens.

The Mushroom Tapes and the Mystery of Motive

Regarding "The Mushroom Tapes," Garner and her co-writers were "bewildered" by the case. The judge repeatedly emphasized to the jury that motive is not a required element of a murder charge, as perpetrators may have "no idea why they did it," with motive being a "phantom idea that hovers around a really ugly act."

Women and the Suppression of Rage

Garner is equally interested in both female and male accused murderers. She states she is "never surprised when I hear about a woman murdering someone," explaining that women "stifle in themselves a huge amount of rage" and lack the "wherewithal to express it much." She humorously interjects that this is why "football's so important."

Intuition and Empathy in Reporting: The Bus Accident Case

Garner recounts writing about an interview with two tradesmen who saved children from a bus accident. She paid tribute to their "guts and nerves," thanking them "as if on behalf of their fellow citizens." She describes an intuitive moment where she sensed that the interviewer, Cameron Dean, felt as she did, breaking through the formality of the situation to express the collective sentiment of gratitude and admiration for the tradesmen's actions. She felt a connection, a sense that "you felt like I felt at that moment," and that the interviewer's leaning forward and breaking the "fourth wall" was an intuitive act of empathy. She concludes by expressing her pleasure in writing about and noticing this moment.