A story about John Irving
We didn’t meet in the most formal sense of the word “meet” but I attended a University of Iowa distinguished lecturer series event in Iowa City in March 2008. The lecture hall that was reserved for the event turned out to be too small for the audience that gathered and filled the seats, stairs and some of the floor space at the front of the auditorium. So the lecture host informed us that we would be moving to an auditorium in a different building a few blocks away. Walking over, I ran into a former colleague and reporter for the Gazette. As we chatted en route to the new location among the throng of fans and UI students all headed the same direction, I noticed a couple of people going the opposite direction. The silver hair of one particular person caught my eye. Then, as I recognized that it was the author himself headed our way, I said “Hey!” in a tone accidentally familiar… as if I knew him and was just saying “hey, fancy meeting you here, what are you doing here?” And John Irving looked at me and the reporter and joked, “there’s too many f*ing people. I’m outta here.”
He didn’t skedaddle as it turned out. After everyone was re-settled in the new space, Mr. Irving read a chapter from his upcoming novel “Last Night in Twisted River.” I don’t know what kind of treat that was for others, but I felt somewhat conspiratorial with my fellow audience members. As though we were being told we were the favorite child or getting super-secret classified information.
After his reading, John Irving mingled at the front of the auditorium with the UI staffers and hosts of the event and so I was free to exit the auditorium going past the famous author. A young man ahead of me was cajoling Irving for his autograph, which he politely declined, pointing out that if he provided one autograph, he’d have to do the same for everyone else there who wished to have one.
Taking my only chance following that exchange, I looked John Irving in the eye, stuck out my hand and thanked him for the evening. He shook my hand and said something… it’s all a blur, so I’m just guessing it was something gracious and eloquent like, “you’re welcome and thank you.”
It’s right up there in my top 10 list of greatest moments. What fun!
