Mighty PEN (Part Two)

Being that the evening was based on the concept of providing honest books for young readers, it seemed logical for the discussion to take into account the idea of what it is to "lie".  Lipsyte was adamant on this point.  He made it very clear that lying is NEVER acceptable in children’s books.  Williams then clarified that when it comes to writing books for children you have to deal with "another kind of honesty" particularly if you are working within the limitations of a picture book format.  Authors in these cases must condense the truth without perverting it.  No easy task.  Bartoletti followed this up with the observation that we should tell our stories as honestly as we can.  If a story doesn’t grab her and is just meant to "teach" then she won’t write it.  It is important to remember too though that, as Lipsyte said, there’s a difference between a mere suspension of disbelief and "bullshit".  Interestingly, Williams mentioned that some people feel that her own books have "lied".  In A Chair for My Mother the neighbors all pitch in when someone loses their home.  Yet a woman once told her that this kind of communal reaction would never happen in her own neighborhood and was, therefore, dishonest.  So if a piece of writing doesn’t speak to the experiences of the reader, they may decide it doesn’t reflect their own reality and, therefore, lies.  Bartoletti would later point out that silence itself in the context of a book can be considered a lie, so there’s that to consider as well.

It all got me to thinking too.  I mean, what do we consider "lying" in fiction?  Remember the anger that was lobbied against The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?  Were people mad because they felt that the whole fable aspect wasn’t a delightful trope but, instead, a very painful lie?  How can an author tell the difference? 

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