A Conversation with a Friend!!

Light-hearted, heart-warming, enlightening! These are all the words that I would use to describe this interview with Alastair Campbell on the 17th October 2020. The Durham literature festival blessed us with this heartfelt discussion of the book Living Better (2020) This was the second literary event that I have attended in my life and after the first one I was sceptical to return, as it was so overwhelming and made me question humanity! (But more on that later.) But this event restored my faith in literary festivals and the welcoming feeling and happiness that radiated throughout the interview was just so comforting and wanted me to attend more. As I left the event feeling satisfied and wanting to look at other events which may expand my knowledge in other areas.

In this interview they delve deep into how depression affects lives and the lives of those that are around an individual with depression. In my opinion depression is almost still deemed as a taboo topic and so what I loved about this interview was how light and warming it was which helped reassure the audience that it is ok to talk about depression and most importantly- Its ok to not be ok! This interview discussed very severe topics such as self-harm and suicide which needs to be spoken about so that individuals do not fear the words and think that they cannot speak openly about it. The impact it has on other people was very apparent as Campbell talks about 'the impact it had on Fiona [his wife]' which enlightened us as an audience that Alastair did not necessarily care what happened to him, he just feared the impact it was having on his partner.

It also delves deep into the fact that you cannot get over depression overnight 'I've done the hard bit, but I don't feel free', which allowed Alastair to explain that even though he had removed himself from what appeared to have given him depression it didn't help him overcome it and that is something that individuals almost forget to think about and so I think it was fantastic that Alastair talked about things that others are afraid to. Alastair everyday uses a scale to determine how he is feeling, with 1 being 'pure unadulterated happiness' that its dangerous and '10 being actively suicidal'. Using the scale that is in the novel after watching the event on the scale I am a solid 2 and this is where Campbell expressed that this 'is where [he] liked to be'. The interview tackles the harsh reality of mental health issues and how lives are affected because of this, emphasising that things won't get better overnight, but that it is ok to be struggling and I think autobiographies like this are such a powerful way of getting this message across.

Have you ever wanted to spill your heart out and express your feelings but worry about the judgement of others? Well, if you ever have, I recommend watching this interview which highlights that it is ok to talk about your problems. The colloquial and friendly tone throughout makes you feel as if you are having a conversation with a friend, and it is so enlightening to see as someone who has suffered from mental health issues that you are not alone and that your feelings are valid. Many individuals that attended this event applauded Alastair for not only the book but speaking about his issues so openly. It is hard sometimes especially if you are in the public eye to open up about such topics, so I praise Alastair Campbell for opening up about his life and for delving deep into how politics has had a negative effect on his life.

Durham Literature Festival prides itself on inviting 'a range of thinkers, writers and performers to appear' and discuss things that they are passionate about. The festival has been at the centre of individual's hearts for thirty years as it was 'founded in 1990, Durham Book Festival is one of the country's oldest literary festivals'. It certainly after this year has a very special place in my heart, as this was the first time I had ever attended a literary festival and my experiences were completely different. The first literary event I attended was Men Who Hate Women (2020) by Laura bates and it was something that I had not prepared myself for. It was enlightening and made me aware of some of the hatred men hold towards women that I was previously uneducated in. However, it was done in such a way that actually made me quite fearful, Laura herself was very lovely and you can tell she has a very nice personality however, the topics she spoke about were not for the faint hearted. This event in particular created a perception for me of what literary festivals were like and I was not overly looking forward to the next one. However, the event with Alastair Campbell restored my faith in literary festivals as the whole thing was so energetic and fun and more importantly humane. As someone who has experienced mental health issues themselves, it was really nice to be able to connect to Alastair in a way that I was not able to with Laura Bates.

I think that it is crucial for people to really think about the events they are going to attend, especially if it's their first time experiencing a literary festival as individuals are more likely to enjoy the experience if it's based on something they are passionate about, this is where I think I made the mistake. This is not to say that I was not passionate about feminism it was just that I lacked the knowledge on the specifics of what she was talking about. However, my experiences at these events really opened my eyes and allowed me to understand literary festivals more as a whole. They are not just about severe things they can be about anything, and it is the sense of belonging and celebration that is so inviting for individual's that they come back time and time again and even watch events that are about books that they have not even read and leave thinking that they want to give it a go now. These very reasons are why I will happily attend any literary festival and go in with an open mind to educate myself and enjoy the celebration of literature.

The autobiography Living Better has had some amazing reviews and Campbell has been praised for his honesty and being 'outspoken, intelligent and compelling,' but also it is clear that 'Alastair Campbell has done more than most to be honest and open about his life and his mental health' which I think many people would have not been expecting. Not only that but Sir Stephen Fry also commented on this novel stating that it was 'unflinching, clear-eyed, honest, raw and revealing' but also that 'for anyone who has lived with depression or lived with someone who lives with depression [... it] will be indispensable and - potentially - even a life-saver.' This resonates such truth as it emphasises that you're not alone, as it is easy to see politicians to be inhumane and to not have problems just because of the job they are in and how they present themselves in public. Which is why the event was such a good thing as it allowed us to see him in the flesh and see what he's like as a human being which is crucial in being able to understand why he wrote this autobiography on the elements which influenced him. From an outside perspective politics looks like an ugly affair, so it is no wonder that the stress of his job got to him, but from the reviews of the event is clear that it was a positive experience and that the attendees were grateful to be able to see what he was like in person.

It was also clear how much Campbell loves Durham as it is explained in the book and in the interview (with his jokes about former chief adviser Dominic Cummings and his Barnard Castle fiasco) and you could see how gutted he was that he could not attend the festival in person as Durham is very close to his heart as he watches football matches there. All these elements make him human and it is nice to see that he was happy and doing well, as not being able to go somewhere that makes him so happy could be hugely impactful to him in a negative way, but it is clear that his coping mechanisms and looking positively at things has helped him as instead of thinking at the negatives of not being able to go to Durham, he is looking on the brighter side of life, happy that he can still attend online.

Mental health literature is still considered a taboo topic don't you think? Secrecy lurks round ever corner, can I speak about my problems? Will people judge me if I talk about things like this? Every book in some way shape or form has the underlying theme of mental health issues if you look deep enough. I mean look at Shakespeare, King Lear (1606) the man was suffering from mental illness which led us to believe he was insane, Titus Andronicus (1594) killed his own daughter and murdered and baked two men in a pie and fed them to their mother - clearly mental health issues are present here! But then if we look deep into mental health literature, I think there has been a popular increase in how many novels are under the branch of mental health literature. Books such as The Midnight Library (2020) by Matt Haig and poetry by Carol Ann Duffy, here you can clearly tell that she is pouring out her feelings onto the page which may have been used as a release or an escape to help with her underlying depression. Now with the autobiographies such as the one with Alastair Campbell it is clear that the subject is becoming less taboo and more talked about which for someone who also experiences mental health issues themselves is a very positive thing! Allowing comfort and support for individuals to express themselves lets them know they are not alone. Knowing they can get help and guidance from other people who have been through it and have experienced it themselves is something that needs to continue. We are all in this together and we should help each other in whatever way we can.

Support! Guidance! Advice! These are all the things that you can take away from this interview. With the light- hearted nature and supporting aura that surround not only interviewer but also interviewee, you are left feeling satisfied and enlightened but most importantly feeling like someone has understood you and you've just been speaking to a friend the entire time. I highly recommend watching this event as sadly due to COVID-19 I could not attend the festival myself as I feel like it would have been so much more personal if that is even possible. I definitely will be attending more festivals in the future and look forward to all the elements of literature that I yet to have explored. Literature allows you to escape and to experiences a life that may be so different from your own, and to be able to have contact with the authors is something so rare and special as you can actually see them fleshed out and understand why some of the choices were made. I'd never heard of a literary festival before until life at University, and I can whole heartedly say that I've loved every minute of my literary festival experience and definitely can't wait to continue this journey! Remember, it is ok to not be ok, please speak to someone if you are suffering, you are not alone.