Posthumous kick for slights
Anne Frank did it. Nelson Mandela did it. And you can do it too.
Author Peter Cross wants to help everyday Aucklanders write their autobiographies to share their family stories, jokes and life experiences.
‘‘I think it’s important because when you die it’s gone,’’ he says.
‘‘I’ve got to the age now where I go to a lot of funerals. And when someone dies there are a lot of unanswered questions.
‘‘These were fascinating people, they had travelled and lived. There are fragments of memories that are carried by other people. But they will disappear over time.’’
Mr Cross is holding a free event at Mt Eden Village Centre next month for people to celebrate biographical writing.
The Mt Eden resident works on a consultation basis helping people develop the skeleton for their autobiographies that they can then flesh out.
‘‘I just love biographies. I love those sorts of stories. I like stories of ordinary people. Not just the rich and famous.’’
Creating a 60,000 word book can be intimidating for some fledgling writers.
But Mr Cross guides people to think outside themselves by describing the scene and characters.
‘‘Apart from anything you can get a vicarious revenge on people like a former teacher. People who used to bully you, you can give them a posthumous kicking.
‘‘And conversely you can celebrate unsung heroes.’’
The event on March 11 will feature actors reading aloud some of the work written by Mr Cross’ students.
It is free, but people need to book a place ahead of the evening.