A unique essay exploring the experience of estrangement through art that was finished on an iPhone has landed a U of T Scarborough history professor the prestigious Notting Hill Editions Essay Prize.
Professor William Nelson, an expert on the Enlightenment and French Revolution, won top prize of £ 20,000 ($33,000 CDN) for his essay Five Ways of Being a Painting. Judges were particularly impressed by the way he was able to combine text and images to weave together how historical figures from Europe and China – and even memories from his own childhood – form the experience of estrangement.
“I started by recognizing a conceptual relationship between these things, but I didn’t want to write an argumentative piece; I wanted to weave them together, to create a resonance and range of meaning that would engage readers and slowly draw them in,” he says.
Nelson says the experience of estrangement explored in the essay is a subtle one, a way in which people can step outside of themselves in order to reassess aspects of their life.
He originally drew inspiration for the essay from a few sources, including a photograph of German philosopher Walter Benjamin who had talked about being totally immersed by looking at objects as a child, and from Chinese artist Liu Bolin who is known for immersing himself in environments for his artwork.
He was also inspired by a piece of art criticism for the Paris Salon written by the French Enlightenment philosopher Diderot. In it, he eloquently describes going on a picnic with a priest and some students before going on a walk around the French countryside. It’s only after the description that Diderot reveals he’s actually talking about a specific painting.
“It’s an interesting example of being a painting by placing himself inside the art he’s describing. It’s a very creative way to tell readers about the painting, but it also allows them to believe that they took this imaginative leap,” he says.
While Nelson started collecting his thoughts for the essay about three years ago, it wasn’t until he learned about the Notting Hill prize that he fully committed himself to finishing it.
What’s remarkable is he was able to complete essay while teaching a full course load, writing an academic book and raising his young son. He was so busy that he committed to writing sections of it on his iPhone at night before going to sleep.
Nelson was joined by his family for the award presentation in London, England. All of the writers who were shortlisted for the prize were invited on stage and one by one were presented with small award statues, which meant they didn’t win the grand prize. Finally, only two remained on stage.
“When they called the other writer’s name I was stunned,” says Nelson.
“It was an extraordinary experience because they presented me with this beautifully printed version of Five Ways of Being a Painting, and then I was asked to read a small passage from it,” adding he surprised even himself by being able to focus on the words without getting too overwhelmed.
The majority of the finalists who were shortlisted are professional writers, making Nelson’s achievement that much more remarkable. From the time he started graduate school Nelson says he’s been studying non-academic forms of writing in order to sharpen his skills. He adds an important part of doing history well is engaging with people.
“I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with this idea that took shape when I started three years ago. I kept returning to it, refining it, and set a goal to do a small section each night on my phone,” he says.
“It was a productive time and I feel incredibly fortunate that it turned out the way it did.”