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1-On-One | |||||
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Is it possible to be a good writer without being a good reader? I’m sure it’s quite possible, although I don’t know why anyone would want to be a writer without also loving to read: That’s a bit like being a star quarterback who doesn’t enjoy playing football. According to a report of the Independent Book Publishing Association, over five million American adults belong to reading groups. What, do you believe, is the basis for this country's love for literature and books? I have no idea, actually. That said, I wish such popularity helped the sales of more purely literary fiction instead of “mainstream” fiction marketed under the guise of literature. Still, it’s encouraging to know so many people gather together to enjoy books. Have you ever belonged to a reading group? No, I never have. I probably should though. What advice do you have for reading group members when it comes to selecting books for discussion? Pick something challenging, something not necessarily intended to be mostly entertaining or escapist, and something that takes you out of your comfort zone. What books are you reading now or do you plan to read? I have a huge stack of to-be-read books in my office that keep awaiting my attention; among them are Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination by Edogawa Rampo (Edgar Allen Poe…get it?), X-Ray by Ray Davies (the unauthorized autobiography by the songwriter for The Kinks), and Piercing by Ryu Murakami (the other Murakami). If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one book with you to read, what would it be and why? Lord of the Flies was the first one that popped into my head, just because of the whole deserted island thing. But if I had to pick just one, Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer would have to be it. I can’t think of a better book to be stuck with. If you could have dinner with three writers (dead or alive) who would they be and why? To be honest, I can’t think of anything more boring than talking to writers. However, if I have to choose, I’d go with J.D. Salinger, Harper Lee, and Thomas Pynchon. Why? Because they’d probably rather just eat quietly and let me enjoy my meal in silence. Have you ever read anything you're too embarrassed to admit (except in this interview)? No, no, there’s nothing I can think of that’s too embarrassing to admit reading, not even Dan Brown. Favorite book when you were a child? Oh, there were so many. My favorite? Probably Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles. My mother would also read Charles Dickens to me, so David Copperfield would be there too. If you have children, is this the same book you read to them? If not, what is your favorite book for your children? I don’t have children, but if I did I think Dickens, Doyle, and Twain would be the ones I’d encourage them to read. Favorite heroine in literature and why? It would have to be Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, just because her voice is so strong and, as well, so is her resolve. She is such a beautifully written character, and her voice is perfect in my head. Miss Havisham, if you can call her a heroine, would come in a close second. Favorite hero in literature and why? Benjy Compson would have to be it. Faulkner’s use of Benjy’s voice is amazing to me, and because of that I find the character to be one of the most compelling in American literature. Second choice would be Holden Caulfield, simply because the character’s continual contradictions, his innate sense of both the sacred and the profane, are so beautifully rendered; he is, to me, such a great metaphor for all those paradoxes that are infused throughout our society. Favorite first line from a book? "My name is of no importance." Favorite last line from a book? "Regardless of what I may say tomorrow, that is how I came to put that rat-bastard Tommy Jacobs into the ground." Book that changed your life? The Moviegoer by Walker Percy Words to live by? You wouldn’t worry what people think about you if you knew how seldom they do.
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