|
|
 |
1-On-One | |||||
|
Is it possible to be a good writer without being a good reader? I’m not sure what a “good” reader is, but I am certain I couldn’t have written a word if I weren’t a reader first. How else to learn the craft than by reading, studying, and dissecting the work of masters (either past or present.) Not to copy, not even to emulate, but to gain a firm hold on the essences: story, character, plot, setting, and make them one’s own. Would Picasso have been as good an artist if he hadn’t laid eyes on the classicists, the romantics, even the impressionists? 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? If I knew that, I’d be a) a lot smarter than I am, and b) obscenely wealthy. All I do know is that stories have defined us, reflected us, entertained us, moved us, taught us, in short bound us together since we first walked upright. And that holds for any country, any civilization, any language, any ethnicity, anywhere in the world. I wouldn’t be surprised if an enterprising anthropologist someday discovers there were “story groups” amongst the Neanderthals or “hieroglyphic clubs” in ancient Egypt. Have you ever belonged to a reading group? No. But I’ve been a guest at more than a few. A great way to spend an evening. What advice do you have for reading group members when it comes to selecting books for discussion? 1) Have fun (this isn’t English Lit class). 2) Try something new, but don’t forget the classics. 3) Don’t read something that isn’t there. Sometimes, what the author is trying to say is already on the page. What books are you reading now or do you plan to read? Just finished: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn (unique, funny, a great stretch of the writing craft), and Ravel by Jean Echenoz (a fictional “last days” of the composer and a lesson in how writing less is writing more.) Next up: The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perotta and probably a re-read of something by Hemingway (The Old Man and the Sea, a perennial touchstone.) If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one book with you to read, what would it be and why? The “Pax Britannica” Trilogy by Jan Morris. Not so much for the content (though it is a grand and sweeping history of the last years of the British Empire) but for the author’s extraordinary gift for the language. A genius storyteller, at the top of her (or anyone’s) game. (I may have also cheated here…its actually three books.) If you could have dinner with three writers (dead or alive) who would they be and why? Alberto Mangel, Hemingway, the aforementioned Jan Morris. Mangel for his profound knowledge (and love) of the history and sociology of reading, Ernest Hemingway for his transformation of the craft, Morris because she’s been everywhere, seen just about everything, and can tell a tale better than anyone I’ve ever read. Have you ever read anything you're too embarrassed to admit (except in this interview)? Not really (though I’m not sure I’d brag about reading The Da Vinci Code, and Michael Crichton remains a guilty beach diversion), but there’s a library’s worth of titles that I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t read. Proust, for one. Favorite book when you were a child? The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame If you have children, is this the same book you read to them? If not, what is your favorite book for your children? The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery a close second. Favorite heroine in literature and why? Portia from The Merchant of Venice: smart, independent, eloquent. Favorite hero in literature and why? Inman from Cold Mountain: honorable, indefatigable, faithful. A good man with a great heart. Favorite first line from a book? “They’re all dead now.” (Fall On Your Knees, Ann-Marie MacDonald Favorite last line from a book? “Are there any questions?” (The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood) Book that changed your life? Silk by Alessandro Baricco. For me, the perfect novel. Not a word out of place, not a word too many, and heartbreakingly beautiful. It’s the book that inspired me to take writing seriously. Words to live by? Grace. Empathy. Panache.
|
 |
||
|
||
 |