‘I
had to remould my brain to write “The Follow”. It involved three trips to
Borneo and years of reading and studying and thinking hard about human beings
and our place in the natural world’
Linda Spalding:
“Since no Irish author could be overrated, they must all be underrated. Ireland
is the origin of authorial species.” Photograph: Jeff Nolte
This
article is a repost from irishtimes.com
Linda
Spalding won the 2012 Canadian governor-general’s award for The Purchase
(Sandstone Press, £8.99), and was longlisted for the IMPAC award. In this
provocative and starkly beautiful historical novel, a Quaker family moves from
Pennsylvania to the Virginia frontier, where slaves are the only available
workers and where the family’s values and beliefs are sorely tested. Spalding
was born in Kansas and now lives in Toronto. She is married to fellow novelist
Michael Ondaatje.
What was the first
book to make an impression on you?
There
were two in my early childhood. The first was about a white rabbit and a black
rabbit who were not allowed to be friends. This was written in the 1940s and
must have been radical at the time since the rabbits prevailed. The second was
called The Bear That Wasn’t – and it is such a classic that I’ve persuaded the
New York Review of Books to republish it.
What was your
favourite book as a child?
No
contest. I read and reread A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett a
thousand times. This was the edition with the wonderful coloured glossy
pictures and it surely provided all the direction I needed for later life
And what is your
favourite book or books now?
That
would be a contest! I’m reading Willa Cather at the moment and finding new
depth in her view of the world, but my reading is varied and constant and my
favourite all-round author is John Ehle, who is the most under-rated of
American authors.
What is your
favourite quotation?
“Why
is there something rather than nothing?” Liebnitz
Who is your favourite
fictional character?
At
the moment, I’d vote for my very own Daniel.
Who is the most
under-rated Irish author?
Since
no Irish author could be overrated, they must all be underrated. Ireland is the
origin of authorial species.
Which do you prefer
– ebooks or the traditional print version?
But
of course I prefer books. They smell good (usually) and I like the touch of
paper to finger. Some are too heavy, unwieldy, but at least I know where I am
and what progress is still to be made and I can reread sentences as I like,
look for lost names and check the author’s photograph now and then for a sense
of friendliness.
What is the most
beautiful book you own?
A
beautiful question! I have a very, very old book of Hunting and Hawking , but
the most beautiful and most precious book I have is a letter press limited
edition of Michael’s [Ondaatje’s] Tin Roof , published by Greenboathouse Press.
Thick rust-coloured fold-over covers, black end papers and pages that feel like
they’ve grown in a wild forest of white leaves. This book is very personal to
me but is an astounding object to read and hold dear.
Where and how do
you write?
Just
about anywhere but I’m happiest in my upstairs study at home in Toronto. That’s
where all my books and toys and photos are.
What book changed
the way you think about fiction?
Move
Over Midnight, by Jean Rhys
What is the most
research you have done for a book?
I
had to remould my brain to write The Follow. It involved three trips to Borneo
and years of reading and studying and thinking hard about human beings and our
place in the natural world.
What book
influenced you the most?
Long
ago I read all of Oscar Lewis, who translated first-person accounts of people
of all types and classes in Mexico. His integrity, his standing aside to let
them speak, changed my way of looking at the world.
What book would you
give to a friend’s child on their 18th birthday?
Oh
but that depends on the child! At that age I loved Hermann Hesse, but for a
special child I might choose The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rilke. It
formed a bond between me and my step-son when he was that age. But ... hard to
know what this generation would care to read ....
What book do you
wish you had read when you were young?
The
Adventures of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
What advice would
you give to an aspiring author?
Read.
Read well. Write. Rewrite.
What weight do you
give reviews?
I
like to know how my own books are perceived. I admit to using reviews at times
to choose what I might read next.
Where do you see
the publishing industry going?
The
industry is struggling. Perhaps there are too many books! I sometimes wonder about
that when I enter the few remaining bookstores and see them piled high with
what appears to be crap. But marketing a good book is a nightmare. Everything
these days comes down to marketing and distribution and how is anyone to know
which books are worth reading? The publishers have to find real authors, edit
them, produce the books and then find some way in this crazy marketplace to
tell people about them. It’s a lot to expect!
What writing trends
have struck you lately?
God,
I’m not sure what a writing trend is....
What lessons have
you learned about life from reading?
Well,
we have our heroes as we go along. Hesse, Montaigne, Emerson – when I was
young. Everything I read teaches me something. That’s why I do it.
What has being a
writer taught you?
Focus.
Which writers,
living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?
I
once met Doris Lessing and was so excited I grabbed a drink out of another
guest’s hand and gave it to her. I’ll ask Doris and Emily Dickinson and Emily
Bronte. I think they’d like each other. Lady Murasaki would be the guest of
honour and we’d have a fine translator at her side who would also pour her tea.
What is the
funniest scene you’ve read?
Maybe
Michael reading aloud from Moss Hart’s Act One
What is your
favourite word?
Connubial
If you were to
write a historical novel, which event or figure would be your subject?
I
think I did sort of write a historical novel, although I didn’t call it that at
the time. It’s about my Quaker abolitionist ancestor, who bought a slave in
1798. It’s called The Purchase.
In
this corner Ebooks at Dyman Associates
Publishing Inc, is where you can do your tasting (and even do your
shopping) of books. Dig in!
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