GENE
WOLFE interviewed by David Wilbanks (2005)
Gene Wolfe is the author of THE FIFTH HEAD OF
CERBERUS, PEACE, THE DEVIL IN A FOREST, The Book of the New Sun,
CASTLEVIEW, THERE ARE DOORS, SOLDIER OF THE MIST, SOLDIER OF ARETE, The Book
of the Long Sun, The Book of the Short Sun, and others. His work has won two Nebula Awards and three
World Fantasy Awards, the Deathrealm Award, the British Science Fiction Award,
the British Fantasy Award, and others. His
short fiction is collected in THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR DEATH AND OTHER STORIES AND
OTHER STORIES, CASTLE OF DAYS, ENDANGERED SPECIES, STOREYS FROM THE OLD HOTEL,
STRANGE TRAVELERS and INNOCENTS ABOARD.
STARWATER STRAINS will appear soon.
A two-volume fantasy, The Wizard Knight, is complete now with the
publication of THE WIZARD.
HELLNOTES:
At what point in your life did you consider yourself
a writer? Did you write as a child?
GENE WOLFE: I considered myself a writer when I started
trying to earn enough for Rosemary and me to make a down payment on some
furniture. That was in 1957. I wrote a tiny bit as a child, and wrote
three or four little pieces for a college magazine before I went into the
army. I started writing seriously when I
saw that I needed to earn more than my salary so we could move out of our furnished
apartment.
HN: Who were some of the influences on your writing and your
life? And how were they influential?
GW: My mother; she had never finished high school, but she
was an intelligent woman and a voracious mystery reader. I'd read her mysteries behind her, and we'd
talk about them. My father; he had read
a lot of history and biography, and was an H.G. Wells fan. The first Wells I read was THE ISLAND OF
DOCTOR MOREAU. Fred Pohl; my second sale
was to him, and it was that sale that really began my career. My wife, Rosemary; she tolerated my writing
when I hadn't sold anything and has been my secretary, PR woman, and
cheerleader ever since. Lloyd Biggle,
Jr.; he got my into SFWA. H.L. Gold; he
was the first editor who encouraged me to write. And Damon Knight; he bought my work regularly
and taught me a great deal.
HN: Who are some of your favorite horror or dark fantasy
writers, and why?
GW: Neil Gaiman, of course.
He's the master of the quirky idea and the great guru of dialog; and he
has more talent and energy than a whole page of the HWA Directory. Brian Hopkins, my friend and a thoughtful
writer who knows more about horror than anybody else I've ever met. M.R. James, the Past Master. William Seabrook, for the horror of his real
life and because he wrote "The Caged White Werewolf of the
Sarban." Jean Ingelow for MOPSA THE
FAIRY. Carolyn See for DREAMING. I could go on and on.
HN: Where would you recommend a horror enthusiast begin
reading your work? For instance, The
Book of the New Sun has its darker moments; the main character is a
torturer and the action takes place beneath a dying sun. Would this be a good place for a new reader
to begin exploring?
GW: …I agree that would be a good start. Other readers might prefer to begin with a
few shorter pieces. If so, I would
suggest STRANGE TRAVELERS, particularly "Bluesberry Jam," "One,
Two, Three for Me," "Counting Cats in Zanzibar," "The Death
of Koshchei the Deathless," "Queen of the Night," "And When
They Appear," "The Haunted Boardinghouse," and "Ain't You
'Most Done?"
HN: If a publisher asked you for a collection of your darker
stories, which ones would you include?
GW: I've already named a few.
Some others are "The Island of Doctor Death and Other
Stories," "The Hero as Werwolf," "Three Fingers,"
"The Death of Dr. Island," "Hour of Trust," "The
Doctor of Death Island," "Seven American Nights," "The Tree
Is My Hat," "The Friendship Light," "How the Bishop Sailed
to Inniskeen," "Houston, 1943," "A Fish Story,"
"The Eleventh City," "The Night Chough," "A Traveler
in Desert Lands," and "The Walking Sticks." Recent stories: "The Card,"
"The Vampire Kiss," "My Name Is Nancy Wood," "Pulp
Cover," "Hunter Lake," and "Black Shoes."
If any editor
would like to buy a little ghost story, my agent has "The Gunner's
Mate." Inquire at the Virginia Kidd
Agency, Inc.
HN: What's an average work day like for you? Do you take any time off from writing?
GW: My radio is set for 5:30; but if I wake up any time after
4:00, I generally stay up. I brush my
teeth, make tea, take my eye drops, shave, do some exercises (sometimes...),
make coffee, pray, eat breakfast (generally toast or cold cereal), and look at
my email. After that I write, usually
until eleven. Eight thirty to eleven is
pretty typical. After that I take
vitamins and play chess against a little computer. If I lose, I let myself know in no uncertain
terms that I am a %$&*@#! And a
caitiff knave to boot. If there's still
time before lunch, I check for email again.
After lunch, things get flexible.
I may write more, write letters, shop, garden, pay bills, read,
research, or what have you. Eventually I
take a shower and go to bed. I don't
write much on Sunday -- not at all, some Sundays. I don't write when we travel or at cons.
HN: What are you currently working on, and what can we look
forward to in the future?
GW: I'm working on SOLDIER OF SIDON, a third novel about
Latro. I've almost finished the third
draft. I think I'd call the Soldier
books historical fantasy. A pirate novel
is in the works. Please understand that
neither may sell, though I hope they will.
HN: I'm a bit of a music nut, so I always want to know
everyone's favorite piece of music.
Yours?
GW: Rosemary's the musical one. I like songs, and they are
generally
songs most other people don't much like.
Read "Bluesberry Jam," "Ain't You Most Done?" and
"Flash Company." Also
CASTLEVIEW. I like Blow Ye Winds in the
Morning, Little Black Kiss, Witch of the Westmoorland, Barrette's Privateers,
Claire de Lune, Spanish Ladies, Santa Anna, and such like. Hey, I never said I was perfect. I like The Washington Post March because I
marched to it so often in high-school ROTC, college ROTC, the Texas National
Guard, and the Army. I can hear the
sling-swivels jingle again, the rattle of the drums, the tramping boots, and
the shouted orders. I like China Night
and Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes.
HN: Could you recommend five books everyone should own and tell
us why?
GW: Yes and no. The
books: The Bible; Rawlinson's four-volume translation of Herodotus' HISTORY;
Pope's translations of Homer [THE ILIAD and THE ODYSSEY], and a good
dictionary. Explaining
why I picked
those five would take a lengthy essay.
…I’ll be happy
to furnish other titles. What about THE
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ATLAS OF THE WORLD?
Or THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE?
HN: Wonderful.
It's been a
pleasure. I'm excited about your
upcoming work, especially the pirate novel.
The world needs more pirate novels.
GW: I feel the same way. Run out the guns! Signalman, run up the black ensign!
great stuff. enjoyed that.
ReplyDeleteThanks ffor this blog post
ReplyDelete