Allegra Goodman, The Cookbook Collector, Noam Shpancer, The Good Psychologist and Elie Wiesel, The Sonderberg Case
Since I found myself sitting across the table from an acclaimed author who had just finished a new novel, I decided to take the time to find out how that feels. Cheuse, wisely wary of sounding pretentious, was a bit tentative in his response, but I understood that to be a reflection of exactly how one might feel in such circumstances. After literally years of immersion in the creation of another world (his new novel has a historical setting), it seems quite understandable that upon emerging, everything outside the creation would seem pretty ... ungrounded, as it were. Cheuse, of course, is as articulate as ever when describing the ineffable.
Then we set out to discuss the books, which, by and large we enjoyed, with some reservations. I've already written about Allegra Goodman's 'The Cookbook Collector,' and Cheuse had already done his review for NPR. But the aspect of this format that we both enjoy is the opportunity to bounce our ideas off of one another and see where the discussion of the book leads. While I found the book to be yet another example of my economic fiction genre, Cheuse pointed out that it does deal with that, but that the charm of the novel, and its unique vision, is that it shows the characters at work.
We then went on discuss what Cheuse had told me earlier was the "fascinating failure" of Elie Weisel's 'The Sonderburg Case'. Let me suggest that this sparse, 178 page novel is indeed a powerfully written book. Weisel's prose knocks your head around with no effort. He's a brilliant visionary and philosopher. There's also a certain simpatico between Wiesel and the outstanding debut of Noam Shpancer, 'The Good Psychologist.' Both offer stark insights into the minds of men. You can hear a discussion of these fine novels and more by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
07-28-10:Brian and Wendy Froud at SF in SF on Monday, July 19, 2010: Q & A
"The people you deal with at the publishers ... if they last the end of the week, you're lucky."
—Brian Froud
One of the great things about SF in SF is that the audience is comprised of sharp, smart thinkers, many of them professional writers in one way or another. So the questions that get asked are always the smart ones. I've been going to these programs for I think four years now, (maybe its three?) and I can honestly say that the only time the "Where do you get your ideas?' question gets asked is in a framing question, for example, "How often do you get asked ....?"
The Frouds had made it all too clear where their ideas and visions came from with what I thought was a very clever observation. Brian offered the observation that without an imagination, you'd get hit by a truck the first time you tried to cross the street. We do use our imaginations to create the world around us, and to deny the reality of what we imagine is to deny reality itself. You need do neither to hear the Frouds speak, by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
07-27-10:Brian and Wendy Froud at SF in SF on Monday, July 19, 2010
"Well, I thought if I do faeries then nobody's going to say that I've got it wrong."
—Brian Froud
SF in SF generally takes place on Saturdays, and there's a fine turnout. But a Monday night brought a rather generous crowd to see Brian and Wendy Froud talk about their work. And what transpired, as moderated by Terry Bisson, was a very different take on their careers than was explored when I spoke with them earlier in the day.
I have to admit, personally, I really like the Frouds a lot. They just seemed so nice and so genial and so, I think, out of place. Clearly there is only one real setting for these two, the Dartmoor area of Devon. On opposite sides of the house, so they tell us, each Froud working on their own art, while both of them seem to be same landscape. But it's a landscape that only they can see.
It' sort of odd, truth to tell the truth, that only with their latest book and deck of cards have the Frouds collaborated in that sense. Though, of course, everything they've done since The Dark Crystal is in a sense part of one overarching artistic vision. The Frouds are mapping the OtherWorld for us, giving us a glimpse of its inhabitants. And yes, they have read my favorite book on the subject, Patrick Harpur's 'Daimonic Reality.'
07-26-10:A 2010 Interview with Brian and Wendy Froud
"It's all about connection."
—Brian Froud
"It's all about connection." This is true in the interviewing world as well as the world of Faerie. And making that connection in the former can sometimes seem a lot more difficult than in the latter. The faerie world is, after all, immanent. You break into the world of faerie from any point in this world. (Though it may not be so easy to get back out!)
Getting an interview set up requires scheduling skills, and often improvisation skills as well. I've been using the same now technologically obsolete setup for a number of years. The virtue of such a setup is that you get to know how it works, so, if for example, you have to set it up in a room barely big enough to hold you and your interviewees, you don't experience techno-stress. And with that out of the way, you're ready to talk.
And, yes, there is a hazard to interviewing in hotel rooms in San Francisco. For reasons beyond my understanding, there seems to be a fire truck screaming down the streets every half-hour or so. We only had one really close red-alarm during my interview with the Frouds, but our voices at least, rose to the occasion.
I have to admit that I really liked how seriously the Frouds took their work. I wasn't sure about this going in. I've been immersed in their work for the past thirty or more years, and upon speaking with them, I could see why their art manages to be both unique and universal. The two of them spend a lot of time demolishing the line between the reality of the 21st century and the timeless spirit of creation at the heart of their work.
Brian and Wendy are very serious about what they do. They believe in their art, and I kept hearing that phrase that ends H. P. Lovecraft's short story, "Pickman's Model." "But by God, Eliot, it was a photograph from life!" The Frouds do great work at abolishing the distance between the Jungian underworld of archetype and the OtherWorld of what Patrick Harpur calls 'Daimonic Reality.' I did manage to get them to talk about their work on 'The Dark Crystal,' and 'Labyrinth' and even some hints about what to expect in 'The Return of the Dark Crystal.' You can hear our conversation by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
New to the Agony Column
07-30-10: Commentary : Subterranean Press and Robert R. McCammon Wake at 'The Wolf's Hour' : The Time Before Cheese
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books with Alan Cheus : Allegra Goodman, 'The Cookbook Collector,' Noam Shpancer's 'The Good Psychologist' and Elie Wiesel 'The Sonderberg Case'
07-28-10: Commentary : Rule Britannia, In Space 2 : En Route, RJ Frith and Peter F. Hamilton
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Brian and Wendy Froud at SF in SF on Monday, July 19, 2010: Q & A : "The people you deal with at the publishers ... if they last the end of the week, you're lucky."
07-27-10: Commentary : Rule Britannia, In Space : UK Space Opera Demonstrates Excess is Not Enough (Part one, the Arrived)
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Brian and Wendy Froud at SF in SF on Monday, July 19, 2010 : "Well, I thought if I do faeries then nobody's going to say that I've got it wrong."
07-26-10: Commentary : Brian and Wendy Froud Seek 'The Heart of Faerie Oracle' : Cards, Books and a New Perspective
07-20-10: Commentary : Adam Elenbaas is Caught by 'Fishers of Men' : The Gospel of an Ayahuasca Vision Quest
Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live, July 10, 2010 : Alan Cheuse and Peter S. Beagle : "There are certain phrases I'm leery of using; one's "the creative process" and the other is "inspiration." ” Peter S. Beagle "Habit is the best thing for you if you're trying to write prose." ” Alan Cheuse
07-19-10: Commentary : Phil Cousineau is the 'Wordcatcher' : A Selectionary for Curious Mind
07-09-10: Commentary : Harlan Ellison's 'Deathbird Stories' : Back from the Dead and Ready to Party
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books With Alan Cheuse : Everything by Kevin Canty, The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson by Kim Stanley Robinson, and Glorious by Bernice McFadden
07-07-10: Commentary : Kitchen Testing 'The New Vegetarian Epicure' and 'Get Cooking' : Lentil Power
Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live, June 26, 2010 : Mollie Katzen and Anna Thomas, Part Two : "'You should really write a cookbook,' and I thought, 'Yeah, that's a good idea...'"
07-06-10: Commentary : Anna Thomas Cooks Up 'Love Soup' : Recipes, Menus and Meals
Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live, June 26, 2010 : Mollie Katzen and Anna Thomas, Part One : Time to Get Cooking Because You Love Soup : "It makes a huge difference really, really, it does, to completely clean up when you're done."
07-05-10: Commentary : Abraham Verghese Will Not Be 'Cutting for Stone' : Stories of Spirit and Words of Comfort
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Abraham Verghese : "Literature has a wonderful ability to restore your imagination for the suffering of others."
07-02-10: Commentary : Sloane Crosley Asks 'How Did Get This Number' : Excellent Essays for the Short of Temper
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Live Interview With Sloane Crosley : We Did Not Mention the Title of Her Essay 'Fuck You, Columbus'
06-30-10: Commentary : Mark Charan Newton Enters 'City of Ruin' : Inspector Jeryd Rides Again
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Panel Discussion at SF in SF on June 12, 2010, with Seanan McGuire, Deborah Grabien and Terry Bisson : "Coke Black was just a horrible thing unleashed on an unsuspecting world."
06-29-10: Commentary : 'Twelve,' 'Thirteen,' Tongues of Serpents,' and 'The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack' : Historical SF & Horror Makes Rousing Summer Reading
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Seanan McGuire Interviewed at SF in SF, June 12, 2010 : "If I have my unbreakables, I can set my conditionals."
06-28-10: Commentary : Jennifer Egan Gets 'A Visit from the Goon Squad' : Revisiting the Novel Genre
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Conversation with Jennifer Egan : "The characters and the action led the way... I was led into the future not so much because I was thinking, 'I want to write about the future,' but more because I wanted to re-visit this particular person."
06-23-10: Commentary : Adam Langer Corrals 'The Thieves of Manhattan' : Lies, Balderdash and the Absolute, Unvarnished Truth
06-21-10: Commentary : Linda Greenlaw is 'Seaworthy' : Back to the Grand Banks in Not-So-Grand Style
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Linda Greenlaw : "Well, I call him up and tell him I'm going to the Grand Banks and he pretty much signs himself right up."
06-17-10: Commentary : Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud Lives 'A Life on Paper' : Translating the Ineffable
06-15-10: Commentary : Donald R. Burleson Whispers 'Wait for the Thunder' : Stories for a Stormy Night
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books With Alan Cheuse : Lucyby Laurence Gonzalez, Spies of the Balkansby Alan Furst, A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
06-14-10: Commentary : James P. Othmer Drinks the 'Holy Water' : Backing Into the Future
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2009 Interview with Juliet Schor : "...We need to move to much more open, collaborative, sharing knowledge systems."
06-10-10: Commentary : Brett Easton Ellis Peers Inside 'Imperial Bedrooms' : Panic After the Year Zero
06-09-10: Commentary : Dan Dion and Paul Provenza Free the '!Satiristas!' : Bleeding the Comedians
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Conversation with Paul Provenza and Dan Dion : "I was raised to respect the printed word so much, when I was in school, I couldn't highlight books..."
06-08-10: Commentary : China Miéville Unleashes 'Kraken' : Comedy of Tentacles
06-03-10: Commentary : Justin Cronin Enters 'The Passage' : A girl who saves the world
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books With Alan Cheuse : The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, The Nearest Exit by Olen Steinhauer, The Passage by Justin Cronin
06-02-10: Commentary : 'Animythical Tales' by Sarah Totton and 'Metrophilias' by Brendan Connell : Better Seeds
06-01-10: Commentary : The Return of The Agony Column : Logic, License and Habit
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Karl Marlantes : "..these are common human foibles and failings, it's just that they get magnified in a combat, war situation..."
