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“…Crispin… because he has a temper and wants to be left alone to do his work!”
Guy Gavriel Kay, an author of ten fantasy novels, talks about success, aspirations and mostly about books. A contemporary author, one of those who nowadays shape the genre of ‘fantasy fiction’, he is on solid ground and tries to do his job. And we have to admit, he does it pretty well.
Starlighter: You must receive everyday praise from people acquainted with your novels. Are your admirers the ones who sustain and motivate you to continue writing? Which is the most entertaining letter you’ve received from a fan? Guy Gavriel Kay: I’m lucky enough to receive generous letters, but also extensive (challenging!) questions and sometimes complaints. Feedback from readers is always important, but the truth is that I write the books I’d like to read if someone else wrote them! Novels are too hard to write, and take me too long, to start (and finish) one unless it is driven by a deep and strong personal impulse. Because I change what I do from book to book, I put some ‘pressure’ on my readers to change with me. SL: History shows that sometimes the most cliched and exploited themes in literature turn out to be golden mines for an author. Your novels are sophisticated and subtle but still they are well-known to the public. Do you consider yourself fortunate for establishing such a career in fantasy fiction? GGK: I think any writer who has achieved success must feel grateful, and lucky. My good fortune has been that the books I truly want to write seem to appeal to readers around the world so that I can carry on doing this and take my time writing them. I use success to buy time, I suppose. I’d hate the idea of having to rush a book. SL: Your books are classified as historical fiction, epic fantasy and alternative history. Nevertheless, what description of your work could you give to a total newbie in fantasy literature? GGK: I confess I actually hate ‘labels’ in fiction. We spend so much time trying to decide what category a book can be squeezed into – I find it wasted energy for the most part. The better, more important question for me is, “Is it good?” If I am held at gunpoint and forced to pick a label for most of the recent books I use ‘historical fantasy’. SL: The readers see a multitude of different characters in your novels. Are they based on real people or do you build them up for the sake of a certain situation in the book? And which one of the characters resembles you to the least extent and contrary, in the utmost degree? GGK: I’m not one of those writers who ‘uses’ the people in his life to create characters. No one is ‘based’ on any specific person, but while I am writing a gesture, a phrase, a way of sitting might easily be taken from someone, even someone I just happen to see in a cafe. I also worry about people connecting the author to the work too much, making some direct link. I suppose if I am to answer about which character might be close to me, it could be Crispin in the Mosaic pair, but mainly because he has a temper and wants to be left alone to do his work! SL: Is there a big difference between the completed manuscript of your books and the edited piece? And do you think editors could be of great help for unwinding a writer’s potential? GGK: This varies from writer to writer and very greatly. In my case, I am a little obsessive and I do not deliver the books to my editors until I am pretty sure they are at 90-95% of where I want them to be. As a result I am lightly edited. But I have friends and colleagues who rely very much on their editors to help them over difficulties or point out weaknesses. A good editor can be a huge factor in a good book. SL: Which one of your books was the hardest to finish? How do you explain that? They are all hard! I don’t think I can pick a single one. Possibly Fionavar because I was just beginning back then. SL: Delving into history before the process of writing must be enthralling. What was the most pleasant and fascinating legend or story, you’ve come across during your researches? GGK: There are so many, and yes you are right it is fascinating. The research phase is always the most enjoyable part of writing. I am just learning things, without a responsibility yet (until I start writing) for doing something with the research! I don’t know which historical fact or mythic idea is the most interesting, but I can say that Ysabel began to come alive for me as a book when I learned the founding legend of the city of Marseille in France. That story opened the doorway for me towards what I could do with past and present in the novel.
SL: How do you get inspired to write a book – a historical fantasy in particular? Does the idea flash upon you or is the heavy researching a better choice? And which of the two precedes the other one? GGK: I almost always start with period and place, learning as much as I can, and from this themes and motifs emerge, then characters, and from all of these a narrative line begins to appear. I never wait for ‘inspiration’ I think it is overrated, too often an excuse not to write: “I don’t feel inspired today!” SL: Do you find researching and building the structure of a novel easier than the writing process itself? Please describe a normal Guy Gavriel Kay’s day. GGK: As I said, the research is the most engaging and enjoyable. The writing process is challenging and stressful. The fact that I know I’ve done it well before does not make me feel sure on any day (or book) that I can do it well again! My writing days are long and steady (as much as possible) at my desk. If I can get a good number of words done by midday I will ‘free’ myself to enjoy the afternoon! SL: There are ten novels and a collection of poetry written by you. What about short stories? GGK: For whatever reason my ‘short’ work tends to be non-fiction … essays, social commentary for Canadian newspapers and magazines, speeches. When I get an ‘idea’ for fiction it just seems to play itself out in a long form. SL: You have a unique and distinctive style of writing – very poetic and yet it involves the reader with a complicated and an elaborate plot. The characters make progress and further develop with the advancing storyline. Are there some writers in specific that have influenced you? GGK: There are many writers I admire, but by now (after ten novels) I suspect I have my own style – though it changes from book to book, to suit the setting. The language in Last Light of the Sun is very different from the language of A Song for Arbonne, for example. As an aside: a novelist is always at the mercy of his translator when it comes to this, for editions in languages other than the original. SL: Was fantasy fiction already attractive for you before the editing of The Silmarillion together with Christopher Tolkien? Have you ever considered writing in a different genre? And was The Summer Tree the first book you’ve ever completed? GGK: I enjoyed fantasy, yes, though historical fiction was probably a greater interest, and I always read a great deal of contemporary fiction (and poetry). My first book, never published, was written during a winter on the island of Crete, and was a contemporary novel about North Americans backpacking through Europe. The Summer Tree was next. SL: You mention North Americans. Although you don’t have a published book about Native Americans, do you find it possible to write such a novel – one about the story of the Aztecs probably? GGK: Amusingly enough, one of my sons wants me to do an ‘Aztec novel’ too. It is certainly a fascinating time and place, and I spent some time touring their ruins with a writer-friend as a guide (when I was in Mexico to accept an award) but I’m not drawn to the culture and I do feel that as an absolute requirement if I’m going to spend three years in a setting, as I do these days. Having said this, I truly do not know what might emerge down the road as ideas for novels. SL: You seem to incorporate a lot of mythology and legends in The Fionavar Tapestry, while in your later works the focus falls on the alternative history. How do you explain such a drastic change? GGK: It isn’t so much a drastic change as a shift of interest. To a degree, I wrote Fionavar as my ‘statement’ in high fantasy and did not want to repeat myself. I know that repeating oneself is a good marketing strategy, but it is a bad creative one, for growth as a writer. I regard magic and myth as ‘tools’ for the novelist, to be used if they fit the story, not to be dragged in just to satisfy readers looking for ‘more of the same’… SL: The Sarantine Mosaic was widely approved by the critics. Moreover, The Lions of Al-Rassan and The Last Light of the Sun are believed to be set in the same realm. Would you write another installment for the eagerly anticipating historical fantasy fans? GGK: I never know what my next book will be when I finish one, so it is certainly possible I will one day write something that ‘connects’ with these, but it isn’t actually important, to my mind. The books you mention are linked mainly because the religion I created happened to work well for all three, but not because of some grand ‘plan’ to link all my work. The stories and moods are completely different in all three.
SL: In your last published novel, Ysabel, a major part of the plot is devoted to Celtic mythology and Roman history. A Song for Arbonne is localized in Provence, just like Ysabel. Has Aix-en-Provence enchanted you? Jokes aside, tell us more about the research you’ve done – did you rely on a thesaurus or did you obtain some help in the face of historians, archeologists, etc. GGK: It is fair indeed to say that Aix has enchanted me, yes! I have lived there now four times writing books, we have friends there, know the countryside quite well. When we went there last I did not have Ysabel in mind as the book I would do; it was once we arrived again that the impulse to do a book set there in the present day emerged. SL: In Ysabel we meet two characters from The Fionavar Tapestry. What is the reason for their presence there? Why did you decide to establish such a connection between the world of Fionavar and our world beyond the one we see in the three Fionavar novels? GGK: This is complex, and almost needs an essay! I wanted, among other things, to avoid the ‘random’ idea that Ned and his family just happen to connect to this ancient mythic love story. Using his aunt as I did, with her earlier link to mythic elements helped solve that. (I don’t want to say too much more, to avoid spoiling things for readers!) I also wanted a parallel – for readers who had not read Fionavar – between the mystery surrounding Ysabel and the two men. The ‘mystery’ of Kim and Dave, for these readers, is a perfect parallel … a story the reader can almost get but not quite. I believe this is important in dealing with such tales: to explain everything, to have characters or the reader ‘get’ everything is wrong, reduces the power. SL: Provided that in a way Ysabel is reminiscent of a detective novel, how do you see the connection between fantasy fiction and crime stories? GGK: That’s an interesting question, but not one I’ve ever given much thought to! As I said above, I do not spend a lot of time pondering the ‘rules’ or formulas of a genre, I’m more likely to resist the idea of such things … and sometimes frustrate a reader who wants a formula followed! As one (very fast!) thought, I’d guess that traditional mysteries and traditional high fantasy both offer a measure of ‘certainty’ in their conclusions that serves to reassure readers in an uncertain world. Of course there are many (many!) exceptions to this, and my own work would be one of those! SL: In a previous interview, you had touched on the topic about movies based on your books. Is there development of the projects? GGK: There are currently three projects in different stages of development and discussion. The one farthest along is in Hollywood with the director Ed Zwick (‘Last Samurai’, ‘Glory’) and the Producer Cathy Schulman (who won an Oscar for ‘Crash’) leading the project to get The Lions of Al-Rassan produced. All news on the film projects will be posted to brightweavings.com whenever there is anything I’m allowed to tell. SL: Would you like to say something to the Bulgarian readers? GGK: I am genuinely happy to have my work published in Bulgaria. The novels are in about 22-25 languages by now, and I am touched and rewarded by the interest of readers around the world. I have traveled to many countries for my publishers, and every single time I have learned a great deal and been deeply affected by my readers in those countries. If a chance ever emerges to visit Bulgaria for my books you may be sure I’d try hard to do it.
Many thanks to Guy Gavriel Kay for agreeing to do this interview, and to Ms. Meghnagi who made the contact with the author possible. - Interview conducted by Vasil Toskov - “grellian”
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