In an email interview, the 2021 Nobel laureate talked about the pleasure of meeting new readers and why he writes about “unexpected kindnesses.” SCOTT HELLER
What books are on your night stand?
Mircea Cartarescu, “Solenoid”; Beata Umubyeyi Mairisse, “The Convoy”; Juan Gabriel Vásquez, “Retrospective.”
How do you organize your books?
I cluster together books by the same author. Which books end up as their neighbor is sometimes a matter of chance, although generally nearby books are on nodding terms with each other.
Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
Usually in the afternoon, after having spent the earlier part of the day writing or dealing with the chores life throws up. Then for a few hours it is possible to read with pleasure, most of the time, and without distraction.
What kind of reader were you as a child?
My parents were not readers, so my early reading was what was provided at school. As we grew older, we found ways to get hold of other kinds of books, and these circulated among us, sometimes causing great excitement. I remember when “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” was doing the rounds, although I suspect most of us did not make much of it. When I read it later as a student, it was all new to me. Most of the books we read were unmemorable, although a handful stand out — “And Quiet Flows the Don,” “Crime and Punishment” and “Far From the Madding Crowd,” which was the first Hardy novel I read, prompted by the beautiful film with Julie Christie, Alan Bates and Terence Stamp.
Have you ever gotten in trouble for reading a book?
No, never.
What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?
I was given a book as a school prize when I was about 12 years old. It was a big, fat book, a kind of illustrated encyclopedia, with stories about various peoples of the world, what they looked like, what they wore, what houses they lived in, what uniform the police wore. I remember that in particular, the police uniforms. I read that book endlessly.
What’s the most interesting thing you learned from a book recently?
The life history and the cultural significance of the Andean condor.
Do you prefer books that reach you emotionally or intellectually?
I prefer books that engage me intelligently, whatever the content.
Was there added pressure writing a new novel in the wake of the Nobel Prize?
No, the pressure was in making the time. I was a little way into the work that has become “Theft” when the award was announced, and for a good while it was not possible to find the time and the silence to continue with it. I prefer to write with a good stretch of time in front of me, so I had to wait awhile. Then it was possible to create space and resume, and I did so without any sense of pressure.
Is this a book you might have written before that?
I think so.
What have you learned about all the new readers who found your work thanks to the Nobel?
It has been a great delight to meet and hear from new readers. It has been great also to meet readers who have been with me for some time but about whom I did not know. The generosity and pleasure of both has been wonderful and unexpected.
With some work now translated into Swahili, what have you heard from East African readers?
They seem pleased, and so am I, of course.
You’ve said in interviews that capturing “unexpected kindnesses,” even in grim circumstances, is important to you. Why?
Because it reassures us about our shared humanity, and of course because it may result in some relief from whatever troubles we may be struggling under. Because it is unexpected is all the sweeter.
Your American publisher is featuring paintings by Lubaina Himid on your book covers. Did you know her work? What do you like about the covers?
I knew of her work beforehand, and a little about her experience of Zanzibar and her reconnection with it. I like her colors and the wit with which her figures mingle and recline.
What’s the last book you read that made you laugh?
Percival Everett’s “James.”
The last book that made you furious?
I would rather not say.
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