We have a fabulous interview that we think our readers will enjoy. Gerald Hansen’s 2007 debut novel, An Embarrassment of Riches, was a critical success that garnered rave reviews (even comedian Colin Quinn called it “a masterpiece”), but it wasn’t until early this year that Hansen finally found commercial success as well. Soaring sales coincided with the release of his second, perhaps even more hilarious novel, Hand In The Till (“Comic Irish writing at its best,” Colin Quinn again). Gerald took a break from working on Fleeing the Jurisdiction, the third in the series of feuding dysfunctional Irish families, to have a chat with us and show us some photos of the city, Derry, Northern Ireland, where the books are set.Interview with Gerald Hansen:
Why, as a New Yorker, are you writing novels about LondonDerry, NI?
Gerald: (laughs) Oh, my life! My mom’s from Derry and my dad’s American. He was in the military, so we lived all over the world…Iceland, Thailand, Germany, London. And I spent some years of my childhood in Derry, and later went to Dublin City University (in the south). So where am I from really? Where is my family and hometown? I was born in Philadelphia, but left when I was maybe two months old. I don’t even know what it looks like. Although I have vague memories of visiting my grandmother on my father’s side, the only relatives I was in constant contact with during my formative years were my mother’s family—we visited Derry in the summer no matter where we were living. So Derry is the place I know best, and you must write about what you know. Actually, as an ‘outsider,’ I think it’s easier to write about the city.
Derry was an important city in the Troubles of the 70s and 80s (when the Catholic majority were struggling for civil rights from the British). Is it really as violent and dirty today as you portray it?
Gerald: Actually, Derry is a fantastic, gorgeous city that I love and miss. In fact, it was just named the UK City of Culture for 2013. But I know what you’re saying. The Derry Tourist Board won’t thank me for how I depict it, and for that reason I’m a bit afraid to step foot in it myself. For the books, I used a bit of artistic license to spice the setting up a bit. Most of my memories from when I lived in Derry are from a terrible, desperate time that has changed a lot since of the Peace Process of the mid-90s. When I used to visit every weekend while at DCU, I could see it was changing, and now it’s more beautiful and safer today. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the photos. But how exciting is a book set in a beautiful, safe city? I let my memories guide me, and took into account that every city has bad areas, including Derry (and it is true that the City of Culture offices there were bombed in October, so there’s a bit of the past still about). But I felt so bad about how I depicted a real place, the Bogside, in the first book that I changed the name to the Moorside for the second book. The Floods are desperate people, and I do think where you live has a lot to do with how you are shaped as a person, especially if you feel there is no escape from your surroundings. So the Derry in my books must be a desperate place as well.
There is a clear affection in the way you write about your flawed main characters. Are they based on a real family? Your own family?
Gerald: Characters for most writers, I’m guessing, are based on real people. If they weren’t, they’d be a bit two dimensional. It’s true that my parents won the Irish lotto and the family reacted horribly. It’s also true that I decided to write An Embarrassment of Riches about it. But when I got three quarters of the way through the first draft, I realized that it wasn’t working as ficition. The plot didn’t have the correct narrative flow and the characters were too bland. It’s not that their real-life counterparts are boring, more that I was worried about what they might say about how they were depicted. So the first draft was political correctness gone mad and would’ve been a great cure for insomnia. So I let my imagination run riot (just like I did with the depiction of Derry). I told my mom she wasn’t going to be happy with the depiction of Ursula Barnett (as readers know, she’s got a temper), but not to worry because Ursula wasn’t ‘her.’ And as for the ‘counterparts’ of the Flood family, I really did go a bit crazy, turning them into drug dealers and nymphomaniacs and thugs. They’re probably furious, but at the end of the day these are all fictional characters! And most of what they do in the books is fictional as well. I’m surprised at how many people have told me Victoria Skivvins in Hand In The Till is one of their favorite characters, and she’s a little b#tch, so I think readers do find characters more interesting the more horrible they are. I don’t know how readers can tell I have affection for these characters—it must come out somehow in the writing—but it’s true. I love them all. Even Victoria Skivvins.
Fionnuala Flood’s Titanic satchel is a beloved ‘character’ in the second book, Hand In The Till. Are there any plans afoot to celebrate the Titanic Centennial in 2012?
Gerald: After Hand In The Till came out, I realized that 2012 will be the centennial of the Titanic sinking, and that there were special Titanic memorial cruises planned. I don’t think I myself would like to go on one. I think they just travel the North Atlantic, and that doesn’t sound very interesting. But I thought…what a wonderful place for Ursula and Fionnuala to meet next! And, coinciding with that, I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled this year—a lot! Two of the places I went were Casablanca and Puerto Rico (just when Hurricane Irene hit). Both places were fantastic for inspiration. Everywhere I looked, I saw things through the eyes of all my characters, and I kept scribbling down notes. So the cruise in my book is some strange, quickly cobbled-together budget Titanic cruise that visits those places. And if I may, I’d like to thank Larry, Alfredo, Lydia and Haddou for giving me the opportunity to help shape the locations of the book. So, Fleeing the Jurisdiction will be out April 2012, just in time for the centennial. And you might be surprised to discover just who is fleeing the jurisdiction…
Do you have anything you’d like to say to prospective writers?
Gerald: Everyone has an interesting story to tell. I can’t count the amount of people who have told me they have a great story to tell, and I’m sure they do. With the way the publishing world is today, with ebooks and fanstastic sites like Digital Book Today, it’s never been easier. It’s like something that was always kept away from ‘the public at large,’ that is, getting published, has suddenly been placed in our own hands. Do it!
And to your readers?
Gerald: When An Embarrassment of Riches came out, not many people read it. This year has been amazing for me. My life has changed, and it’s all down to, once again, brilliant sites like Digital Book Today, which gave readers who are strangers to me the opportunity to take a chance on an unknown writer. I will always be grateful. Thank you all so much. Without your willingness to give my books a try, I’d still be giving readings at places to two bored friends and a homeless man who came in to use the bathroom. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Derry1: The iconic Free Derry wall, a reminder of the city’s violent past
Derry2: A view down Shipquay Street, quite difficult to maneuver in high heels.
Derry3: The Guildhall, old world charm in the middle of the city center.
No comments:
Post a Comment