Anthony McCarten is back home for the May ‘Auckland Writers& Readers Festival’.
Sarah Daniell posed 20 questions to him, 12 of
which made the cut for her popular New Zealand Herald back page weekly
feature profiling interesting Kiwis. Here are the full 20 questions. We
thought the eight that got away were too good to waste.
1. What single word best
describes you? Pellucid
2. What word or phrase do you
over-use? Excuse me for thinking...
3. What literary hero do you most
identify with? When
Franz Kafka eventually died in the arms of his girlfriend, Dora, he had
published, in his lifetime, fewer than 450 pages. Kafka studies now proliferate
at a rate inversely proportional to that of Kafka’s own production: according
to a recent estimate, a new book on his work has been published every 10 days
for the past 14 years. Max Brod, his executor and himself a celebrated writer
in his day, in his 84 years on this planet, published 83 books, and almost
every last one of them is long out of print. I'd like to be Kafka, but
fear I'll be Brod.
4. Can you describe your writing
ritual - anything peculiar we should know about? A
steaming cup of tea must always be somewhere nearby.
5. Last order, before you slip
off this mortal coil? A Morphine Martini, dirty.
6. What vices do you have? The
only Commandment I seem able to keep perfectly is the one about killing people.
7. What is the most humbling job
you've ever had? Cleaner in an adult cinema.
8. What do you like least about
New Zealand? Its pride in its
anti-intellectualism. The "rugged individual" thing is a bit of a
bore.
9. What do you like least about
living in Britain? The
rain, cold and the ceaseless grey skies - I'm talking about the summers.
10. Where is the most interesting
place you've had sex? Alone, or with someone
else?
11. Have you ever thrown a book
across a room in disgust or disenchantment? A
novel by Sydney Sheldon. It was a snuff scene, the murderer seduced a woman
then, during sex, throttled her. Putrid writing, and an odious idea.
Let's call the whole thing 'badly executed.'
12. What is your favourite
opening sentence or paragraph in a book? From memory (not even googling
it): "It was a soiled and slightly sleazy piece of paper-green
crepe and it clung to her behind as she danced with the lingering sterility of
an aging lover." Something like that. William
Faulkner.
13. What's so great about getting
older? A growing fearlessness.
14. Do you ever lie? In what
circumstance? Yes, and in too many circumstances
to list. The reason? Because the truth would do damage to someone innocent.
15. Can you define
happiness. Having three things to look
forward to.
16. What is your greatest retail
folly or regret? Not a big retailer, and
regret is for the birds.
17. What quality can you not
abide in others? The presumption they are
right.
18. In yourself? Self-absorption.
19. What have you read lately
that astonished and inspired you? Arguably, by the late
Christopher Hitchens. A great journalist and provocateur lost.
20. What would you like to say to
your critics? Come on, I'm
not that bad.
Footnote:
The Bookman likes #'s 7 & 19 the best, and yes ok I admit it, I had to check my dictionary for the meaning of pellucid.
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