Rosalind Palermo Stevenson
(Insect Dreams)
Writers/Stories that influenced "Insect Dreams"
Carole Maso, Anne Carson (especially Autobiography of Red
and The Anthropology of Water), Marguerite Duras (The Lover),
Clarice Lispector (The Stream of Life). They are all writers
who break from traditional forms, and whose work exists on that blurred
line, or intersection, between prose and poetry. I had been working
on "Insect Dreams" for a very long time and had most of the text written,
but was having difficulty making it cohere. I knew the solution would
be in finding the right form. I started re-reading these writers and
that gave me the push I needed to embrace rather than resist the fragmented
nature of my material. I knew absolutely that that was the way the
piece had to be expressed, was, in fact, expressing itself. Carol
K. Anthony, in her translation of the "I Ching" says of the hexagram
The Well, 'Don't remain locked in a conventional view of the way things
work.' My natural tendency as a writer is to work in somewhat experimental
forms, and pretty much always on the line between prose and poetry.
But I find that it fuels and inspires my work to read others whose
works are also driven by language, rhythm - who write prose that is
lyric, poetic. It is, perhaps, more a matter of inspiration than of
influence.
Is my Trampoline story representative?
I would have to say that "Insect Dreams" is stylistically representative
of my work. The stories I write usually contain the same basic elements
of style as "Insect Dreams," that is, a prose narrative style driven
by language, rhythm, image, pacing. And in "Insect Dreams" as in most
of my stories, there is generally more white space than is typical
of traditional prose. The white space accommodates the compression
-- allows for the breath and silence. I've also worked with historical
material before. In "The Temple Birds Love Incense" I worked with
the 1993 events leading to the death by fire of cult leader, David
Koresh, and his followers in Waco, Texas. "The Guest" is a fictional
account of Mussolini at the time of his rise to power. "Kafka At Rudolf
Steiner's" is an imagined narrative based on two incidents in Kafka's
life: his visit to the mystic philosopher, Rudolf Steiner, and his
love affair with a young Italian girl during a ten-day stay at a Sanatorium
in Riva. I would say that "Insect Dreams" is longer than usual. I
didn't intend that originally, but there was so much ground to cover.
I think it's true anyway that every piece has its own length. What
was 'new' for me in writing "Insect Dreams" was the degree of research
required and the exotic nature of the subject matter. It required
a level of research beyond anything I had ever done before. I had
to 'imagine' my own story within the context of this massive amount
of historical and related material: Surinam, 17th century Amsterdam,
ship travel in the 17th century, entomology, jungles, clothing, customs,
food, conditions of the slaves under Dutch rule, etc. I don't know
that I would characterize the approach as a 'new direction' for my
writing going forward, but I expect to push it further -- in my planned
novel, for instance, (which is in the early research stages right
now).
Favorite cocktail?
Manhattans are a family tradition.
Favorite deadly sin?
Sloth.
Though it's not a bed of roses.
Favorite rule of thumb?
Follow your first impulse.
Writer's role in inhabiting commercial spaces of publishing?
I don't know that there can be an intentional role. I think of Samuel
Beckett who actually tried to make his writing (in the early days)
more commercially viable. And could not. So he wrote the only way
he could write. And was basically obscure until "Waiting For Godot"
generated so much interest. I respect the independent publishers the
most, and the writers they publish. My personal interest, or aspiration,
is for my work to be respected by those I respect. For someone to
pull me off the shelf when they are looking for inspiration.
O
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-- Christopher Barzak