Cover of Great House: A Novel

RB: Do you challenge yourself? For instance, do you set yourself to write about things that you haven’t written before or in a way that you haven’t previously? Ideas first or the process?

NK: For me writing is a long process of wandering and getting lost. I have no sense at all, setting out, what I am going to write. I think that will always, more or less, be the nature of my process. I can’t imagine being the type of writer who has a blueprint or a plan in advance that I more or less follow. Setting out, everything has to be unknown. I find that this allows very interesting and unexpected things to happen. It becomes an intuitive process, discoveries are made. That’s why writing has held my interest all these years, why it remains one of the only things in life that doesn’t finally bore me. If I knew what I was going to make in advance, and was equipped with all of the insight in advance, why would I pursue the project?

RB: This way of looking at things or being seems to be at odds with the planning for and of nurturing of children. Organization and planning are a great part of parenting

NK: Right.

RB: Is writing like bungee-cord jumping for you?

NK: I’m not sure what that means. But planning is certainly part of parenting. But intuitively responding to one’s child as he changes is even more critical. Being open to who he is, what there might be to learn from him, and how it might be possible to help him find the most comfortable way to live in the world as himself.

RB: What I am trying to get at is—I am not well organized, I always forget something—

NK: I understand. Life is filled with so many responsibilities, and limitations to who and what we can be. Unfortunately life is not an endless exercise in self-reinvention. You become who you are. You are formed by forces that bring you up into the world and you change, but not in epic or monumental ways, I don’t think. Or not very often, at least. Writing has always been for me the opposite of that. In my work I can become anyone. Inhabit any character. I can express all kinds of things that I might not otherwise think or be able to express. Everything is possible. That can be terrifying, but ultimately I think it’s thrilling and is the reason I continue to write.

Related articles

• Nicole Krauss helps launch fall season at New York State Writers Institute (timesunion.com)
• Review: Great House, by Nicole Krauss (laurasmusings.wordpress.com)

- First, they have a symposium on Shakespeare:

Nobody knows precisely when William Shakespeare was born. It was in 1564, probably a few days before April 26, which definitely was the date of his baptism, as recorded in the parish church at Stratford-upon-Avon. The Bard’s birthday is traditionally observed on April 23, which is also the date on which he died, in 1616.

To celebrate his life, we’ve asked a few NRO contributors to pick their favorite play by Shakespeare and explain why they love it.

- And John J. Miller talks with Maria Tatar, author of Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhood, in the latest episode of Between the Covers.

–>Let’s start with National Review:

• Peter Robinson is talking with Shelby Steele, author of A Bound Man which I highly recommend, at Uncommon Knowledge.  First episode is here.
• On the podcast side, John J Miller has spoken with a number of interesting authors lately at Between the Covers: H.W. Crocker III, Orson Scott Card, and George C. Herring among others.  The podcasts are only like ten minutes so worth checking out and not too time consuming.

Book cover via Amazon

–> Speaking of interviews, This year marks the centenary of G.K. Chesterton‘s Orthodoxy.  Christianity Today editor at large Collin Hansen has an interview on Chesterton’s legacy with Lyle Dorsett, the Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism at Beeson Divinity School.

–> While you are there, check out Casey Rath’s review of Marilyn Robinson’s latest novel Home.

–> And last but not least, James Mustich, Editor-in-Chief of Barnes & Noble Review, talks with John Barth.