Today's Wall Street Journal has an interesting
article-interview with Donald Westlake, by the always
reliable Tom Nolan. As usual, Westlake is starkly laconic,
but he does say:
"All the time I was growing up, and well into my 20s, I liked
fiction because truth was of no use to me; I had enough
trouble. The beginning of creativity for me was being on my
way to school and thinking: What am I going to say when I get
there? That was the origin of it: fiction as salvation, or at
least papering over the cracks. Fortunately, the thing of
telling stories -- to myself, to my parents, to my teachers,
to a policeman-- became so embedded in me that it turned I
could not only survive by telling stories but make a living
telling stories. That has always been an astonishment to
me."
And later:
"I believe my subject is bewilderment, but I could be
wrong."
I hope some day Westlake decides to write up his
reminiscences (not, of course, if it means even one fewer
Parker or Dortmunder novel...).
Regards,
MrT
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