Swann's Lake of Despair by Charles Salzberg

How do you address these mundane occurrences in your writings? Reality in my fiction: how important is it? Lengthy travel, cussing, and bathroom breaks happen in real life. I’d say I’ve got way, way too much trivial pop culture information in my head. I read the gossipy tabloids, like the New York Post, although I couldn’t disagree more with its politics (when I was growing up it was a very liberal paper) and The New York Times. That’s because I grew up watching a lot of TV and reading a lot of magazines and newspapers. How does modern pop culture influence your work? Do modern cultural references date a piece or add touchstones for the reader? Goodfellas, Naked City (TV) and Route 66 (TV). If you could, what book/movie/TV series would you like to experience for the first time all over again and why? In fact, every character in a book, no matter how “minor” should be an important part of the story. We’d talk about anything he wanted to talk about and I’m sure it would be entertaining, enlightening and instructive.Īre minions/sidekicks just throwaway devices in a tale? Can they become more? Do they need to become more? What now-dead author would you like to interview? What are some of the things you would chat about?Įlmore Leonard. Roth is the only one alive right now, so I’d let him lead the discussion. I invite all three authors: Vladimir Nabokov, Philip Roth and Saul Bellow. Who do you invite (living, dead, fictional, real)? And what 3 books will you be discussing? I try to stay away from gross facts and instead try to make them up.

What’s the most interesting gross fact you know? There’s some excellent writing going on and it’s too often just dismissed because of the category it falls under. I don’t think critics take the crime genre as seriously as they should. Is there a genre or literary niche that you feel hasn’t gotten its deserved amount of attention? I don’t think I have the ethnic look, but I’d rely on the makeup department to make me look like one of the “made” guys. If you could be an extra on a murder mystery movie or TV series, what would it be and what would be your role?Īny crime movie directed by Martin Scorcese, and if I could go back in time and choose one, it would be Goodfellas. We chat about reality in fiction, difficult jobs, tasty libations, and plenty more! Also, don’t miss the GIVEAWAY at the end of the post. Folks, it’s my joy to have Charles Salzberg on the blog today.

Swann's Lake of Despair by Charles Salzberg