'Curtis Sittenfeld: 'I know my characters are unlikable sometimes'' diff viewer (0/1)

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Curtis Sittenfeld: 'I know my characters are unlikable sometimes'	Curtis Sittenfeld: 'I know my characters are unlikable sometimes'
2013-06-15 17:05:04 UTC	2013-09-30 00:05:59 UTC (4 months later)
Curtis Sittenfeld is a bestselling author whose novels include Prep, The Man of My Dreams and American Wife, a fictionalised biography of former first lady Laura Bush that was hailed as one of the 10 best books of 2008 by Time magazine. She has been nominated for the Orange prize twice and her journalism has appeared in publications including the New York Times, the Atlantic Monthly and Salon. A graduate of Stanford University and the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop, the 37-year-old novelist is married to a university professor and lives in St Louis, Missouri, with her two daughters, aged four and two.	Curtis Sittenfeld is a bestselling author whose novels include Prep, The Man of My Dreams and American Wife, a fictionalised biography of former first lady Laura Bush that was hailed as one of the 10 best books of 2008 by Time magazine. She has been nominated for the Orange prize twice and her journalism has appeared in publications including the New York Times, the Atlantic Monthly and Salon. A graduate of Stanford University and the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop, the 37-year-old novelist is married to a university professor and lives in St Louis, Missouri, with her two daughters, aged four and two.
Your new novel, Sisterland, is ostensibly about identical twins, Violet and Kate, one of whom is psychic and predicts an earthquake. But it also deals with the pressure of having children and the minutiae of domestic life. How did having two daughters of your own influence this?	Your new novel, Sisterland, is ostensibly about identical twins, Violet and Kate, one of whom is psychic and predicts an earthquake. But it also deals with the pressure of having children and the minutiae of domestic life. How did having two daughters of your own influence this?
I definitely have been influenced by having children of my own. I would never read my own books for pleasure but I've thought sometimes I should look at American Wife and see how wrong I got it about motherhood. Also, it's funny because ever since Prep [Sittenfeld's debut 2005 novel, about a teenage girl who goes to boarding school on a scholarship] came out, I think I have been mistaken for writing more autobiographically than I do.	I definitely have been influenced by having children of my own. I would never read my own books for pleasure but I've thought sometimes I should look at American Wife and see how wrong I got it about motherhood. Also, it's funny because ever since Prep [Sittenfeld's debut 2005 novel, about a teenage girl who goes to boarding school on a scholarship] came out, I think I have been mistaken for writing more autobiographically than I do.
If there's some loving moment between the child and mother in Sisterland, it's possible it's something I saw in my own life, but it's equally possible, if not more likely, that I borrowed it from a friend of mine or my sister.	If there's some loving moment between the child and mother in Sisterland, it's possible it's something I saw in my own life, but it's equally possible, if not more likely, that I borrowed it from a friend of mine or my sister.
Do you think the assumption that work must be autobiographical is made more of female fiction writers than male?	Do you think the assumption that work must be autobiographical is made more of female fiction writers than male?
Yeah, probably. I do think so. That's my hunch. That assessment does get made in the same way that sometimes fiction about a teenage girl is thought to be "young adult" fiction, whereas if it's a young teenage boy, it's a "universal coming-of-age tale".	Yeah, probably. I do think so. That's my hunch. That assessment does get made in the same way that sometimes fiction about a teenage girl is thought to be "young adult" fiction, whereas if it's a young teenage boy, it's a "universal coming-of-age tale".
You had 14 rejections for **Prep. Did that affect how you felt about your work?**	You had 14 rejections for **Prep. Did that affect how you felt about your work?**
There were a lot of reasons why it was rejected. There were some who thought it was YA and thought they'd have trouble marketing it. But the rejections were all simultaneous. My agent sent it out to 15 publishers at once and got nibbles of interest and it sold within a week or so of her sending it out. There was even one editor who turned it down, un-turned it down and then turned it down again.	There were a lot of reasons why it was rejected. There were some who thought it was YA and thought they'd have trouble marketing it. But the rejections were all simultaneous. My agent sent it out to 15 publishers at once and got nibbles of interest and it sold within a week or so of her sending it out. There was even one editor who turned it down, un-turned it down and then turned it down again.
This happens less now but a few years after Prep came out, I'd get emails from editors asking for blurbs for other books and they would say: "I'm a huge fan of Prep." In a few cases, I'd say: "You do know you turned it down?"	This happens less now but a few years after Prep came out, I'd get emails from editors asking for blurbs for other books and they would say: "I'm a huge fan of Prep." In a few cases, I'd say: "You do know you turned it down?"
You were an academically gifted child and won a national magazine writing competition at the age of 16. Did you always want to be a writer?	You were an academically gifted child and won a national magazine writing competition at the age of 16. Did you always want to be a writer?
I always wrote from a very young age, literally from the time I learned how to read and write. From the age of five, I wrote stories. I don't think I anticipated supporting myself as a writer… I expected I would have to be a teacher or a journalist, that I wouldn't just write full time. It's such a part of my life and, in some ways, it's a very unromantic part of my life. It's almost, to me, like breathing. I don't think about whether I like it or not.	I always wrote from a very young age, literally from the time I learned how to read and write. From the age of five, I wrote stories. I don't think I anticipated supporting myself as a writer… I expected I would have to be a teacher or a journalist, that I wouldn't just write full time. It's such a part of my life and, in some ways, it's a very unromantic part of my life. It's almost, to me, like breathing. I don't think about whether I like it or not.
I had my 20th-anniversary high school reunion recently and I think I've grown up exactly how people who knew me thought I would. I'm probably a bit more successful than they thought but the things I'm interested in have stayed the same.	I had my 20th-anniversary high school reunion recently and I think I've grown up exactly how people who knew me thought I would. I'm probably a bit more successful than they thought but the things I'm interested in have stayed the same.
*How did your former classmates react to the publication of Prep, which was set in a school loosely based on Groton school in Massachusetts, which you attended as a scholarship student?*	*How did your former classmates react to the publication of Prep, which was set in a school loosely based on Groton school in Massachusetts, which you attended as a scholarship student?*
My 15-year reunion was three years after Prep had come out and I actually felt a little nervous. I was thinking: "Will people throw tomatoes at my head?" because I feel confident that not everyone connected to that school approves. But when I went, people were warm and friendly. If anything, I think they're amused by it. I think, in general, there's almost a greater likelihood of people wanting to see themselves as the inspiration for fiction when they weren't, rather than being offended when they were.	My 15-year reunion was three years after Prep had come out and I actually felt a little nervous. I was thinking: "Will people throw tomatoes at my head?" because I feel confident that not everyone connected to that school approves. But when I went, people were warm and friendly. If anything, I think they're amused by it. I think, in general, there's almost a greater likelihood of people wanting to see themselves as the inspiration for fiction when they weren't, rather than being offended when they were.
Sisterland has a tricky relationship between identical twins at its heart. You are close to your two sisters and brother. Did they read the book?	Sisterland has a tricky relationship between identical twins at its heart. You are close to your two sisters and brother. Did they read the book?
Yes. In some way, the biggest compliment was when my older sister said after reading Sisterland: "Are you psychic?"	Yes. In some way, the biggest compliment was when my older sister said after reading Sisterland: "Are you psychic?"
Your characters, especially your female characters, are all the more realistic for sometimes acting in unexpected or unlikable ways. Do you ever come under pressure to make them more "sympathetic" to the ordinary reader?	Your characters, especially your female characters, are all the more realistic for sometimes acting in unexpected or unlikable ways. Do you ever come under pressure to make them more "sympathetic" to the ordinary reader?
I don't think my editors would say it that bluntly but I think they might say: "Why has she made some of the choices she has?" Both sisters are complicated, both are a combination of likable and unlikable and I think my American editor pushed me a little more to justify that.	I don't think my editors would say it that bluntly but I think they might say: "Why has she made some of the choices she has?" Both sisters are complicated, both are a combination of likable and unlikable and I think my American editor pushed me a little more to justify that.
That's another thing that can be talked about differently with men or women in fiction. Likability comes up a lot more with female characters. Men can be homicidal [in fiction] and that's fine. A woman picks up her child late from school and people think she's a bad mother.	That's another thing that can be talked about differently with men or women in fiction. Likability comes up a lot more with female characters. Men can be homicidal [in fiction] and that's fine. A woman picks up her child late from school and people think she's a bad mother.
Of course I know my characters are unlikable sometimes or have prejudices. It's not as if I'm thinking they're so endearing all the time. I guess it's much more interesting to me to write someone who is a combination of good and bad qualities because that's what people are like in real life. Sometimes, there can be a slightly condescending assumption that anything unlikable about a female character is a mistake, as if they're a contestant in a beauty pageant and have to seem charming and upbeat all the time.	Of course I know my characters are unlikable sometimes or have prejudices. It's not as if I'm thinking they're so endearing all the time. I guess it's much more interesting to me to write someone who is a combination of good and bad qualities because that's what people are like in real life. Sometimes, there can be a slightly condescending assumption that anything unlikable about a female character is a mistake, as if they're a contestant in a beauty pageant and have to seem charming and upbeat all the time.
Have you ever been to see a psychic?	Have you ever been to see a psychic?
I interviewed a psychic in 2004 in the capacity of reporter and I interviewed another for the book. I could have spent years doing research. I bought a book about how to harness your psychic powers, but I never finished it. But Sisterland is not fundamentally about being psychic. It's about marriage, sisterhood and life in the suburbs.	I interviewed a psychic in 2004 in the capacity of reporter and I interviewed another for the book. I could have spent years doing research. I bought a book about how to harness your psychic powers, but I never finished it. But Sisterland is not fundamentally about being psychic. It's about marriage, sisterhood and life in the suburbs.
Your most famous novel, **American Wife, came out in 2008 – two years before Laura Bush wrote her memoir. Did you read it?**	Your most famous novel, **American Wife, came out in 2008 – two years before Laura Bush wrote her memoir. Did you read it?**
Yeah. I was so excited when her book came out. I tried to get an advance copy and failed. So I went to the store on the day it came out. There's a picture of Laura Bush's face on the cover and I was holding my daughter in the queue and she started patting and stroking her face, and I thought: "It's genetic! This weird fascination with Laura Bush is passed down on the mother's side!"	Yeah. I was so excited when her book came out. I tried to get an advance copy and failed. So I went to the store on the day it came out. There's a picture of Laura Bush's face on the cover and I was holding my daughter in the queue and she started patting and stroking her face, and I thought: "It's genetic! This weird fascination with Laura Bush is passed down on the mother's side!"
*Do you think Laura Bush has ever read American Wife?*	*Do you think Laura Bush has ever read American Wife?*
She says that she has not and I believe it. I wouldn't be surprised if the person who helped ghost-write her memoir had read it, though.	She says that she has not and I believe it. I wouldn't be surprised if the person who helped ghost-write her memoir had read it, though.
*Despite being a Democrat voter, you managed to humanise both Laura and George W Bush in American Wife* and make them sympathetic…**	*Despite being a Democrat voter, you managed to humanise both Laura and George W Bush in American Wife* and make them sympathetic…**
I think we can have this tendency to feel like famous people just exist for us to be amazed by or to comment on their clothes. They are real people. They brush their teeth, they have families. I do think George Bush and Laura Bush are real people [but] I have really negative feelings about George Bush's presidency. The way I feel about it is: if he hadn't been president and if he'd been the uncle of a friend of mine and I'd sat next to him at a wedding, I would have thought: "Oh, this guy's really friendly and funny."	I think we can have this tendency to feel like famous people just exist for us to be amazed by or to comment on their clothes. They are real people. They brush their teeth, they have families. I do think George Bush and Laura Bush are real people [but] I have really negative feelings about George Bush's presidency. The way I feel about it is: if he hadn't been president and if he'd been the uncle of a friend of mine and I'd sat next to him at a wedding, I would have thought: "Oh, this guy's really friendly and funny."
I really wish he hadn't been president. I think he's responsible for the deaths of a lot of Iraqi civilians and that's a horrible thing.	I really wish he hadn't been president. I think he's responsible for the deaths of a lot of Iraqi civilians and that's a horrible thing.
*More recently, you met another first lady, Michelle Obama. Did you give her a copy of American Wife?*	*More recently, you met another first lady, Michelle Obama. Did you give her a copy of American Wife?*
I interviewed her in 2008 during the Democratic convention so Barack Obama hadn't been elected yet. American Wife hadn't come out but I gave her an early copy. I'm not usually super-assertive, but I couldn't resist. I have no evidence to suggest either Barack Obama or Michelle Obama ever read it, although I did get a very nice note from Michelle about the profile I wrote of her, which I've been meaning to get framed for the last five years.	I interviewed her in 2008 during the Democratic convention so Barack Obama hadn't been elected yet. American Wife hadn't come out but I gave her an early copy. I'm not usually super-assertive, but I couldn't resist. I have no evidence to suggest either Barack Obama or Michelle Obama ever read it, although I did get a very nice note from Michelle about the profile I wrote of her, which I've been meaning to get framed for the last five years.
Did she have exceedingly toned arms?	Did she have exceedingly toned arms?
Oh. My. God. One of the few inside scoops I feel I can give about Michelle Obama is that she is strikingly tall, but she is slender. At the time I was secretly pregnant and I had my picture taken with her so I look like this little, plump troll next to her. She's beautiful. She emanates a glow. It seems like it was her destiny to be very famous. She's very charismatic, very smart, very charming… I totally, in a semi-unprofessional way, I just completely fell for her.	Oh. My. God. One of the few inside scoops I feel I can give about Michelle Obama is that she is strikingly tall, but she is slender. At the time I was secretly pregnant and I had my picture taken with her so I look like this little, plump troll next to her. She's beautiful. She emanates a glow. It seems like it was her destiny to be very famous. She's very charismatic, very smart, very charming… I totally, in a semi-unprofessional way, I just completely fell for her.
*Last year, HarperCollins announced that you would be writing a contemporary version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice* as part of a series reimagining the novelist's work. Aren't you terrified?**	*Last year, HarperCollins announced that you would be writing a contemporary version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice* as part of a series reimagining the novelist's work. Aren't you terrified?**
No, although I don't think I would have thought to do it on my own. My husband said to me: "You have to prepare to be severely, severely criticised." I think if I felt I was trying to be as good a writer as Jane Austen, then I would probably feel immobilised with pressure.	No, although I don't think I would have thought to do it on my own. My husband said to me: "You have to prepare to be severely, severely criticised." I think if I felt I was trying to be as good a writer as Jane Austen, then I would probably feel immobilised with pressure.
But I don't think it's a realistic goal. What I'm doing is more in the vein of that movie Clueless [a modern version of Emma]. It's a contemporary retelling that's meant to be fun and entertaining. It's not like I'm trying to assume the Jane Austen mantle for all time. It's not like Jane Austen has passed on the baton to me or anything.	But I don't think it's a realistic goal. What I'm doing is more in the vein of that movie Clueless [a modern version of Emma]. It's a contemporary retelling that's meant to be fun and entertaining. It's not like I'm trying to assume the Jane Austen mantle for all time. It's not like Jane Austen has passed on the baton to me or anything.
Your real name is Elizabeth. Why on earth did you ditch such a fantastic name?	Your real name is Elizabeth. Why on earth did you ditch such a fantastic name?
[Laughs] I'm like the seventh or eighth "Elizabeth Curtis" in my family. My mother is Betsy. So when I was born, my parents made the choice to call me Curtis…	[Laughs] I'm like the seventh or eighth "Elizabeth Curtis" in my family. My mother is Betsy. So when I was born, my parents made the choice to call me Curtis…