I live and work in Sicily. I'm in my middle forties and an English teacher and musician. My narrative works, novels and stories, are still unpublished.
I have so far written four novels, one of which - Of Rust and Rain - in English, and fifty-odd short stories. If one should label the things I do, 'magic realism' or 'slipstream' would probably be the catchphrases, although I hope there is some spark of originality and, why not, singularity to be found in them. As for my reading tastes, I could say I enjoy many kinds of things, mainstream and underground alike, provided they transmit me something. after all, no matter what some say, emotion is what art is all about, isn't it?
Please tell me about your novel. Who or what was your inspiration behind it?
Strange as it may sound, this novel was inspired by the vision of a man on his early forties who smells rust everywhere on a rainy day. Nothing else. Basically what was to become chapter one of the story. At the beginning I had no other info on him or his past or future life. It all started from there.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What was the biggest compliment? Did those change how or what you did in your next novel?
The toughest criticisms and the biggest compliments received so far regard the language and the peculiar style my novel is written in. Sentences are very often chopped down to the minimum, there are lots of mantra-like repetitions, proper grammar isn’t always respected, and there’s a good amount of foul mouthing and onomatopoeia thrown in. My supporters think it is very brilliant and it creates a great rhythm, as if it was poetry; my detractors think it’s too strange and not at all readable. Of course, I pay attention to each piece of criticism and try to learn from it.
When you sit down to write, do you do it the old-fashioned way with pen and paper or do you use a computer? Do you prefer one way or the other?
I tend to use pen and paper when I write short stories, whereas for novels I generally use my pc (provided it works, that is)
Did you get to quit your day job and become an author or do you still have a day job and writing is something you do for fun? If you still have a day job, what is it?
I am a teacher. I teach English.
Besides writing and reading, what is your most favorite thing to do?
Well, I have been a musician all my life, and now and then I paint, too.
What do you listen to when you write? Do you find one type of music over another that inspires you to write? Why?
Music has a great power on me, so I don’t always listen to it when I write, because I want to concentrate on my writing. When I listen to something, it’s usually music that can flow in the background and can be absorbed by me on a sort of subconscious level. So it’s basically dark ambient, or atmospheric things, some psych folk, things like this. No Frank Zappa, or Crass (whom I love).
What are you currently reading?
‘London, an Autobiography’, by Peter Ackroyd – ‘Weaveworld’, by Clive Barker – an unauthorized biography on Banksy (I usually read more than one book at once)
Who are your favorite authors?
James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Will Self, David Peace, George Orwell, Charles Bukowski, Jonathan Carroll, China Miéville, Stephen King, Thomas Pynchon, Jonathan Swift, Chuck Palahniuk, Alasdair Gray, Irvine Welsh, and a lot of others......
What authors inspired you to write this particular novel? Why?
David Peace has been a continuous source of inspiration, as regards the style.
Is there anything else that you would like to share or say to those who will read this interview?
I’d like to invite everyone to have a go at my novel. A lot of people at authonomy seem to appreciate it so much. You could be the next. Why not having a try? It’s a story of loss and attempts at redemption. Reading it could be rewarding. Thank you.
Contact the author: Authonomy | Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment