Nov 012011
 

In October I had the opportunity to interview author Joanne Harris. Most of us will know her name due to the Chocolat movie. Of late she has broken into the Young Adult market with her Norse mythology fantasy title, Runemarks (out now, £7.99, published by Corgi). The sequel to that book, Runelight, was released in October (Doubleday hardback, £14.99), and will be reviewed soon on this website.

Andy Jamieson, Editor

 

Andy Jamieson: After all the success you’ve had over your career, what continues to inspire you as a writer?

Joanne Harris: I don’t think success means inspiration has to run dry. If anything, my success has taken me to places I would never have seen otherwise and introduced me to people I would never have had the chance to meet. I find that the more people I meet, the more new things I experience, the more stories I collect.

AJ: With Runemarks and the upcoming Runelight, you have now established yourself as a fantasy writer – what is it about the genre that appeals to you?

JA: I don’t usually tend to think of books in terms of genre. It’s liberating to be able to tap into the world of fantasy – to re-create mythologies, new races, languages, other worlds, magical systems – but I have been writing modern, magical fairytales in my mainstream, “literary” books as well. Superficially, this may seem like a departure, but thematically, I don’t think it is.

AJ: The fantasy genre is a thriving marketplace, particularly for the Young Adult audience. What do you feel sets the Rune books apart from other fantasy series?

JA: I think a lot of fantasy books, especially the ones that deal with mythology, can be quite earnest, even humourless. I’d like to think that my books give back to the myths the comic, irreverent slant they originally had, whilst hopefully retaining some of the important human themes as well.

AJ: What plans do you have for the series?

JA: I don’t know; but I’m having too much fun with these books to stop writing them just yet.

AJ: The Rune books revolve heavily around Norse mythology. What challenges did this provide you with?

JA: The greatest one, I think, was the merging of mythological and linguistic authenticity (runes, language, kennings, original texts and incantations, etc) with pure invention, deliberate anachronisms and contemporary themes. The characters were another challenge; easy to take into a more modern context, as Norse myths are already so accessible to modern sensibilities. But I wanted to make the characters mine, too, whilst retaining their traditional aspects.

AJ: Do you have any plans for other fantasy projects, aside from the Rune series?

JA: Maybe later. For the moment I can’t see that far.

AJ: Do you read much in the way of fantasy, SF, or horror?

JA: Yes, all the time. It’s what I read for pleasure, when I’m not reading as a reviewer or a literary prize judge.

AJ: What was the last book that you read, and why did you choose it?

JA: Murakami’s new book,  IQ84.  He’s such an original, fascinating, idiosyncratic writer. I love his work.

AJ: Out of everything you’ve worked on, is there one particular project that you think would be suited for a movie or tv series (that hasn’t been done already)? 

JA: Depending on the director, I’d love to see THE LOLLIPOP SHOES on the big screen. I see it as a Guillermo del Toro movie; dark; cruel; beautiful.

 

Thank you to Joanne for her time.

Interview conducted by Andy Jamieson, Editor

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