Jane Smiley

Jane Smiley loves Shakespeare.

She studied his work at High School and University so much that she calls him Uncle Bill.

Interviewed by Will Yeoman of Writers WA, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author spoke of adapting King Lear into her novel, A Thousand Acres (for which she won the Pulitzer in 1992) which allowed her to give the three sisters more say in the outcome of their lives. 

A 1997 film was based on the novel, starring Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jason Robards.

One of her husbands (she affably mentioned four of them) was interested in computers so she tried using one to write.

She nostalgically recalled the “Kaypro portable” computer (1980), which she says, weighed too much (“like a sewing machine”) to be truly portable, however she said it changed the way she wrote.

Having always used a typewriter, being aware of manually changing each page, the word processor was very freeing.

The technology allowed her writing to flow timelessly, enabling her to write even more. 

She’s written a tribute, The Man Who Invented the Computer.

Ms Smiley’s writing style is influenced by each new setting and era attached to what she’s currently working on, and she seemed to relish the research aspect of her work.

Her latest novel, A Dangerous Business, is set in Monterey during the mid-1800’s gold rush, so Ms Smiley spoke of re-reading Edgar Allan Poe, whose books were popular at that time.

She intriguingly decided that her main characters, Eliza and Jean, a couple of young prostitutes, would read Poe’s work to “profile” their clients to solve a series of local murders.

She analysed 100 novels in 13 Ways of Looking at The Novel, examining the lure of the genre and why it will never die.

Asked about “cancel culture”, Ms Smiley responded with her opposition to it, citing the example of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (one of her favourite books examined in 13 Ways) and how young people need to know how the world used to be, and the language used – reading gives us insight into someone else’s life.

However, she added, with a sly touch of humour, she wished her erotic novel, Ten Days in the Hills, had been added to the growing “banned list” in America, so that it would attract more sales!

Her forthcoming novel (due to be released on Uncle Bill’s birthday this year) will be about a fictional folk singer, along the lines of Joan Baez or Joni Mitchell, who hails from Smiley’s hometown of St. Louis.

Clearly a music fan, (she was proud that Ella Fitzgerald and Chuck Berry were also born in St. Louis), she imagined what it would have been like if she’d become a musician rather than a writer, enjoying the journey her imaginary singer took her on.

Jane Smiley is published by Penguin Random House. 

Shakespeare’s birthday is 23 April 1564.

Reviewed by Jane Keehn