It’s difficult to find common ground in the writings of
Alice Sebold and Glen David Gold. Her dark first-person narratives
on unsettling topics differ from Gold’s fantastically
colorful historical fiction. So why would these starkly contrasting
authors choose to speak about their works together?
Think of it as a couples night out.
Gold and Sebold, both distinguished authors, married after
meeting in UC Irvine’s prestigious M.F.A. writing program.
Both will be speaking about their craft with author and artist
Benjamin Weissman at Royce Hall tonight at 8 p.m. as part of UCLA
Live’s Spoken Word series, sharing stories of failure and
writing tricks.
“I am going to crib something my wife said once: I wrote
my first novel when I was 22, I got published when I was 35; am I
actually the first person to turn to for advice?” said Gold.
“I would say do not be afraid to do stuff that fails. Failure
has been quite good to me … The ability to do something that does
not work, that you have to put aside, is actually a very good
one.”
Sebold could not be contacted because she is currently in
writing seclusion. Gold noted that he and Sebold are both fans of
isolation. He said he once spent a week in a claustrophobic hotel
room writing a scene for his 2001 novel, “Carter Beats the
Devil.”
“The Lovely Bones,” Sebold’s breakout novel,
is narrated by 14-year-old Susie Salmon whose unique omniscient
perspective in heaven allows her to tell the story of her loved
ones on earth, who struggle to cope with her rape and murder.
Sebold’s original spin on storytelling struck a nerve with
readers and launched a 66-week run on the New York Times
bestsellers list from 2002 to 2003, as well as earning praise for
her bold writing style.
“What’s really great about the book is that even
though it is topical and (deals with) a sexy, hot subject, it is
subtle ““ in lesser hands, it would not be quite as
successful. She lets the characters speak for themselves in an
(unsentimental) way,” said David Wong Louie, a professor of
creative writing here at UCLA.
Gold’s “Carter Beats the Devil” could not be
more different from “The Lovely Bones.” Gold said his
life-long enchantment with magic and the 1920s began when he was
seven years old and reading about Margaret Dumont instead of
playing outside. He drew upon that fascination to write his novel.
Gold blurs the lines of fiction and history in his dazzling novel
about the enigmatic master illusionist, Carter the Great, whose
riskiest stunt stars President Warren G. Harding hours before
Harding’s mysterious death.
According to Gold, he and Sebold plan to read from their works
and talk about their differences as well as similarities as
writers.
“I’ve said this before and I think it’s true:
(Alice and I) have very similar world views, senses of humor,
similar senses of where the darkness lies in things, and, you know,
nobody can crack me up more than her,” said Gold.
Tickets for tonight’s readings are $17 for students.
Call (310) 825-2101 or visit www.uclalive.org for more
information.