Emylia is the author of the stunning debut book
The Book of Summers. We are so pleased that she could take time out of her busy schedule to answer a few of our questions.
Published 1 March 2012
Emylia - welcome to jaffareadstoo.
My
mother’s Hungarian, and when I was eleven we started going on holiday to
Hungary. My dad was an art teacher so he had the luxury of long holidays too -
we’d pack up the car and disappear for four or five weeks at a time, winding
our way through France, Germany, Austria and on into Hungary. Those sun-kissed
summers shaped my year, so to draw inspiration from them throughout the writing
of my novel felt like a real treat; a kind of time travel. The drama, though,
I’m thankful to report, is fiction.
Where did your
characters come from, and did they surprise you?
Marika
and David are much exaggerated versions of my parents, I suppose. My mum’s a
fiery Hungarian and my dad’s a mild-mannered Englishman, but there the
similarities end. Zoltán grew very naturally out of the bohemian idyll that is
Villa Serena, as did Tamás. It was important to me to let Erzsi mix with
uncomplicated and easily lovable people like them – I felt she deserved that.
And, yes, they continually surprised me! While I write quite freely, without
too much advance plotting and planning, I do spend a lot of time getting to
know my characters away from the page. This lovely quote from Katherine Anne
Porter became my ambition: "Get so well acquainted
with your characters that they live and grow in your imagination exactly as if
you saw them in the flesh; and finally tell their story with all the truth and
tenderness and severity you are capable of..."
Who is your favourite
character in the book?
I
have soft spots for them all but I’ve probably got the most affection for
Erzsi. It breaks my heart to think of her rattling around in her cottage, not
quite knowing how to navigate her father, living on the bottled scent of her
summers with Marika… But one of the lovely things about hearing reader
responses is that so far everyone seems to have different favourite characters.
I didn’t foresee that and it’s really satisfying. Hopefully it means that they
all feel real.
The cover of The Book of Summers is stunning – how much influence did you have on the cover
design?
I was
shown the design when I first met my editor, Leah Woodburn, and I loved it
straight away. If you’re any way creative it’s easy to let your mind run on and
picture different covers, but I was very happy to trust Headline. It’s
beautiful, and makes the book feel like a desirable object – especially
important for a hardback, these days. I
equally love the paperback cover that’s planned for this summer…
I
love reading poetry in snatches, while I’m cooking, before bed, on the bus. I
find inspiration in its brevity and intensity. I recently bought the Bloodaxe
anthology Staying Alive and it’s a real treasure trove. And I’ve always loved
‘When You Are Old’ - it felt so right
for The Book of Summers. It sets the mood perfectly.
Your writing is
very lyrical – which authors have inspired you?
I
find myself drawn to authors with a vivid, lyrical style, as such I’m a great
fan of Susan Fletcher’s books – Eve Green, Oystercatchers and Witch Light, and
recently I read Love Child by Allegra Huston, which is bursting with imagery
and poetry. I also really like Daphne du Maurier for similar reasons – Rebecca
is an all-time favourite. But I enjoy spare prose too, particularly the
staccato rhythms of Hemingway and Carver.
This is your
debut novel – how did it feel when you were signed by your publisher?
It’s
a story that sounds too good to be true. It was just after 5pm on a Friday,
last July. I was down in Devon with my husband, on one of my favourite
childhood beaches, when my agent Rowan called. As soon as she said the magic
words ‘offer’ and ‘Headline’, we ran into the sea in our jeans, capering
ecstatically. Later we drank champagne and ate fish and chips in an old pub
down by the water. I didn’t tell anyone else my news that night – not family,
not friends – I wanted it to be this glorious little secret all of our own and it
was.
Do you write
books for yourself, or other people?
Everyone
writes with different motivations and ambitions, but for me it’s important to
enjoy the process and to draw personal satisfaction from it. At that point I’m
always writing for myself – if I didn’t like what I was doing then the whole
act would feel very cynical and remote. That said, The Book of Summers is my
first novel and I hope that I will only improve as a writer. Therefore I’m
interested in what people think of the book and as I write my second novel I
think I’ll probably be more aware of the audience ‘out there.’ I’ll make sure I
turn that awareness into an inspiration rather than a strait-jacket.
What is your
favourite classic novel?
I was
introduced to Pride and Prejudice at A-Level and have loved it ever since. I
like to think Elizabeth Bennet and I would get on like a house on fire –
although I suppose everyone does and that’s the whole point.
Can you tell us
about any future writing projects?
I’m
writing my second novel at the moment. It’s set in Switzerland, on the shores
of glamorous Lake Léman, among a crowd of ex-pats and foreign students. It’s
basically a love story, and ambitiously, I’m imagining it as something like a
cross between The Secret History and Hotel du Lac… All I really know is that
I’m enjoying having a secret sideways world, away from all the excitements and
distractions surrounding the publication of The Book of Summers.
Emylia, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions,
Jaffa and I wish you great success with the US launch of The Book of Summers in June 2012
and continued success with your writing career.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle
The God Box by Mary Lou Quinlan
Mutiny on The Bounty by John Boyne
The Go-Between by L P Hartley
A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson
Trapeze by Simon Mawer
Putting Alice back together by Carol Marinelli
The Apothecary's Daughter by Charlotte Betts
The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau
Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington.
