RB: It must be very hard to write bad English, as in the case of Alex who is the Russian translator in Everything Is Illuminated.
JSF: Writing it was a lot like reading it, I imagine. In the sense that in the beginning it was hard and a little bit frustrating and disorienting. You didn't know if you liked it or not. And then at a certain point it's easy. And then you become fluent in it. Then, it's almost hard not to do it.
RB: I did like it and found it amusing. But it seemed like you would have to labor over every word.
JSF: You get a good enough sense of the person such that there is this built-in sense of authenticity test. Does it sound like him or doesn't it? It's not a question of splitting hairs or degrees. It's a black-and-white kind of thing. Whether he would say it like this or he wouldn't.
Great article! Very interesting :)
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see what Foer has to say about the process of writing Alex's "Everything is Illuminated" parts in the above interview. Foer's consistency in using words such as "disseminate," "reposing," and "captured," (among many memorable words and phrases), really enhances the authenticity of Alex's voice in my opinion. I really like JSF's take on the process of writing Alex's parts of the book: Foer may have created Alex as a character, but once he is out there for everyone to see, Alex is his own individual with his own personality. After Foer establishes Alex as a character, choosing what Alex says does not require JSF to "reinvent the wheel" each time and come up with unique phrases and word choices. Instead, JSF knows Alex well enough to determine what he would say in any given situation without having to think much about it. Based on what it says in the interview, Foer makes it seem as though Alex is a real person with his own thoughts and mannerisms. This whole concept really shows JSF's impressive ability to strongly develop his characters and his passion for his writing as well.
ReplyDelete