Interview: Owen Marshall talks about Beyond the Border

Owen Marshall is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, poet and anthologist, who has written or edited over 35 books. He held the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship in Menton in 1996 and won the Montana New Zealand Book Awards Deutz Medal for Fiction in 2000, the same year in which he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2012 and, in 2013, received the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Fiction. Owen talks to NZ Booklovers.

Tell us a little about Beyond the Border.

Most of my writing is prose fiction, but I have long been a reader of poetry and when later in my career I became a full time writer, I decided to challenge myself in what was a new field for me.  My first collection was published in 2004 by Quentin Wilson of Hazard Press and in a pleasant synchronicity `Beyond the Border,' my fifth collection, is also published by Quentin, now at  Quentin Wilson Publishing.  Poetry is perhaps the most idiosyncratic  and subjective of literary forms, and all the more fascinating for that.  Modern poetry has many faces  and different writers favour different expressions.  I value technical virtuosity, imaginative reach, personal sincerity and intellectual acuity, but most of all I respond to emotional power.

I am 84 now and so naturally this collection has elements  of nostalgia and an emphasis on personal memory, as suggested by the quote from Rainer Rilke which introduces the book - `Poetry is the past that breaks out in our hearts.' 

What inspired you to write this book?

I wished to capture something of the places I have been to, here and overseas and also the  people met, some with whom I have close ties, others met in passing over the years.  Family relationships figure prominently, for in later life we often come to a greater understanding of how vital a part they play in our lives.  Landscape too is a focus for me, especially that of Central Otago.

What was your routine or process when writing this book?

With novels and short stories I  usually have a structured routine for the writing day, beginning with an early walk and then at the computer for several hours with a daily target for new work of 1,000 words.  Often not achieved.  The afternoon for leisure, family, reviews, revision and so on.  Poetry does not come to me in this way, will not be summoned, chooses its own time, or visits not at all. I write poetry only when I experience a creative urgency.

If there were a soundtrack to accompany the poems, what would you choose?

John Denver's `Country Roads,' or Roy Orbison's `Only The Lonely' would be fine.  For classical music -  Sibelius.

If you had to choose your favourite story, what would you choose?

William Trevor's `The Ballroom of Romance,'  Annie Proulx's `Brokeback Mountain,' and so many more.

What did you enjoy most about writing Beyond the Border?

There is much reminiscence, some nostalgia, and also I hope elements of  thankfulness, humour and satire.  The rapid variation of subject and tone possible in a poetry collection I find satisfying.

What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?

Gave myself more time to read the work of others.

What is the favourite book you have read so far this year and why?

I have an interest in history and much enjoyed Mary Beard's `SPQR : A History of Ancient Rome.'  Since enjoying a unit in classical studies at university many years ago I have retained an enthusiasm for reading of ancient Italy and Greece.  The past has much to teach.

What is next on the agenda for you?

I think the long slog of the novel is now beyond me, but I  continue to write occasional short fictions.  Maybe some poetry as well if the muse visits.

Quentin Wilson Publishing