"My experience of travelling to India has been overwhelming in the positive sense of the word," says Michael Crummey, who was one of the finalists for the Commonwealth Writer's Prize. Michael Crummey's tryst with writing stated with his first collection of poems titled Arguments with Gravity. Later he turned to fiction with the short-story collection Flesh and Blood. Since then there has been no looking back for him as his first novel River Thieves was a national bestseller and was also short listed for the Giller Prize. His latest release Galore is one of the regional winners for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Best Book.
Set in Newfoundland, the novel tells the tale of two families- Irish catholic and an English family across two centuries. It explores the relationship between them. Even though there is a lot of animosity between them they are forced to be bound together across generations. According to the author, there is a kind of magic realist element associated with the book. Set in Newfoundland, the novel tells the tale of two families— Irish catholic and an English family across two centuries. It explores the relationship between them. Even though there is a lot of animosity between them they are forced to be bound together across generations. According to the author, there is a kind of magic realist element associated with the book.
1. You started with poetry and then graduated towards writing fiction. What comes more naturally to you?
It’s really difficult to say what comes naturally to me. Poetry feels meditative. I can connect with my inner self through poetry. Fiction feels more like work. I feel exhausted. I need to take a break after writing for three to four hours. This might be due to the fact that fiction requires a lot of mental labour.
2. Your writing often draws on the history of Newfoundland and Labrador. Any specific reasons for the same?
Obsession (laughs). I am still trying to figure out the reasons for this. There is something really fascinating about the history of Newfoundland. It has undergone an incredible transformation. The pace of change has been so rapid. Children inhabit a different kind of world from what their parents lived in. their parents lived in a world which was quite different from that of their parents. I am totally in love with the world that has disappeared and wanted to present a portrait of that through my book.
3. What kind of research was involved in the book?
A lot of research went into this book. I read a lot of folk archives and community history. I interacted with a lot of people. After talking to them I came to know about things that were just below the surface. The entire experience was magical.
4. The title of the book Galore seems intriguing. Please throw some light on the same. Galore is one of the few Irish-Gaelic words to make it into regular usage in the English language. The word mimics the crossover between the Irish and English eras which depicts the plot of the book. The word means abundance which essentially has positive connotations, whereas galore can be used either way.
5. What are the other books you are working on?
I am really lost at the moment. I went through a real hangover after finishing the book. I was depressed after finishing the book. I had created a world which had become an essential part of me. I am just starting to come out of the same.
Set in Newfoundland, the novel tells the tale of two families- Irish catholic and an English family across two centuries. It explores the relationship between them. Even though there is a lot of animosity between them they are forced to be bound together across generations. According to the author, there is a kind of magic realist element associated with the book. Set in Newfoundland, the novel tells the tale of two families— Irish catholic and an English family across two centuries. It explores the relationship between them. Even though there is a lot of animosity between them they are forced to be bound together across generations. According to the author, there is a kind of magic realist element associated with the book.
1. You started with poetry and then graduated towards writing fiction. What comes more naturally to you?
It’s really difficult to say what comes naturally to me. Poetry feels meditative. I can connect with my inner self through poetry. Fiction feels more like work. I feel exhausted. I need to take a break after writing for three to four hours. This might be due to the fact that fiction requires a lot of mental labour.
2. Your writing often draws on the history of Newfoundland and Labrador. Any specific reasons for the same?
Obsession (laughs). I am still trying to figure out the reasons for this. There is something really fascinating about the history of Newfoundland. It has undergone an incredible transformation. The pace of change has been so rapid. Children inhabit a different kind of world from what their parents lived in. their parents lived in a world which was quite different from that of their parents. I am totally in love with the world that has disappeared and wanted to present a portrait of that through my book.
3. What kind of research was involved in the book?
A lot of research went into this book. I read a lot of folk archives and community history. I interacted with a lot of people. After talking to them I came to know about things that were just below the surface. The entire experience was magical.
4. The title of the book Galore seems intriguing. Please throw some light on the same. Galore is one of the few Irish-Gaelic words to make it into regular usage in the English language. The word mimics the crossover between the Irish and English eras which depicts the plot of the book. The word means abundance which essentially has positive connotations, whereas galore can be used either way.
5. What are the other books you are working on?
I am really lost at the moment. I went through a real hangover after finishing the book. I was depressed after finishing the book. I had created a world which had become an essential part of me. I am just starting to come out of the same.
