‘There aren’t a lot of “aha!” moments in writing’

Cathleen Hughes asks What compelled you to write about Morgan Forster and his adventures?

Damon Galgut replies It was a choice more than a compulsion, and it gave me a lot of self-doubt. I suppose I was drawn to him because certain key aspects of his life and experience echo mine. Not all, I hasten to add. But enough to keep me genuinely interested in trying to understand him.

Catherine Allan asks Given the depth of understanding of Forster that the book reflects, how much did his diaries contribute to its writing?

Damon Galgut replies Less than you might think. The diaries weren’t written for publication and they can be very hard work — repetitious and often banal, written in a telegrammatic style. On the other hand, there are a few gems buried in there, sometimes in a coded way. And they’re a great indicator of general states of mind, which is useful — though all in all, I’d say his letters offer richer pickings. Sharon Bede asks When or where or what was the “aha!” moment when you decided that E.M. Forster was the author you would select to delve into the mystery of how a “coming-of-age story” within a biography would be curious enough for an audience?

Damon Galgut replies Hmmm. There aren’t a lot of “aha” moments in writing. As I recall, the interest in Forster crept up by degrees, rather than leaping upon me suddenly.

I actually first had an idea for a larger project, in which Forster would be only one figure, but I realized at a certain point that it would take the rest of my life and decided to slim down my options. Uta Messerhuber asks Was it a conscious choice to write in a style that put the reader at a distance from the characters and the landscape/setting?

Damon Galgut replies That certainly wasn’t my aim.

Rather, I was trying to echo some aspects of Forster’s style. That requires a particular formality, and a rhythm of language not quite in keeping with ours, which may account for what you describe. I like to believe that if you pay close attention to the sentences as they unfold, they will draw you in rather than pushing you away. Bonita Coons asks You write, “Protocol and courtesy might be ritualized, but they had weight and significance too.” Do you believe that ritualized protocol and courtesy have the same weight and significance today as they did in the early 20th century? Does ritualized protocol and courtesy exist today?

Damon Galgut replies Well, in some cultures more obviously than in others. For us, in the way that Forster experienced it, much less so. Socially, the

West has become much more relaxed.

Marna O’Brien asks Have you been to India or Egypt, because your descriptions of the life and scenery are so beautiful.

Damon Galgut replies Why, thank you. India I have visited a great many times, though there is a lot about it I will never understand. Egypt I have never visited, alas. I didn’t see the point of it for my Alexandrian chapter, because almost everything from Forster’s time has been razed to the ground.

Michelle Gibbons asks Which of E.M. Forster’s novels did you enjoy the most? Why “Arctic Summer” as the title?

Damon Galgut replies I like A Passage To India the most. I think it’s a great novel, and weirdly contemporary in its resonance, even now. Arctic Summer, as you might know, is the title of Forster’s one unfinished novel. It’s also an image that very aptly sums up the contradictory aspects of Forster’s inner landscape — dead and frozen on one hand, open to the sky and to light on the other.

Denise Corriveau asks How do you think Forster would feel about this novel?

Damon Galgut replies That’s an interesting question and one I can’t answer, maybe fortunately so. Forster was very private, especially about those things that interested me most, namely his writing and his sexuality, and the profound connections between them. I’m not sure he’d have liked them exposed.