Books Written by Emily Mandel Paper Example

Introduction

Emily St. John Mandel born in Columbia, Canada and is married to Kevin Mandel with whom they live in New York City. Emily St. John Mandel is a writer of four inspiring novels- Last Night in Montreal, The Singer's Gun, and The Lola Quartet. Emily is a staff writer for The Millions with her work appearing in various antilogies. After dropping out of school to join a dancing class where she studied dance, she decided to become a storyteller through writing. Her fourth novel station eleven is thrilling beautifully written book exploring relationships in a post-pandemic world whereby 99 percent of the population is wiped out. The novel is less than a letter to the world as some readers argue following how things have drastically changed in the current world as compared to the previous centuries.

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Interview

I am informed that you studied dance, what made you become a writer?

I have loved writing since my childhood, and I used to write a lot. I came to take it seriously in my early twenties when I realized it was more than a hobby. It occurred to my realization that dancing was not my thing at all and need to indulge in a different thing kept hitting me. I decide to take writing seriously where I wrote my first book, "Last Night in Montreal." Since then, writing has not only been a hobby to me but also a profession that has made me famous in the world of writing.

What are a few of your favorite post-apocalyptic novels?

When I was a teenager, I read various post-apocalyptic books like "A Canticle for Leibowitz" that I loved so much that I have always wanted to reread. Others include "the zone one," "the road" and "the Dogstar". The Dog Star is one that influenced my writing since the idea of old automobile gas in "station eleven" novel came from it. Without this book, this idea may not have come out clear as it did in the book the message may not have reached people in the same manner.

Some readers interpret this book as part of the post-apocalypse genre. Can you say anything about this?

You are right the readers has to speak their mind, but no the book is far from what they are saying. When I started writing station eleven books, I was not conscious of the apocalypse genre despite having read such novels. My primary objective here was to write a literary text with a strong plot and to achieve this. I had to set some of the actions in the future. The fact that people are labeling it as science fiction does not make it one.

Station Eleven has received more attention than your earlier novels. Did it ever occur to you that we're working on a "big" book? Did that affect your work in any way?

While writing station eleven, I felt like it would be more marketable than my other books following its subject matter. This book has a sense of scale more significant than that of the previous books that were just intimate stories involving a small group of people closely related to each other. I am happy that what I felt came to pass and it has become more popular than the rest. Am grateful for the attention this book has received in the market. Following the difference between this book and the other three regarding readership level, it is clear that small press publishers find it had to get their books to read compared to established publishers like Knopf.

Several elements from the book are related to your history, like Arthur coming from the same island you are from, and he left for Toronto to go and study performance just as you did in real life. What do you say about this?

While writing, the authors inevitably borrow a leaf form their own life story to bring out proper characters in their stories and that's is what I did in this case. You not only do this for actors but also the situations you see. That's why you find most of these elements related to my true-life story.

Is Station Eleven a speculative fiction?

In my first three novels, I have always written with crime plot what did not feature in station eleven books. In this book, I wanted to do a different thing what made me bring the future setting in the story. It was after publishing this book and releasing it to the market that I came to realize that a novel with a future setting is speculative fiction. In my opinion, it is never that way.

Assume you were the 8-year old Kirsten who was asked to leave Toronto and can only pick one book in her backpack, which book would choose?

In as much as I would love to take one of my books, I will still pick "A Canticle for Leibowitz" that I love so much and can never get bored reading.

What drew you to the idea of collapse?

I cannot tell how the interest began, but all I know is that the fragility of civilization has been my interest for a very long time. According to me, some of the things that we ignore can quickly fail. The world would be a better place without civilization that seems to dictate all the aspect of life in the current society.

What do you think you will do in a post-collapse world?

I will still be a writer if it will be needed or a dancer. Like in the book, we see Kirsten in the streets performing Shakespeare so I would dance to entertain people. I might also be among the 99% population that would be wiped out meaning I may not see the post-collapse world.

What are your plans as far as writing is concerned?

Currently, am working on another novel that will be out soon. Just like in my previous books, I will continue with literary fictions and pass the message to the world in the best way possible.

Interviewer's Reflection

I have always loved books written by Emily Mandel since she is skillful plotter and storyteller. In her book, station eleven, she has floored the book with the description, single phrase, and line of dialogue that makes the different flow. In this novel, Mandel has presented a great story that appears eminently realistic for an imaginary situation. Emily set up some questions about the world and ensures that he gives the audience satisfying answers to almost all of them. The book also portrays what civilization is bound to do the world. The dangers that come with modernity and how people will realize late that they have done more harm than good. It is an excellent book to read with great lessons to humanity.