Directory of Lost Causes (By Quentin S. Crisp)

Q and A with Q

Well, back from muddy old Devon.

Considering the fact that this is the blog of a fairly active published writer, I think I actually give you, my dear readers, very little news about what I’m doing on the publishing front. Well, let me fill you in a little. Much of my recent news surrounds a short story called 'The Cypher'. It appears in the latest issue of the new magazine Midnight Street, and it has also been translated into German for an anthology by German publisher Medusenblut. The story has been translated by the talented German writer Eddie M. Angerhuber. She wrote to me recently for a writer’s biog to put in the anthology. I obliged, but there was some information missing from the biog I sent. Eddie wrote back with some extra questions for me to answer, which I did in a fairly off the cuff, but, I hope, informative fashion. It occurred to me as I did so that, since no one ever interviews me, I might as well use this brief question and answer session as an interview on my blog. The fact is, I enjoy interviews very much, and I’m sure there’s no better reason to be famous than to sit with a glass of water and have someone ask you endless questions as if you’re the most fascinating person in the world. You may be wondering, if no one ever interviews me, how I know that I enjoy interviews. Well, apart from the fact that I’m an incorrigible daydreamer, I think I have arrived at this conclusion from my experiences through the years with various professionals and volunteers whose duty it is to listen for the sake of the emotional and mental well being of their... erm... patients??

Anyway, if you want to know more about 'The Cypher' before seeking it out, I shall state briefly that it is about drugs and dictionaries. Now the interview:

Q: What are your main interests in life?

A: I am interested in Japanese literature, especially the writers Mishima Yukio, Nagai Kafu, Higuchi Ichiyo, Tanizaki Jun’ichiro and Dazai Osamu. Apart from that my interests are not very clearly defined. I like to go for walks and listen to music. I enjoy certain sci-fi programmes from my childhood, such as Doctor Who and Blakes 7. I can speak, read and write Japanese. I drink a great deal of tea, green and otherwise.

Q: Where do you currently live? (Do you still live in Japan?)

A: I live in Twickenham, which is on the south-west edge of London. I often take walks along a particularly leafy stretch of the River Thames where there are many swans, geese and moorhens.

Q: Perhaps you could tell me a bit about Japan; why did you move there?

A: I have lived in Japan twice, both times in order to study. The first time I was studying Japanese language, the second time Japanese language and literature. I have a general fascination with Japanese culture, and with Japanese literature in particular. Also, I had been unemployed for over five years, and I thought that I wanted to change my life. I thought going to university, studying Japanese and – as part of the course – living in Japan, might achieve this end. It did change my life to some extent, but not really in the way I had hoped. Now I am back from Japan I am still unemployed, and not really using my Japanese, except in a private capacity.

Q: Or had you been born there?

A: No, I was born in Devon – the English countryside.

Q: How old are you?

A: Thirty-two and counting.

Q: Tell me about your profession.

A: I really don’t have a profession. I am simply the least professional – most amateur – human being that I know. Of course, I will need to make money somehow to survive, but I just don’t know how I’m going to do this. It seems to be a very big problem for me.

Q: Why did you choose to write horror fiction?

A: I didn’t. I really didn’t choose to write horror fiction at all. I find myself in a frustrating position because I’m not really a genre writer and not really the kind of writer who is accepted by the mainstream. I just write what I write, which is fairly deranged and childish fiction about totally imaginary events. I tend to think of it as personal mythology. The first two stories I happened to get published were – by chance – very gothic horror. And John B. Ford noticed one of these stories – 'The Psychopomps' – and very kindly got in touch with me and helped to introduce me to the horror scene. So that is where I find myself. I don’t hate horror. I am very fond of the good stuff in the horror genre, and I LOVE the gothic tradition of Maturin, Lewis, Shelley, Poe, Lovecraft, Ligotti and so on. But I’m really no more than a deranged child in an adult’s body finger-painting whatever daydreams I happen to have.

Q: What else do you write? Do you have other occupations or hobbies?

A: Well, see above. I’m hoping that what I write will become clearer to readers over time, but I’m not having much luck in convincing publishers to invest in me so far, so it’s hard to reach a readership in the first place. Anyway, I’m hoping to champion new forms of fiction, mixing narrative with essay and autobiography. I am very much influenced by the ‘zuihitsu’ or ‘miscellaneous writing’ style in Japanese literature.

I’m also hoping to branch out into manga, but this remains a pipe dream at present [NB since the 'interview' took place this hope has shifted status from pipe dream to plan]. I like the idea of mixing media. I have many plans.

I don’t really have any other occupations. Writing and writing-based creativity takes up most of my spare time. But I am an omnivorous reader. I want to know everything there is to know. I haven’t got very far in this goal.

Q: Could you give the link to your personal web site?

A: So far I only really have my weblog. The link is here.

I hope to have a proper website in the future.