"I don't write about things that I have the answers to or things that
are very close to home. It just wouldn't be any adventure." Ann Beattie
(b. 1947) published both her first novel (Chilly Scenes of Winter) and
her first short story collection (Secrets and Surprises) in 1976. Her
prose features ironic wit and a dry, matter-of-fact tone. Political and
familial disillusionment are frequent themes. She is, for many, the
ideal representative of American realistic fiction from the 1980s and
1990s. She has often been called a minimalist, the "voice of her
generation," and the "quintessential New Yorker fiction writer."
Conversations with Ann Beattie goes beyond these views to reveal a
dynamic writer who plays with aesthetic form, gender stereotypes, and
all conventional notions about relationships. In interviews ranging from
1979 to 2004, Beattie discusses her evolving craft, resists the labels
placed on her, and articulates her vision of contemporary life. She
frequently notes the connection between her prose style and methods of
photography, commenting that she intends for her stories and novels to
capture scenes and small slices of life rather than broad overviews. By
turns sharp, funny, and loquacious, Beattie comes across as a writer
very different from her frequently reticent characters who have great
difficulty communicating. This collection includes interviews from such
publications as the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor, as
well as a new interview conducted by the volume's editor. Dawn Trouard
is a professor of English at the University of Central Florida. She is
the author, with Edwin T. Arnold, of Reading Faulkner: Sanctuary
(University Press of Mississippi) and editor of Eudora Welty: Eye of the
Storyteller.
