Une Interview de David Anthony Durham

[jerome]

L'auteur de la série de fantasy Acacia David Anthony Durham est en interview ici.

Extrait :
"Amazon.com: In general, what would you say are the biggest influences on the Acacia Trilogy?
Durham: Interesting question. The things that pop immediately to mind are all over the place.

For one thing, I immediately think of all the books that aren’t influences – even though people assume they are. For example, I hadn’t read a word of George R.R. Martin or Guy Gavriel Kay when I wrote Acacia: The War With The Mein. I have since--lots, really--and they’re both favorites of mine now. But whatever ways my writing may be similar to theirs isn’t an issue of influence; it’s the result of some shared sensibilities and artistic leanings. And for every way that we might be similar I think there are just as many ways that we’re not at all.

And then when I think of writers that I do feel are influences they’re not usually influences because of imitation of style or approach to writing--which is what I think most non-writers tend to focus on. The influence is more in terms of the things I feel like I learn about life from them, and the ways they remind me storytelling is an important part of being human.

With that in mind, I see direct influence from Octavia Butler, Bernard Cornwell, Neil Gaiman, Frank Herbert, Ben Okri, Mary Renault, Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings film, The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Bible, current world politics and social situations, all the research I did for Pride of Carthage, my wife’s family, my experiences living overseas, raising my kids listening to NPR...and I see indirect influence from all the many writers of SF and fantasy, horror and crime that I’ve been reading so voraciously these last few years. In many ways, it’s the combined influence of all of them that continuing to help me grow as a writer.

I guess what I’m saying is that I think everything I read and see and experience are influences. Writers need to be open and observant to life; that’s where stories come from anyway."