News & Features » March 2013 » Literary Lions: 10 Questions with Jonathan Lethem

Literary Lions: 10 Questions with Jonathan Lethem

Johnny Temple: Who’s the first person that encouraged you to be a writer?

Jonathan Lethem: Mom.

JT: What’s your most effective tactic for getting your children to sleep?

JL: Telling them about what actually happened in my day, no wishes, lies, or dreams included.

JT: What book has given you nightmares, or otherwise appeared to you in dreams?

JL: I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew by Dr. Seuss.

JT: What book(s) are you reading right now?

JL: Butcher’s Crossing by John Williams.

JT: What is the worst film adaptation of a great book that you have ever seen?

JL: A Passage To India. “Masterpiece Theater” middlebrow, with such a great cast and a name director that everyone forever believes it does justice to the book. But the book escaped completely.

JT: What was the best movie made in the 1970s?

JL: Night Moves by Arthur Penn.

JT: Yes or no: Have you ever been to an opera?

JL: Yes—directed by David Cronenberg.

JT: Who’s your favorite author (or book) that no one’s ever heard of?

JL: Stanley Ellin.

JT: Who’s your favorite author that everyone’s heard of?

JL: Charles Dickens.

JT: What’s your favorite single-syllable word?

JL: Maine.

JONATHAN LETHEM is one of the most acclaimed American novelists of his generation. His books include Motherless Brooklyn, The Fortress of Solitude, and Chronic City. The Ecstasy of Influence: Nonfictions, Etc. is his latest collection. He lives in Claremont, California. He is a contributor to Brooklyn Noir 2: The Classics.

Posted: Mar 13, 2013

Category: Literary Lions | Tags: Brooklyn Noir 2: The Classics, Johnny Temple, Jonathan Lethem, Literary Lions