Speaking Volumes: Conversations with remarkable writers

by Ramona Koval

This updated collection shares the fascinating interviews with some of the most important writers of our times. With discussions on morality, the dangers of writing, and the drive for creativity, this account provides an in-depth look into the extraordinary minds of Martin Amis, John Banville, Saul Bellow, Malcolm Bradbury, André Brink, A. S. Byatt, John le Carré, Anne Enright, William Gass, Joseph Heller, P. D. James, Hanif Kureishi, Mario Vargas Llosa, Norman Mailer, David Malouf, John Mortimer, Ian McEwan, Les Murray, Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, Harold Pinter, Gore Vidal, and Judith Wright, among others.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Ramona Koval has made long interviews with significant writers her signature. She is familiar to ABC Radio audiences through her long and varied career on air. Listeners will remember her as the presenter of the RN Drive program and as the morning presenter on Melbourne’s 3LO (now 774 ABC Melbourne) through the late 1980s and early 1990s.

She became a fixture in the literary world after joining ABC Radio National’s Books and Writing in 1994. Ramona now presents The Book Show, introduced by ABC Radio National in 2006 to consolidate its various book programs.

A writer herself, Ramona has published several books, including a novel, Samovar, and a cookbook Jewish Cooking, Jewish Cooks. She has written for many newspapers and international journals, and her interviews have been published in book form. Her latest collection of Radio National interviews is Tasting Life Twice: Conversations with Remarkable Writers, published by ABC Books.

Reviews

[Magdalena]

The writer interview is such a compelling art form. When it’s done right, it not only provides readers with a unique glimpse into the inner life of those who have moved, titillated, enticed, touched, and gutted us, but it is also, often, instructive, thought-provoking, and a powerful insight into the creative process itself. Ramona Koval always does it right. Her interviews are lengthy, pithy, and full of insight – a kind of discourse that stands on its own. This is due, not only to the interviewees, which include some of the most lauded writers of the 21st Century, but partly because of the way in which Koval gets them to open up their lives. These interviews help illuminate the books they discuss and provide insights into characters and themes, but they also take a broader perspective, taking authors on a journey through their pet peeves, interests, political affiliations, through literary analysis and into the heart of the authors’ humanity, their private lives, and the way in which they create.

The twenty eight writers whose interviews were chosen for this book are, without exception, extremely well known and respected. Some were interviewed in their last years, such as Joseph Heller, Judith Wright, Saul Bellow, Norman Mailer, John Mortimer, and Harold Pinter. There is a bittersweet element to these interviews – the authors talking candidly, often with a strong sense of their impending end and of the need to say certain things in a public forum. Judith Wright in particular, provides a poignant interview, struggling with deafness and visual impairment through an interview that involved writing out questions in large letters on a whiteboard and then struggling with the responses and transcription. Nevertheless, the result for the reader is fluid and transcendent as Wright talks about the teaching of poetry, about her work and the way in which it has been positively and negatively used, the value of nature, emotion and why she stopped writing poetry.

Harold Pinter has two interviews, and they present as almost a continuation of a single discussion. He’s lucid and energetic in both interviews, talking particularly powerfully on the political abuse of language:

I think what we’re talking about there is extraordinary, fundamental hypocrisy, and a misunderstanding of language altogether – or a distortion of language, or abuse of language—which is in itself extremely destructive, because language leads us, politically, it leads us into all sorts of fields. (184)

A common theme through many of these older, canonical writers, is their failure to achieve their great ambitions with language. Always these writers are pushing past their capabilities, aiming to reach some kind of enduring greatness; what Saul Bellow calls “an entire purgation of my system”. Malcolm Bradbury talks about the basic truths, while John Banville talks about the powerful struggle, and the quickening of the world.

There are many gems throughout the book—words of wisdom that are so wise that they resonate off the page (into my notebook in many cases). Jeanette Winterson, for example, talks about ‘creative continuum’:

My view is that there’s a creative continuum which is central to life and that we’re hard wired in our DNA to be creative. Now there are different dilutions and doses of creativity, and in some people creativity is much stronger than in others, and those people tend to be the people who turn out to be the artists. But all of us want to participate, I think, in this creative continuum. (351)

Hanif Kureishi provides advice on plotting, John Banville talks about the value of death, and Martin Amis discusses the particular value of the poet:

what the poet does is slow things down and really examine the moment with meticulous care and meticulous meaning, beset by small fears, and really try locate a moment of significance. (309)

The book isn’t all about business though. Many of the writers provide intimate and personal glimpses of their lives, and are often quite funny. Saul Bellow comes very close to asking Koval on a date. Les Murray takes Koval on a fast paced tour of his home – the land, and even the grave of his ancestors. Toni Morrison talks about why she kept her pen name. Anne Enright discusses sex and why it’s so prevalent in her books. Barry Lopez talks passionately about global warming. Always Koval begins the process by establishing a sense of safety and trust in the author which leads to a tremendous intimacy and honesty on the part of the interviewee. Every interview is a pleasure, full of insight and wisdom. This is a delightful book that bridges the gap between author and reader.

Article first published as Book review: Speaking Volumes: Conversations with Remarkable Writers by Ramona Koval on Blogcritics.

[Lyn Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first version of this collection (Tasting Life Twice) so much that I bought this ebook update to keep - the first was borrowed from the library.
Several interviews for the first collection have been dropped and new ones added, making a stronger collection. In both collections I found authors whose work I had not read and which I would like to pursue. Joyce Carol Oates heads the list; I'd like to read at least one of Norman Mailer's novels as he rated them more highly than his nonfiction; Barry Lopez and Amos Oz who were previously unknown to me. And more.
Thank you, Ramona.

[January · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting mix of super well known authors and ones I’d never heard of. Ramona Koval is certainly a talented interviewer. She asked well researched questions and the authors are very candid. Surprisingly so sometimes.
The reason I didn’t give it a higher rating is because several times it was uncomfortable. She would ask a question that would make the interviewee uncomfortable, or she would stay on a topic that they had asked her to move away from. It made me squirmy and red faced while reading.

[Cordelia Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these interviews. Great reading for anyone who is interested in what writers have to say. I got some interesting insights into writers I had not heard of and writers I've read. I marked a lot of pages to read again. I ended up reading a few books that weren't on my radar after listening to the interviews.

[Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ramona Koval is a successful journalist, radio broadcaster, published author and editor. During her career she has interviewed countless authors (here and overseas) and is one of Australia's biggest names in books and literature.

Speaking Volumes - Conversations with Remarkable Writers is just that, a collection of interviews with some famous and some fascinating writers from across the globe.

My favourite interview from the collection was without doubt her interview with Les Murray, conducted in 1997. Les takes Ramona on a tour of his area, and her questions throughout reveal so much about the famous Australian poet, and was quite nostalgic too.

I was impressed by just how well Ramona appears to have prepared prior to each interview, demonstrating an exhaustive knowledge of her interviewee's writing without showing off. Even the writers being interviewed are sometimes surprised that she has read this or that particular work.

I was surprised and very interested to read the following quote from Martin Amis on page 309, that he: "tend[s] to read a generation behind usually" because: "time hasn't had time to weed out the excellent from the not-so-excellent..." Readers who try to stay on reading trend and only read latest releases should bear this in mind.

Published in 2010, my only complaint about Speaking Volumes was that so many of the interviews were conducted more than a decade ago. This passage of time doesn't mean the interviews aren't worth reading today, however I would have really enjoyed the inclusion of more recent material.

I recommend Speaking Volumes to readers looking to discover new authors, book-lovers who enjoy author interviews or the aspiring writer looking for pearls of wisdom or the inspiration behind some great authors.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romana Koval doesn’t quite accomplish her own goal of perfection in interviewing by her own definition of removing herself from the narrative and bringing forth the subject. Her opinions are often pronounced and sometimes even judgmental.

However I DID actually enjoy most of the interviews because she liked to highlight the personality of these authors usually more than discussing their specific works.

It’s a mixed bag of interest, as it was bound to be.

Not a one-sitting read but fun to read an interview at a time with lots to think about for every discussion with these truly Remarkable Writers.

[Rdurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed what I read of this. I just dipped in and read the interviews of writers I like, such Vidal, Banville, Amis. As ever Ian McEwan comes across as a bit up himself - you'd think someone who wrote the ending to Amsterdam, the whole of On Chesil Beach and just about everything since Saturday would be more modest! The John Le Carre interview was surprisingly (to me) good.

Ramona Koval prepares amazingly well for each interview. She seems to have read everything each author has written and everything they have ever said in public.

[Phyllis Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. I think I will buy it. Reread it. Put some postits in there to mark the names of authors I want to read. I love books that tell me about other books that I will probably love. Reassuring to know there will always be something wonderful out there to read.