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asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Do you find that Area X creeps into your daily encounters (especially with nature)? I can't help but be infiltrated by the weirdness, the slimed insidiousness, the near omnipresence of Area X. Anytime I see a rabbit bound into the ivied brush, I shudder. Do you shudder from your own creation?
Jeff VanderMeer
Good question. To be honest, I love the wilderness and although sometimes you'll have to jump over an alligator or figure out to do when a wild boar charges you, or get stalked by a panther...all of which raise your heart rate, I wouldn't trade it for anything. But, I must admit there are weird moments, mostly because your mind plays tricks. Like, hiking for the first time in Australia, I saw a flash of brown and my mind said "deer"--and out hopped a huge kangaroo. My brain kind of froze for a moment, because the expectation was something else entirely. But I also see the spiritual in nature and find it very soothing, very calming. There truly is beauty in places we think of as desolate but that are actually teeming with life.
More Answered Questions
Jessica
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Your projects tend to be a little out-of-the-box: huge anthologies that could kill people if they fell asleep reading them, books that are hard to summarize, and a writing book that was basically an art project as well. Do you ever get stuck and think, "Oh god, what am I doing? Did I bite off more than I can chew? Who is going to buy this?"
Luis Gallardo
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Hi. While I myself like to read your work in English, I find that I'm mostly unable to recommend it to all the people I would like to since most of my friends read only in Spanish. Given that the Southern Reach trilogy has been translated, are there any plans to translate the Ambergris books into Spanish in the near future?
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