Joanna Kavenna: 'We all make fictions about the future'

Joanna Kavenna: 'We all make fictions about the future'

Author: Fictionable February 23, 2025 Duration: 27:18

After hearing from Helga Schubert, Ben Sorgiovanni, Julian George and Rachida Lamrabet, we bring this Winter series of podcasts to a close with Joanna Kavenna and her short story Notes on the Future.


Kavenna tells us how this story was born from an obsession with patterns and a robust detachment from her characters.


"I like to have quite questing narrators," she says, "who are desperately trying to find meaning in a world that keeps depriving them of meaning. Which is probably quite autobiographical."


When you’re writing, Kavenna continues, you’re constantly forced up against the gap between language and the world. But it’s a question that none of us can avoid.


"All of us are in this," she explains, "whether we like to be or not. And it’s this strange illogic logic that we’re all existing within."


While the characters in Kavenna’s novel A Field Guide to Reality are in pursuit of a book that will answer all their questions, Notes on the Future begins when a book which promises to reveal the future is found. But according to Kavenna the future is "a massive area of complete, unknowable fiction" for us all.


"There’s something quite powerful about the predictions of the future that we all make," she says, "because we’re more likely – potentially – to unravel things towards them."


Even if we could conjure a world in which we know everything, it’s not clear that we would want to take that path.


"Would we want to know the full remit of the future," Kavenna asks, "or would that be actually the most horrifying nightmare of all?"


The AI-driven future imagined in the author’s novel Zed takes her characters dangerously close to that precipice.


"I felt really sorry for them," she admits, "because I put them in this dystopia, which seemed really unfair after spending so long with them."


Five years after Zed hit the shelves, that future is coming down the track with alarming speed.


"If you’re going to be compelled to live in a certain reality," Kavenna says, "it would be nice to be asked. And I think that’s the major political question that we now have."


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Fictionable is a space for those drawn to the compact power of short stories and the vivid narratives of graphic fiction. Each episode delves into the craft and culture surrounding these forms, featuring conversations with the writers and artists themselves. We explore the techniques behind compelling brevity, the unique challenges of visual storytelling, and the diverse literary scenes influencing work today. The discussion often extends to broader book chat, examining how these shorter pieces fit into the wider landscape of reading and creativity. It’s a podcast built for curious readers who find entire worlds in a few pages or panels, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the stories published in the Fictionable collection. You’ll hear about inspiration, process, and the personal connections that fuel these works, all sourced from a global community of creators. The aim is to deepen appreciation for the art form while celebrating the voices shaping it. This isn’t just analysis; it’s an invitation into the ongoing conversation between author, artist, and audience. Join us for a thoughtful and engaging exploration of narrative in its most concentrated and visually dynamic forms.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 59

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