Samantha Harvey: 'This is what fiction can do'

Samantha Harvey: 'This is what fiction can do'

Author: Fictionable July 18, 2024 Duration: 34:26

The weather may be up the spout but it's still summer, so it's time for another batch of Fictionable podcasts. We'll be hearing from Susan Muaddi Darraj, Carolina Bruck, Patrick Cash and Jack Klausner in this summer season. But Summer opens with Samantha Harvey and her mighty short story Bona Fide Nihon-kitsch.


If you haven't read it already, you might want to head over there before you hit play, because Harvey got straight to the nub of things as soon as we started talking.


She told us how she got started on a story that looks death square in the face. Sitting beside someone in their last days, "You know that you should be feeling something splendidly profound," Harvey says, "but you can't quite find what it is."


Time grinds to a halt, with normal life suspended – just as it is for the astronauts in her latest novel, Orbital. Set across a fractured day on the International Space Station, Harvey says she relished the challenge of translating that "extremely rich visual world to the world of black marks on a white page", but struggled to feel "it was all right for me to write it in this age of great veracity".


"I wonder why this would be interesting to anybody," she asked herself, "that some woman in Wiltshire has made up some stuff about being in space."


In the end she decided to give herself permission, Harvey adds, "and it just has to be good enough".


"This is what fiction can do," she says. "I believe in fiction."


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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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