Interview with Brandon McCarthy

Khayrun Gure: What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?

Brandon McCarthy: While I can’t say I disliked any author per se, I was initially not very taken with the persona of Ernest Hemingway, which partially impacted my readership of his work. Hemingway is often criticized for being terse and overly masculine, and some of the tropes in his work are now viewed poorly, considering modern sensibilities.

That said, I began reading Hemingway’s canon and became increasingly taken by the simple, direct prose. More importantly, I found a rich emotionality and vulnerability in his writing that often betrays the looming, heavy-drinking machismo he is so often associated with.

His novel Islands in the Stream was particularly touching as, on more than one occasion, there is a sense that many of the protagonist's characteristics are motivated by the love of family and internal insecurities, especially in moments where there is a sense that he is unable to protect his children. I often find something delicate and yearning in Hemingway's words, and I feel that this is probably closer to the man than the legends surrounding him.

Khayrun: Where did your idea come from? What was your inspiration when writing your work of poetry?

BM: It can be challenging to pinpoint the inspiration as many different poets and writers have influenced me over time, and my interests are constantly changing, for better or worse. Still, regarding my work in this anthology, I was primarily influenced by the works of Michael Crummey and Cassie Brown, particularly Hard Light and Death on the Ice. Both of which deal directly with history related to the outports of Newfoundland.

The piece The Loss of the Southern Cross initially began as a writing exercise I did in preparation for a prose-poetry workshop. I had recently been reading Malcolm Lowry’s Selected Poems, and having grown up close to the Atlantic Ocean, the seafaring aspects of his work interested me. This led me to revisit the other pieces I’ve noted, and from there, the idea to explore Newfoundland history through prose-poetry and vignettes came about.

KG: Why do you think it is important to write in this genre?

BM: Having grown up in Newfoundland but having spent just as much time in Ontario, I've had the fortune to look at Newfoundland culture from something of an outside perspective, even though it remains close to me in a meaningful way. As a result, my home province is frequently the topic of my writing. It felt natural that I should write these pieces as poems rather than in standard creative non-fiction, for example, since there has always been a traditional folk music element to storytelling on the island. Moreover, a cursory search of Newfoundland music reveals a breadth of history told in song. This was the driving point behind my exploration of this work as poetry, which was as close to the storytelling folk element as possible.

KG: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel?

BM: It is likely A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. This is a remarkable comedic novel in the Southern Gothic literary canon, though discussed far less than many of its counterparts. The legend is that Toole’s mother found the manuscript after his death in 1969. She then sent it off to several publishers for consideration, to no avail. Finally, after repeatedly calling the novelist Walker Percy, he agreed to read it and was stunned by how good the manuscript was. The novel was eventually published and won the Pulitzer Prize the following year, in 1981.