Interview with Paul Kearney

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Given the choice, would you take a New York Times bestseller, or a World Fantasy Award? Why, exactly?

PK: I'll take the bestseller - I'm not proud! As O Brian's Jack Aubrey says passionately at one point; 'I have always been poor, and I long to be rich!' Every author wants to be read - more than good reviews or literary prizes, he want to see people buying his book - and dare I say it's not just for the sake of filthy lucre - it's for the satisfaction of communicating your own vision of the world to others. Sounds pretentious, but in essence I think it's what lies at the heart of writing. The money, well that's a nice little fringe benefit.

Honestly, do you believe that the fantasy genre will ever come to be recognized as veritable literature? Truth be told, in my opinion there has never been this many good books/series as we have right now, and yet there is still very little respect (not to say none) associated with the genre.

PK: Yes and no. In some respects we're halfway there already. Tolkien is literature, as is C S Lewis. I believe John Crowley is literature, and James Blaylock and Graham Joyce and half a dozen others. But I think the multi-volume series is what anchors fantasy firmly in the literary gutter (and I should know, since I've been churning it out with the best of them!)

No matter how good the series is - and I agree that there are some spanking good ones out there at the moment - it will still be dismissed as a Tolkien clone. I think the most inventive books in publishing are in the fantasy and sci-fi genres at the moment. Look at what is published these days - crime thrillers, chick-lit, celebrity tie-ins. And then there's the Booker stuff, which in a way is as formulaic as anything else, since it's written with such self-conscious cleverness. At least fantasy still has blood in its veins, enthusiasm, vigor - and that's something to be thankful for. On the other hand, there is a hell of a lot of crap out there too? I doubt if that answers your question, but I'm in two minds about it myself. I read something like Deadhouse Gates, and am filled with optimism, then catch sight of Eragon, and realize there's a long way to go.

Now that you are at Bantam, are there any plans to re-release your older novels? The Way to Babylon, A Different Kingdom and Riding the Unicorn are all well-regarded critically but have been out of print for many years, and the earlier Monarchies of God books also seem to be out of print as well. And do you still plan to bring out a revised edition of Ships from the West?

PK: Gollancz at one point promised to bring out an omnibus edition of the Monarchies, but truth to tell, the logistics of getting all five books into one volume are pretty formidable, so they gave up. Bantam have expressed an interest in reissuing all five books (with the last one revised) as soon as the rights lapse from Gollancz, which will be another year or two. So they will see the light of day again. As far as my first three books go, I doubt they'll be reprinted, which is a shame, as Kingdom is the best thing I've ever written. But business is business.