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Tell us something about Romanzo, your highly acclaimed novel.

It’s the story of a young English woman who gets caught up in a dangerous environment in Italy because she is vulnerable and unable to see the implications of accepting favours from the wrong people. In the process, however, she finds love, and the strength to get her life back under control. She becomes the architect of her own destiny.

Has it been inspired by the Godfather as the words Italy and Mafia don’t come in the same line often?

Not directly, although I did fall in love with Al Pacino when I saw the Godfather movies, and I’ve seen them all many times! What I talk about in my novel is ‘Mafia’ as a pervasive state of mind. It’s about allowing other people to manipulate you and the choices you make in exchange for favours and some sort of immediate gain, but the implications of those favours can be devastating. This is a theme that goes beyond Italy. The real Mafia was created in 19th century Sicily in Italy to provide some social order – a kind of local government that rapidly degenerated into an oligarchy of a few families controlling the Sicilian territory. That has nothing to do with modern Italy. The different forms of underworld that exist today are not local heroes. They have developed into ruthless machines to create profit from crime, and it’s because of the complete lack of leadership the government and state has exerted in poorer parts of the country. Even the industrious north of Italy is now susceptible, and while many judges are trying to fight this evolution, there is little support from the government.

How long did you take to complete the book? Any regrets about the book?

It took about four years to complete because it was my first novel. I’d only written academic papers and translations before that so I paid the price of inexperience. I ended up doing a lot of rewriting. The next one will be much faster! I wish it hadn’t taken so long, but no regrets other than the delay.

Some incidents in your life are similar to what happened in Marsya’s life ( both went to Milan to teach English). How similar are you to her?

James Joyce also taught English in Italy! I might have ended up like Marsya( the protagonist of the novel – Romanzo) if I hadn’t made certain choices. In that sense it’s a cautionary tale. It’s a projection of what might have happened to me. The book uses settings and situations that are very familiar to me, but I am not Marsya.

If you would have written the book in 1990 (you were literary inclined even then), would the book come out differently?

That’s a great question! The book is actually set in 1992, the year I moved to Milan to work. Italy was in total upheaval because of major corruption scandals involving leading politicians and entrepreneurs. Every day there were arrests, spectacular trials and even suicides. Reading the newspaper was like reading a war bulletin, and people were flooding into the Piazzas to demonstrate for a more just and honest society. It was an exciting moment because Italy was still a country with the potential to change. If I’d written the book then, I’d have been a lot more optimistic about Italy. Sadly, since then it has taken the wrong decisions, and under the Berlusconi governments corruption has flourished. Many Italians have passively delegated the building of their future to somebody else, the ‘strong man’. Tolerance of bribery, corruption, organized crime, general neglect of public property has been lowered to an untenable level. Indifference has taken over participation, and the foundational elements for wealth and competitiveness have been systematically neglected. There is so much talent in Italy that is totally wasted because people get jobs and promotions on the basis of the politicians they know instead of merit. While Italy remains seductively beautiful, and somewhere I would always encourage people to go on vacation, it is not a country that nurtures talent and potential. Individual privileges are pursued regardless of the implications for society, and compliance and indifference are rewarded instead of talent and determination. Italy is a country which in the last 40 years has squandered hundreds of years of intellectual and cultural excellence and where a fringe party like the Lombardy League has had the opportunity to destroy national unity.

As a writer, what is your take on movies being made on books? Did you keep in mind the fact that the book could be made into a film while writing it?

Cinema, along with literature, has always been my greatest passion. Although I consider them two very separate fields of human endeavour, undeniably I’ve been influenced in my writing by the thousands of movies I’ve seen over the years. While I was writing I found it helpful to structure the story as a sequence of scenes, the way you would do with a movie. I often daydream about actors who could play Marsya and Marco, like Carey Mulligan, Elio Germano, or Riccardo Scamarcio.

If made into a film, which director would do justice to your book?

The most obvious choice would be Gabriele Muccino, an extraordinary Italian filmmaker who has also had success in the USA with ‘ The Pursuit of Happiness’ and ‘Seven Pounds’. But there are many Italian directors I admire, like Salvatores, Garrone, Martone, Virzi’, Marco Tullio Giordana, Paolo Sorrentino, Luisa Comencini. We now live in Canada, and Atom Egoyan comes to mind.

Do you think the concept of writer’s block is more of a personal problem than a writing issue?

I think it has to do with fear, and that is both a personal and a writing issue. If you really have something to say, then I believe the only solution is to create a solid structure and then write, so you discover it’s not so bad after all!

Which writers have influenced you?

I studied English Literature at London university, and reading great writers inhibited me because I knew I could never measure up to them. Over the years I realised that contemporary literature is all about telling a good story well. There are so many great story tellers today. In the case of ‘ Romanzo’, I was inspired after reading ‘ Disgrace’ by Coetzee. He tells that story with masterful economy.

What is the role of social networking and publicity for today’s writers? Does it have any disadvantages?

Today’s writers have a unique opportunity to be in direct contact with their readers and colleagues while sitting at their desks. The potential is unlimited, and Twitter allows you to interact instantly with people from all over the world. Writers work alone, but through the internet you feel you always have company. The disadvantage is that authors are now required to spend a lot of time marketing themselves. This can be very time consuming, but also exhilarating.

What is the most difficult part of getting published (from the process of writing the manuscript till the book is in your hands)?

For me, the most difficult part is creating the right structure, a story line that flows and allows you to include all the aspects you want to cover in a satisfying tale. But once you create that structure it becomes a vessel and the writing can flow into it.

Kindly tell us about your future projects? (writing and non-writing)

I am always involved with writing as I write and edit for an organization called ‘Intelligent Management’. We promote a holistic approach to managing organizations using cause and effect logic to identify solutions for achieving their full potential. We have a new book coming out in the autumn by the founder, Domenico Lepore, and we’re working on a new website right now. In terms of my next novel, I want to write about my experience of Brooklyn, New York, where I lived for three years. I established lasting friendships with extraordinary people from the Chassidic community called Chabad, and as a non-Jew it has been enriching and enlightening. I would like to capture some of that, maybe in the form of a mystery.

What genre of books do you read? Who is your favorite author and why?

I read a lot of non-fiction connected with business, but I recently enjoyed ‘ The Last Station: a novel of Tolstoy’s Last Year’ by Jay Parini, ‘The History of Love’ by Nicole Krauss, several books by Israeli author A.B. Yehoshua and also Nick Hornby. Roberto Saviano is an important young Italian writer, and I just bought ‘The Solitude of Prime Numbers’ by Paolo Giordano. My ‘favourite’ author, however, is Samuel Beckett. I spent several years studying his works for my PhD. His ability to take writing to its illogical conclusion is unparalleled.

Your advice to young authors, poets and artists?

Persist. No matter how good other writers are, you are unique. And no matter how good you are, you can always be better with practice. Keep writing and find a support group or a mentor that can give reliable feedback, not just admiration. If you have access to a good writing course either locally or over the internet go for it. I’ve seen people make rapid progress with the right kind of guidance.

EBOOK GIVEAWAY!!

Rules:  We have three ebook copies to give out.  Simply let us know the last favor you accepted, which turned out to be nothing but a favor in disguise.  What happened?  How did it turn out?

We will pick three random winners on Monday August 15th.

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