A Goodreads user
asked
Jo Walton:
Hi Jo, I love your diverse range of books. The only other writer I can think of who writes across so many genres is Michael Faber. However, I tried to recommend your books to someone and they said, no thanks, she writes fantasy. I tried to explain to them you're more broad than that. However, it made me curious how you feel to be considered a Science fiction and fantasy writer and if that's how you think of yourself?
Jo Walton
I love SF and Fantasy, and I certainly think of myself as working within that genre. I read widely in all kinds of genres, but SF and fantasy is what's exciting to me, that's where I'm coming from.
Somebody who had read my first novel said to me in an encouraging tone that it was good, and I could write a real book. To me, that's her loss, and the same with your friend, if people dismiss things being written within genre as inherently inferior to "real books" then they're losing out on a lot of excellent thought provoking things. I see an edge of that in your question too, in saying my work is "more broad than that". No, SF and fantasy is broad enough to have plenty of room for what I'm interested in doing. I don't feel even slightly tainted by the fact what I write is in genre. I don't think genre is narrower than mainstream literature -- indeed, the opposite, I think it's broader.
If it's the case that all novels are about human nature, writing within genre gives you wider scope to discuss it -- if it can for instance be contrasted with alien nature or elf nature or robot nature. I discussed this in detail in my essay on Middlemarch on Tor.com, which is also in "What Makes This Book So Great". I think a lot of "literary" writers are also coming to this conclusion, which is why we've seen books like "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" and "Never Let Me Go" and "Life After Life".
I'm proud of being considered a Science fiction and fantasy writer.
Somebody who had read my first novel said to me in an encouraging tone that it was good, and I could write a real book. To me, that's her loss, and the same with your friend, if people dismiss things being written within genre as inherently inferior to "real books" then they're losing out on a lot of excellent thought provoking things. I see an edge of that in your question too, in saying my work is "more broad than that". No, SF and fantasy is broad enough to have plenty of room for what I'm interested in doing. I don't feel even slightly tainted by the fact what I write is in genre. I don't think genre is narrower than mainstream literature -- indeed, the opposite, I think it's broader.
If it's the case that all novels are about human nature, writing within genre gives you wider scope to discuss it -- if it can for instance be contrasted with alien nature or elf nature or robot nature. I discussed this in detail in my essay on Middlemarch on Tor.com, which is also in "What Makes This Book So Great". I think a lot of "literary" writers are also coming to this conclusion, which is why we've seen books like "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" and "Never Let Me Go" and "Life After Life".
I'm proud of being considered a Science fiction and fantasy writer.
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more