Brian Salyards
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
I often look at the world and wondering how an intelligent being from "somewhere else" would view things. I find this enjoyable and based on your writing I would imagine you do too. When I voice my observations people look at me like I am an alien. Reading your work makes me think in even newer and weirder ways. Thank you. And, in your opinion, what is the true value of weirdos in modern society?
Jeff VanderMeer
Thanks, Brian. The truth is we need a sea-change in our attitude toward Earth and our place in it, and trying to observe the world from alien perspectives is a valuable part of trying to visualize that. I'm dedicated to this in all of my fiction and although it's impossible to truly get beyond our human perspective, the effort, even in failing, can bring us closer to new and healthier ways to view our environment.
More Answered Questions
Christopher Walborn
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
As a reader, one of the best things about discovering a new author is the opportunity to discover additional writers through following the author's influences, peers, and the new writers championed by the author. What authors or specific works would you like to introduce to someone who's mostly familiar with "literary" classics? (I don't like the literary/genre dichotomy, but what easier way to describe it?)
David
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
You pull off a very tricky thing in The Southern Reach by making a story where relatively small events bloom, over the course of the book, into much creepier horrors *interiorly,* with characters who do a lot of analysis and rumination. How do you maintain so much tension under a quiet surface? And what authors have you drawn from in doing it?
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