Richard Ford Interview: Art is Heavy Lifting
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- Watch Richard Ford on escaping the ‘southern writer’ label and how writing a novel is satisfyingly hard work: “Why should it be simple? Why shouldn’t it be a clerical nightmare? Why shouldn’t it take four years? That’s what I want it to be - a masterpiece.”
“What’s true in a literary sense… is that the United Stated is not parochial. It’s quite inviting of art and arts to migrate around the country.” Ford grew up in Mississippi, but feels that this does not define him as a writer in spite of what many seem to think: “… people will argue that if you’re a southerner you are in fact born invested with certain kinds of qualities - I think that’s horseshit.” In fact, Ford feels that growing up in Mississippi might as well have caused him to become a lawyer or a Marine Corps officer.
“Art is heavy lifting,” Ford continues, comparing writing to his first experience with art - traditional southern blues, which he found to be a very physical thing. In continuation of this, putting hard work and several years into a book is a natural part of the way he works: “For me to organize all this material is very much like heavy lifting. It’s very physical. I’m sort of a physical person much more than a mental person.”
Richard Ford (b. 1944) is an American novelist and short story writer. Among his best-known works are his short story collection ‘Rock Springs’ (1987), the novel ‘Canada’ (2012) as well as the novel ‘The Sportswriter’ (1986) (proclaimed by Time Magazine to be one of the 100 best novels written in English) and its sequels ‘Independence Day’ (1995), ‘The Lay of the Land’ (2006) and ‘Let Me Be Frank With You’ (finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - 2014), all featuring Frank Bascombe. Ford is the recipient of several prestigious awards such as the 2013 Prix Femina Étranger (for ‘Canada’), 2001 PEN/Malamud Award for excellence in short fiction, the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award (for ‘Independence Day’) and the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (for ‘Independence Day’).
Richard Ford was interviewed by Synne Rifbjerg at the Louisiana Literature festival at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark in August 2015.
Camera: Jakob Solbakken
Edited by: Klaus Elmer
Produced by: Marc-Christoph Wagner
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2016 
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Man his eyes are intense!
I'm on his side in the war for literature. Good one, thanks!
What a beautiful setting.
A likewise embodiment of Faulkner - “Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” Ford covets the golden key.
His wish as a writer was "to write masterpieces." He surely succeeded in that. Both "The Sportswriter" and "Independence Day" qualify. Actually, most everything he's written qualifies, IMHO.
"I don't want them to see me sweat, but I don't mind sweating so they Don't See me Sweat" - Richard Ford, I Hear U Bro 💯
Thanks for uploading this.
So interesting to hear that his ambition is for the work..
Wonderful
He looks like Henry fonda sitting there in the cool shade talking about growing up ✌️ 📚 🇮🇪
One review of his second book ranked it with The Power and the Glory and Under the Volcano. So it did garner some good reviews, albeit undeservedly.
Richard Ford is awesome. :)
He spit in the face of an African American author who dared to give him a negative review. He shot up a book written by another author who gave him a negative review and had it sent to her. His books are full of subtle racism and not so subtle sexism. Yeah, he's a total winner :)
@@opolloqo6121 Can you give us and locate for us some examples of what you feel is subtle racism? It is too easy to make such accusations and I think you would agree that it is a serious allegation that merits evidence. You say "full of" so presumably it is easy for you to see it. So far I just haven't.
@@richardburton5706 I have to agree, I have read all of his books and I can't say I have encountered any racism
I have not read any of his work but judging from this interview I would say he doesn't like the south
@@opolloqo6121 … liar 🤥
Ich lese grad Unabhängigkeitstag von ihm, was sich bisher (um Seite 100), wenn ich es selbst betiteln dürfte "aus dem Lebens eines Immobilienmaklers", zeigt. Mal was ganz Anderes aber warum nicht?
He is a wanderfoul guy. He arrived in Mississipi, Louisiana, US, but he lived in other US's states. He could have been the US's President very well, as a leader, like Obama for instance. This proves the heart in Us about black and white every day and nowadays also.
I just into Texas, after 40 years abroad. I am irritated by any number of things, but being told "no problem", after saying "Thankyou", to a kid with blue hair really, really, pisses me off.
Really??…… THATS what REALLY pisses you off. Seek help
no comments ? only me ? cool .
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According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from people that they know - more than from any other source.
Hence the generation of 'user' reviews.
This guy spat in Colson Whitehead’s face and sent Alice Hoffman a book filled with bullet holes after they both gave his books negative reviews. Yikes, someone can’t take criticism...
he's a hero for doing that. he's old school. enough of these moronic snowflakes
Wow, I didn't know about that. A sad thing because his character Bascombe is a wise guy with all his shortcomings.