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European publishers and readers felt differently about the book. When Harnum died on February 9, 2005 (he was cross-country skiing, his daily wintertime ritual), the German language version of the novel, Und dann Totenstille, was a best seller for Fischer publishing, and was named one of the country's top books by Deutschland Radio.
In the middle of this exciting chapter of his life, Robert Harnum left us. But in many corners of the world-in French, in German, in Swedish, and in Portuguese-Robert Harnum is still teaching
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Bangor Metro interviewed Robert Harnum three weeks before his death at age 57. -Ed
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Brewer, South Brewer, to be exact, Ward Five-and then went to Brewer High School and the University of Maine, where I majored in French.
How did that come about?
Early on, at Brewer High, I had a French teacher I really liked, and Quebec had always fascinated me, the idea of communicating in another language, immersing oneself in a different culture. I remember going up there at 13 or 14 with my parents and just being fascinated by everything, especially by communicating with strangers I knew nothing about and sitting there on the boardwalk, gazing at all these sharp-looking females. It seemed a very long way, indeed, from Ward Five.
When did you begin writing?
1973. I was living in PEI, on a little farm overlooking the Northumberland Strait, when I started a novel. The dam broke really; it was one of those massive, tearfilled revelation-type things. The work took me 11 years to write, and has never been published. But it's how I got hooked.
Who were your role models for making you want to start writing? Other writers?
A difficult question, really. In a way I've never considered myself a writer.
Whoa, Nellie. Now what is that supposed to mean?
Well, that's probably a bit too obscure to go into at the moment, but let's just say that what I have to express is by far the most important, and that words would not be my first choice. Music is what comes the most naturally to me and always has, but sometimes we have to accept the road we're on and make it as productive as we can. That's the problem with having only one life.
But to get back to your question about role models. During college and immediately after, I read like a madman. I remember reading Ulysses by James Joyce, and that was truly a revelation, a glimpse into what could be done. But it was much too intellectual, too obtuse for me, too elitist, and perhaps, inside, I decided that there had to be a more approachable way to express that kind of complexity. At the time, I also thought that literature was, if not dead, certainly dying, and I think I believed that a new approach was needed. Everything I've written has been an attempt to express that depth in a new way.
When do you write? Do you write regularly?
When I'm onto something, I do. I always write in the morning. Three or four hours. Lost to the world. And sometimes moving painfully slow, although, with time, I've gotten faster and faster.
What do you enjoy most about writing?
Truthfully, the word "enjoy" is not one I would use. As I've stated, everything has two sides, and that goes for passion, as well. But there is an intensity, a high, when you're wrapped up in the matter of life and trying to express the truth or the beauty of it, and once you've tasted it, I'm afraid you're hooked. At least I am.
Do you write with a particular type of reader in mind?
That depends. A particular type, no. But I do write being extremely conscious of eyes having to move across the words, and those words having to create feeling in the reader. You see, the major problem with being a writer is that feeling is not direct. Not like with music or with painting, for instance. You have to rely on the filter of something we have learned-reading-and, like it or not, it's sometimes in the way. That's why I believe in the utmost simplicity when I write. Big words make for little feelings, and I do want the reader to be affected by what I do, or it's not worth doing.
While you've had success overseas, the fact that you are basically "undiscovered" here in the U.S. must be discouraging. What keeps you writing?
Good question. I'm afraid I must admit that it's gotten to me a bit more than I'd like, and the well has dried up a little. So I have been writing less, probably because of the discouragement, as you say. But it's only another obstacle to be overcome. Someone once said that what we do is only as good as the number of obstacles we've overcome to do it. Who knows if that's right or not; time will tell. But you can't stop. As far as what keeps me writing . . . this is the road I'm on, that I've been on for a long time now. I'm not going to betray who I am simply because others may have opinions.
Four of your novels have been published in Europe, and the most recent one is a best seller. What is it about your work that appeals to readers overseas?
European readers look for different things from a book. While I do make my books entertaining, I am an American, after all; the central focus of my work always has to do with what makes us tick. I try to put the reader in touch with his own experience. Europeans enjoy that aspect, that coming to grips with who they are, but Americans are often intimidated by it. We tend not to like mirrors, unless, of course, we see the reflection we want to see.
Your latest novel is about a boy who cracks and commits an atrocity at his high school. It's a current best seller in Germany and Sweden, yet it went largely unnoticed in the U.S. Does that puzzle you?
Nothing puzzles me anymore. The book was published by a small press here a couple years ago, but I think Columbine was still too fresh a wound for the publisher to really get behind it. Ironically, I wrote that novel two years before the Columbine High School tragedy. It's actually out of print now and my agent is working on getting it published here again. But again, it all has to do with what I said about entertainment vs. reality.
I must say, though, almost all people who pick this book up can't put it down. And a lot of mothers have come to me in tears thanking me for writing this book. The kids who read this book are absolutely enthralled by it.
Speaking of violence, what about your book Une Ballade Americaine? That's about as grizzly as they come, isn't it?
The book is meant, in part, as a satirical look at the American appetite for violence. It was written as a spoof of a James Patterson thriller. Among French readers, about half got the joke and laughed throughout the book; the other half thought it was one of the best (though most savage) thrillers they'd ever read. That's the risk in writing a parody-you may be taken seriously. I wrote it in two- or three-page chapters with zippy little subtitles. As a teacher, I can tell you that attention span has taken a huge hit over the last 20 years or so. Five minutes is about the max.
Reading about your books, one is struck by how different each is. Did you consciously cross styles and genres?
Yes. I had to keep myself interested, as well. There's just too much to express; existence is just too fascinating to put oneself into some kind of a mold. Alas, though, publishers like molds; they're easy to market.
Your novels are all set in Maine. Why?
I'm from Maine. It's as simple as that. These are my people. It's where the truth resides for me.
You grew up in Brewer. How did growing up in this area shape your writing?
My family had a very popular family restaurant, called Harnum's, so my life was surrounded by characters with stories to tell. All the workers from the paper mill used to come over, along with the governor from time to time. My father worked out front, while my mother did all the cooking. He was a very funny and very much loved man.
It was a storytelling culture back then. I'd walk into that place and my little ears would be filled with voices telling stories and usually swearing like pirates. It was wonderful. A great human experience. As I said, these are my people. In them is the truth that I'm trying to express.
What do you consider the most essential ingredient of a good story?
Life.
