Jul 16, 2008
Jennifer
Haigh is a novelist and short story writer (especially for
Granta) whose latest novel at the time of this interview was
'The
Condition'. In this interview with Claudia Cragg, Ms. Haigh
discusses this new work which relates the story of a dysfunctional
New England family struggling toward normalcy with the
children of a resentful, controlling mother, Paulette, and a
distracted, needy father Frank. Even during a childhood in idyllic
Cape Cod, there are hints of a rocky future. At the core of this
are explorations in fine prose of the family, identity, gender and
rebellion, all woven masterfully into a compelling tale.
Ms Haigh also discusses her literary influences, the way she writes
(in long hand for novels), her own family and the tendency of old
boyfriends to try and spot themselves in her work.
Her first book,
Mrs. Kimble, won the 2004
PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction. Her second,
Baker Towers, was a New York Times bestseller
and won the 2006 PEN/L.L. Winship Award for outstanding book by a
New England author. Both have been published in nine languages.
Other fiction has been published in
Granta,
Ploughshares,
Five Points, Good Housekeeping and other places. Born and
raised in western Pennsylvania, Jennifer Haigh is a graduate of
Dickinson College and the
Iowa Writers' Workshop. She now lives in the Boston area but
says she "doesn't get out much". She maintains a large, lively
circle of imaginary friends.