Shakespeare and Silky: An Interview with Gillian Murray Kendall

Harvard alumna Gillian Murray Kendall is the author of the post-apocalyptic novel “The Garden of Darkness” and the upcoming fantasy novel “The Book of Forbidden Wisdom,” as well as a professor at Smith College specializing in Shakespeare, non-Shakespearean Renaissance Drama, and 17th Century poetry. Her written work delicately explores themes of familial relationships, romantic partners, and the intersection between the two. The Crimson had the opportunity to speak with her about her writing process, the influences behind her work, and the game of Buttony.

The Harvard Crimson: It seems like you had a fascinating early life. Do you see any parts of the experiences you’ve had influencing and guiding your narratives?

Gillian Murray Kendall: It’s true—I’ve gone through a lot of phases in my life. I spent a lot of time in Africa in the ’80s, then I competed in horse shows in the ’90s, and some of those experiences find themselves in my work. I can’t say that any character stands for people I know, but I just believe that everything that’s happened to you, you bring to the page. You can’t really avoid it because the whole world is filtered through your experience; so while I can’t think of anything specific except for horses—I think I got everything right about that in the book—I just believe that the whole thing is an experience filtered through time and it comes out on the page in weird ways sometimes.

THC: Tell me a bit about the intersection between your work in academia and your fiction writing.

GMK: Well, [academia] influences my work: Quotations pop up from time to time from Shakespeare, so there’s always that. I sometimes think that I don’t have much of Shakespeare in me—no one does. But honest to God, we both have problems with plot. Shakespeare stole all his plots but two, and I struggle with my plot. But more than that, when I teach Shakespeare, I can talk a lot about what kind of things Shakespeare must have read, and to me, writing comes from reading—that’s the place, the spot of inspiration. It comes out of everything that you’ve ever read—and of course there’s invention—but unless you’re part of that grand storytelling tradition, which goes back further than Shakespeare, you’re off to one side. You need to join that tradition; it’s a good thing to be part of. I tell my students that when I teach creative writing.

THC: What do you have them read?

GMK: A number of things. Hawthorne and Poe, but I also have them read the New Yorker fiction that comes out every week so it’s new for all of us, and I’ll come in and hope that I have something interesting to say. And usually the New Yorker doesn’t disappoint; the last story was called “Buttony,” and it was a great one to teach…. We had a lot of fun taking it apart, but sometimes the stories are very obscure and hard to get into. But it’s fun that we’re all together in doing it. And it’s a good feeling, and they were surprised at first when I said, “I’m reading this at the same time you are.”

THC: What’s your process for coming up with your narratives?

GMK: This relates to what I tell my students to work on too; even their essays need to have a story, a narrative that they’re telling me. I start writing, and I don’t always start at the beginning because I think that’s the hardest part. If you’re writing an essay, you know how the introductory paragraph is always a total pain. Sometimes I’ll start with a theme, or with dialogue, or with description, and I’ll hope that it goes somewhere. And usually it does because character can drive a plot.

THC: Who’s your favorite character?