Siri Hustvedt writes from beyond
In an interview with "A Rabbit's Foot," Kitty Grady talks to Siri about "the cognitive splintering that followed the death of her husband, the author Paul Auster, finding a form for her mourning, and the power of the senses in conjuring the deceased."
"When we speak, the second anniversary of Auster’s death is just around the corner. “I think he would have loved this book,” says Hustvedt, reflectively. She plans to return to the political novel she abandoned, which will necessarily become something different from when she first started. “I’m a widow and that’s an interesting experience,” she notes, citing the American political climate as another key variable. “There’s a book inside the book about eugenics, and we’re seeing the rise of this with JD Vance and birth rates, and all these proto-fascist realities coming back to haunt us.” Hustvedt, now with her knees tucked up to her chest, looks off-camera to gaze at the desk beyond her. “I’m going to put my finished pages beside me and start from scratch,” she explains. “How does one finish a novel like that? Well, I have a couple of ideas.”"
