AN INTERVIEW WITH
PROFESSOR GRAVER By Natalie Blardony / Gavel Media Staff As Boston College Professor Elizabeth Graver quietly grades her students’ papers, I knock on the door and am warmly welcomed into her sunlit office in Stokes Hall. I look around and notice her novel, End of the Point, sitting on a shelf. The novel was recently included on the long-list for the National Book Award for Fiction. This is a very prestigious award, as it is one of four National Book Awards presented to United States citizens. Being placed on the long-list puts Graver among the likes of Jhumpa Lahiri, Thomas Pynchon and seven other wildly talented authors who are all in the running for Image via Facebook
the award. I immediately congratulate Graver on the accolade. Graver says in reference to the soon-to-be-released shortlist of finalists, “I don’t really know what to expect next, but whatever happens, happens. And I’m happy either way.” On Oct. 16, after this interview was conducted, the short-list for the National Book Award was released. Professor Graver’s End of the Point was not short-listed. Graver laughs lightly as she talks about what it was like to find out that she was on the long-list for the National Book Award on the Internet while the workshop she was teaching had a break. “The students were so happy. They kept insisting that we go get ice cream immediately — to celebrate of course.” This latest novel is her fourth highly acclaimed work after Awake, The Honey Thief, and Unravelling. Graver explains that her writing process was a bit different for End of the Point. “It took me eight years to finish End of the Point because I’m not just a writer. I’m also a professor and a mother, and balancing all of that with the dedication that it takes to write
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a novel can be difficult.” She goes on to say that unlike before, she wasn’t in any hurry to put something on the market, so if it took several years to finish the novel, she was willing to give it the time it needed. “This novel was different because of the story. I had a very personal connection that inspired me to begin this, and as I began to research more and more, the rest of the pieces just came together.” End of the Point is the story of three generations of one family as they all converge at a summer place that becomes both their comfort and isolation. It is remarkably told from various points of view, and the time and love Graver put into it is apparent. But when asked where and when she found time in her busy life of being a wife, mother and much-adored professor to finish the novel, she smiles. “There’s this one place I go to. It’s basically like locking yourself in a box. I need that silence to write. When I start, I just keep going.” She goes on to describe an “artists’ colony” that she tries to frequent once a year. While there, she says, “You wander around and immerse yourself in your art. You can share what you have at the end of the day, but it’s all about inspiration and creation.” I eagerly ask for more specifics about what she usually does during
I need the silence to write. When I start, I just keep going
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October 2013
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A Mother, A Professor, and An Author
this trip and Graver chuckles. “That’s when I stay up till all hours of the night and write, ending up with lots of material but very, very little sleep.” The blood, sweat and tears figuratively poured into her work have paid off entirely for Graver. Having toured several locations over the summer for her novel, she also spoke at the Boston Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 19 for the first time. Along with four other authors, Graver addressed the topic of setting and the important role that it played in her own writings. With a copy of her work in her office, I ask if she also has the eBook version. “No, I have plenty of hard copies, but I haven’t bought a copy of my own book!” We get sidetracked in discussing eBooks as she mulls over the pros and cons of self-publishing to a Kindle market. She goes on to say that the thing about having your work solely published on an electronic market is that it could “get lost” among piles and piles of other books and stories that aren’t quite up to par. “And a lot of the time, you won’t get big reviews based off of an eBook alone.” “But then again, it’s easy and fast. And a way to get your novel seen by some people. I guess, as with everything, it has its benefits and drawbacks. If I had the option when I was trying to
put out my first book, I’m not sure what I would have done.” Regardless, Graver has produced incredible literature over the course of her literary career thus far, and for those looking for some words of wisdom from this wildly talented mother, professor and writer, she says to “read, read, read, and to move out into the world with an open and adventurous spirit—and to not be in a big rush to get published.”With a copy of her work in her office, I ask if she also has the eBook version. “No, I have plenty of hard copies, but I haven’t bought a copy of my own book!” We get sidetracked in discussing eBooks as she mulls over the pros and cons of self-publishing to a Kindle market. She goes on to say that the thing about having your work solely published on an electronic market is that it could “get lost” among piles and piles of other books and stories that aren’t quite up to par. “And a lot of the time, you won’t get big reviews based off of an eBook alone.” “But then again, it’s easy and fast. And a way to get your novel seen by some people. I guess, as with everything, it has its benefits and drawbacks. If I had the
option when I was trying to put out my first book, I’m not sure what I would have done.” Regardless, Graver has produced incredible literature over the course of her literary career thus far, and for those looking for some words of wisdom from this wildly talented mother, professor and writer, she says to “read, read, read, and to move out into the world with an open and adventurous spirit—and to not be in a big rush to get published.” Courtesy of Lee Pelligrini
CULTURE
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