Diana Janney is the author of the new novel A Man of Understanding. Her other novels include The Choice.
Q: What inspired
you to write A Man of Understanding, and how did you create your characters
Blue and Horatio?
A: One inspiration
came from my many visits to the mountains in the north of Mallorca, where the
novel is principally set.
The area’s natural
beauty, combined with its focus on the arts seemed the perfect setting for a
novel that explores the importance of the arts as a means of expression,
especially in times of loss and grief, which the narrator Blue is experiencing,
his parents having been killed in a car accident before the story begins.
Blue’s
grandfather, poet-philosopher Horatio Hennessy, whom, mysteriously, Blue has
never met, is to be his guardian, so Blue is sent to Mallorca to live with
Horatio in his Finca.
Another
inspiration for writing A Man of Understanding was my background in philosophy.
I was an undergraduate and postgraduate in Philosophy at University College,
London, and the subject continues to fascinate me.
I weave philosophy
into all my novels, making it come alive in an accessible way that is
interesting to readers, whether or not they have previous knowledge of the
subject.
Horatio is
fascinated by what great philosophers such as Aristotle, Kant, Hume, Descartes
think about subjects such as aesthetics, virtue, courage, friendship, love, the
soul.
Horatio chooses as
a role model for Blue the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who was orphaned
at a similar age to Blue, and was then taught about poetry and rhetoric by his
uncle.
Poetry was another
inspiration for the novel. My first poems were published at a young age in the
school magazine, and I have continued to write poetry ever since. My poems have
proved very popular in my novels, even to those who don’t usually read poetry.
In a novel, the
reader already understands a great deal about the characters’ life experiences
and emotions that are behind their poetry, which gives perspective to their
poems.
I created Horatio
as a character who would fit well with the environment in which the story is
set.
In a sense, he
reflects this part of Mallorca, he personifies the elements that have drawn so
many celebrated names in the arts to have lived in the north of the island –
Robert Graves, Chopin, George Sand, to name a few.
Horatio is
particularly learned in the arts. They matter to him. He wants to show his
grandson why they matter. He tries to help Blue to overcome his grief through
embracing the arts, especially poetry, and philosophy. Horatio seems to be as
strong and resilient as the mountains around him …but is he?
I created Blue as
an only child, sensitive, reflective, who is bewildered at first by his
enigmatic grandfather.
Initially, the two
of them seem very different, not just in age. Blue is introverted, quiet,
inexperienced, untravelled, whereas Horatio is a talented published poet, an
extrovert, knowledgeable, charismatic, widely travelled.
How will these two
seemingly diverse characters get on? What will bring them together? Do they
have more in common than they realise? And what will they learn from the relationship
about themselves, about each other, about other characters in the novel, about
life? When secrets are uncovered, how will they react?
Blue has left
behind the only home in England he has ever known to start a new life with
Horatio, filled with unexpected happenings that he could never have anticipated,
and there are interesting consequences for them both.
Q: Can you say
more about the dynamic between grandfather and grandson?
A: The creation
and understanding of poetry is a powerful dynamic that changes the lives of
Blue and Horatio. Both learn from the experience in different ways.
It’s a very moving
part of the story when they create their first poem together and discover
through doing so that they can express their emotions and address questions
that they were unable to address through conversation.
Similarly with
philosophy, both characters learn from this powerful shared interest. There are
moments when Blue’s questions lead Horatio to reflect in ways he hasn’t
reflected before, and at times the initial master/pupil relationship is
reversed.
It is the
beginning of a dynamic journey of discovery for them both.
Q: How was the
novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: I considered
hundreds of titles before deciding on A Man of Understanding. It is a
multi-layered story and so there are many aspects from which to draw. However,
none of the titles seemed quite right.
Eventually, I
opened the Bible and read what I saw on the page. It was Proverbs 10:23, “…a
man of understanding hath wisdom.”
This seemed the
perfect description of Horatio in every sense of the word “understanding.” He
is intelligent and understands many subjects. He is understanding in that he is
empathetic to the needs of others. He “gets” people. And he is a wise character
(much of the time). The question is, will Blue become a man of understanding
too?
Q: What do you
hope readers take away from the story?
A: A good
question, and one that I ask myself regularly while I’m writing a novel. For
me, it’s important to make readers reflect on ideas that they may not have
considered before, or at least to offer a different perspective. I aim to
create interesting characters who stay in the memory long after the story is
over.
I hope that
readers will feel that when they close the book, they are leaving behind real
characters whom they will miss, as I do. I hope that readers will take from the
story reflections for their minds, love for their hearts, and a desire to tell
others how much they have enjoyed A Man of Understanding!
Q: What are you
working on now?
A: I’ve finished
the first draft of my next novel, due out in 2025. I believe strongly in the
importance of reading and rereading my work, rewriting any parts with which I’m
not entirely happy, until I’m confident that the story is exactly as I want it
to be.
There are some
similar themes in my new novel to those in A Man of Understanding: the
importance of the arts (the main character is a musician) and philosophy, and again
the story is interwoven with poetry. However, the story and characters are very
different from those in A Man of Understanding.
Q: Anything else
we should know?
A: I am very proud
that A Man of Understanding was the Runner-Up in the People’s Book Prize, Fiction
category, of which Frederick Forsyth C.B.E. is the patron emeritus and the late
Dame Beryl Bainbridge was the founding patron.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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