Melanie Mitzner
Author Interview - Melanie Mitzner
Author of Slow Reveal
Set in 1990s New York, Slow Reveal paints a portrait of artists who defy the arbiters of culture and challenge social norms. Art, addiction and family dynamics capsize the Kanes when they discover the parallel life of Katharine, film editor, mother, lover and wife.
“A poem is never finished, only abandoned,” wrote Paul Valéry, an outcome echoed in her decade-long affair with Naomi, a lesbian poet. Katharine’s marriage to Jonathan collapses in his struggle with sobriety when he’s ostracized for politicizing art and abandons his career for advertising. Faced with confrontations from her two grown daughters, an installation artist and an aspiring writer, Katharine hangs onto her former life. When unforeseen tragedy strikes, devotion and commitment are not the guardrails that keep their work or relationships on track but rather a form of entrapment.
A captivating story about relevance at the end of the 20th century, the novel questions the voracious demands of contemporary society through a riveting portrayal of turbulent family life, impacted by art shaped by the media and influenced by social and political injustice. Success is redefined by the courage to embark on the artistic process, as risky, messy and unpredictable as building intimacy and trust in love.
Author Interview - Melanie Mitzner
Author I draw inspiration from: Where do I start? I have very eclectic taste and while many of these authors don't reflect my writing style, they do inspire me. Flannery O'Connor was my first love with her wit and incomparable characterization. The philosophy of Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. The spare yet impactful prose of Deborah Levy. The family dynamics of Ann Patchett, Julia Glass, Nicole Krauss and Meg Wolitzer, chosen family as well. Sarah Schulman, erudite in some work and emotionally charged in others. The brilliance of Jeanette Winterson and Toni Morrison. Bernadine Evaristo's highly imaginative structure. Maggie O'Farrell's crafted portraits. Rebecca Makkai's sensitive portrayal of the AIDS crisis in The Great Believers. Jonathan Franzen's laser sharp prose. The edginess of A.M. Homes and Ottessa Moshfegh. Andre Dubus III and his riveting plots. Hanya Yanagihara's take on the zeitgeist of real and imagined worlds. Dan Chaon's literary handling of bizarre plotlines. Vivid portrayal of relationships in Ken Harvey's The Book of Casey Adair. The fierce independence of Dana Spiotta characters. Well, I could go on and on...
Author Interview - Melanie Mitzner | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: At my desk and in bed.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Sabine in Ann Patchett's The Magician's Assistant because she'd be able to talk me down :).
Author Interview - Melanie Mitzner | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: As a little girl who spent Saturday afternoons in the library, reading as much as I could and returning home with a pile of books to get me through the rest of the week.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I like hardback, paperback, ebook. Not a fan of audiobooks. I prefer to read in silence.
The last book I read: Jonathan Franzen's Crossroads
Author Interview - Melanie Mitzner | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Both. Mainly computer but when I'm stuck I like to write in longhand.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Sam in Dana Spiotta's Wayward
Author Interview - Melanie Mitzner | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Ironically, a voice-over artist (but not for audio books).
Favorite decade in fashion history: The 80s.
Place I’d most like to travel: Sicily
My signature drink: Bordeaux and Pinot Noir
Favorite artist: Nicke Gorney and Mark Rothko
Number one on my bucket list: Anywhere I can read, write and walk.
Anything else you'd like to add: Writing is life affirming to me. I don't think I could live without it. Humanity is endlessly fascinating to me. Family dynamics are a major focus in my work. From the one you're born into and the one(s) you choose. Always fascinated by the complexity, the hierarchy, the history, how early childhood informs our relationships and how to portray these in an artful way.
Find more from the author:
Melanie Mitzner website: melaniemitzner.com
Twitter: @MelanieMitzner - https://twitter.com/melaniemitzner
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/public/Melanie-Mitzner
Instagram: @MelanieMitzner https://www.instagram.com/melaniemitzner/
Author Bio: Melanie Mitzner's novel Slow Reveal will be published on May 3, 2022 by Inanna Publications, York University, Toronto. Awarded an Edward Albee Fellowship for her play Personal Effects, her screenplay Dodge and Burn was a finalist in the Writers Guild East Foundation Fellowships. In the Name of Love and Out to Lunch were finalists in the Houston
Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. She received a fellowship from M.E.T. Theater and
fiction grants from Vermont Studio Center and Summer Literary Seminars. An excerpt of her
novel Too Good to Be True was published in Harrington Lesbian Literary Quarterly.
Her work appears in Vol1Brooklyn, Wine Spectator, Hamptons, Bloom, The Groovy Mind blog, Society for Curious Thought, Broadcast Week, Millimeter and Video Systems. Her poem “On Be[longing]” was sold at Centre d’art E.K. Voland in Montréal.
