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Deborah
Kay Davies
was born in Pontypool in South Wales.
Her first collection of poetry, Things
You Think I Don't Know, was published by Parthian in 2006.
Her stories have been published in various anthologies and broadcast on
BBC Radio 4. She has a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing from
Cardiff University, where she now teaches creative writing.
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Short
Story Collections
Grace,
Tamar and
Laszlo the Beautiful
(Parthian, 2008)
Winner, Wales Book of
the Year 2009
reviewed
by Brian
George
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Interview
with Deborah Kay Davies
The
Short Review:
How long did it take you to write all the stories in your collection?
Deborah Kay Davies: It took about 10 years altogether. I was doing other things along the way.
TSR:
Did you
have a collection in mind when you were writing them?
DKD: No, I was working on an MA and PhD, and the stories were part of that.
TSR:
How did
you choose which stories to include and in what order?
DKD: I
weeded a lot of stories out of my PhD dissertation and used the ones
that hung together - they seemed to be about two people, who I finally
made into the sisters Grace and Tamar. Then I wrote some new
narratives, to fill in the gaps.
TSR:
What
does the word "story"
mean to you?
DKD:
Ouch, difficult question. Something you fall into and claw your way up
from? Something you dive into and swim about in? Something you walk
through and stumble out of? I don't have a definitive answer. Something
that speaks to you, that you care about, that stays with you. Or not ...
TSR:
Do you have a reader in mind when you write stories?
DKD:
Firstly, myself. If I'm interested, that's all I can worry about.
TSR: Is
there
anything you'd like to ask someone who has read your collection,
anything at all?
DKD: Did you enjoy reading it? Did it grip you?
TSR: How does
it feel knowing that people are buying your book?
DKD It feels fantastic. Such a wonderful bonus!
TSR:
What are you working on now?
DKD:
A novel called True Things About Me. Canongate are publishing it in July 2010.
TSR:
What are
the three most recent short story collections you've read?
DKD: Clare Wigfall's new collection, which I enjoyed. Norman Schwenk's My Dog Can Talk: quietly wonderful. And Alice Munro.
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