Author Talk: June 29, 2016
Beatriz Williams follows up her Schuyler Sisters trilogy (THE SECRET LIFE OF VIOLET GRANT, TINY LITTLE THING and ALONG THE INFINITE SEA) with A CERTAIN AGE, a stand-alone novel that brings the Roaring Twenties brilliantly to life in an enchanting tale of intrigue, romance and scandal in New York Society. In this interview, Williams discusses Der Rosenkavalier, the Strauss opera that serves as the direct inspiration for the book, how she adapted the opera’s characters to make them more dimensional for a modern audience, and how she researches her meticulously detailed historical fiction (hint: Google doesn’t hurt!).
Question: Your novels are set in various time periods across the 20th century, from the teens to the 1960s. Why did you choose 1920s New York as the setting for A CERTAIN AGE?
Beatriz Williams: I can’t remember exactly when or why I had the idea to adapt Richard Strauss’ wonderful opera Der Rosenkavalier into a novel --- I think I’ve always been fascinated by the character of the Marschallin, so exquisitely drawn and so timeless --- but I knew I had to set my book in 1920s New York. This story is all about the negotiation between old and new, sometimes delicate and sometimes fierce, on so many levels: youth versus middle age, new money versus old money, present versus past. That’s exactly where we --- as a civilization --- found ourselves in 1920, in the wake of the First World War and the profound changes in science, art, technology and human society that swept in with it. And of course, New York in the Jazz Age was so glamorous, gritty and multifaceted in the same way as Vienna in the 18th century, which was the opera’s original setting.
Q: Why do you like to write about the past? What about these time periods draw you?
BW: I’m simply passionate about history. I’m passionate, in particular, about the vast transformation that took place, in ebbs and surges, across the landscape of Western culture during the extraordinary 20th century, as a result of both human events --- war, economic depression --- and human ingenuity. With every book, I want to ask how we got here, how we sailed this ship into these waters, what we have gained and what we have lost. And most importantly, what has remained unchanged in all this, and that’s human nature. Our lives and attitudes have undergone massive revision, but underneath we still need what we need, we want what we want. Your grandparents knew the same sorrows and joys, petty and great.
Q: What kind of research do you do for your novels?
BW: I read books, first of all, and not just history books. A novel written during that period will give you a wonderful idea of just how people lived and thought. And I’m lucky to be writing about a period for which there’s such an extensive visual record, in the form of photographs and films that add so much texture in terms of dialogue, voice, accent and personal habits. Finally, when I’m off writing the book, I turn to Google for all those little details and fact-checks. It’s amazing what you find when you look up, say, “first class dinner menu rms majestic 1922 images”!
Q: Who were your models for Theresa, Octavian and Sophie?
BW: I started, of course, with the roles in Der Rosenkavalier, and I kept their original names. (Theresa, of course, becomes Mrs. Marshall instead of the Marschallin.) But naturally, everyone took on a character of his or her own. For example, in the opera, Sophie is a complete ingénue, which played well a hundred years ago, but most modern audiences find ingénues insipid! So I tried to keep her innocence while giving her more depth, strength and independence. Octavian, meanwhile, is a nice aristocratic lad in Strauss’ rendition, while my Octavian has just returned from the First World War and has a whole host of sorrows tormenting him. I think he’s the most changed from the original. And as for Theresa…well, she’s by far the most interesting character in the opera, and I hope I’ve done her justice here.
Q: Might we ever hear from Theresa again?
BW: Oh, I think her story isn’t yet finished! She’s certainly going to turn up again; she’s the kind of character who transforms every room she enters, and she’s so much fun to write.
Q: At the beginning of each chapter in A CERTAIN AGE, you have snippets of “advice” from Helen Rowland. Can you talk about who she is and why you chose to include her in the book?
BW: I came across Helen Rowland while looking for clever quotes for another novel, and, as she offered so many, I knew she needed a whole book to herself! Helen would have been almost a household name in the first two decades of the 20th century. She wrote a column called “Reflections of a Bachelor Girl” for the old New York World, and her pieces became so popular, they appeared in book form. She’s just so witty and perceptive, and so many of her observations --- not all of them exactly politically correct! --- remain trenchant today. I thought she would represent this book perfectly, not just because the novel deals in the timeless intricacies of love and marriage, but because I think she and Theresa share so much in common.
