Clyde Edgerton
was born May 20, 1944, in Durham, North Carolina, and then lived
in a small community, Bethesda, on the outskirts of the city.
He 
was the only child of Truma and Ernest Edgerton.
Even though his immediate family was small, he lived near a total
of 23 aunts and uncles and many cousins. Edgerton’s choice
of English as a major in college at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill evolved slowly. Though he was a good student who
enjoyed literature, his reading had been somewhat sporadic. During
high school he remembers being impressed by Emerson, Thoreau
and Twain. But, after reading Hemingway’s A Farewell to
Arms as a college sophomore, he decided to be an English teacher.
He wanted to share his excitement for such literature with others.
In May 1978, the Edgertons watched Eudora Welty read one of her
stories on public television. That night he wrote in his journal:
"May 14, 1978—Tomorrow, May 15, 1978—I would like
to start being a writer." That was the beginning of a career
that has resulted in the creation of seven novels: Raney, Walking
Across Egypt, The Floatplane Notebooks, Killer Diller, In Memory
of Junior, Redeye, and Where Trouble Sleeps. Their critical reception
led to his
receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship, a
Lyndhurst Fellowship, and the North Carolina Award for Literature.
Because of his ability to bring his literature to life in readings,
Clyde continues to be very much in demand as a speaker and a
reader of his own fiction.
"A master storyteller,
Edgerton proves that he is in full command of his craft no matter
what the setting."
- The New York Times Book Review
"A poet’s ear for language,
an artist’s
eye for details and a joyous sense of humor."
- Baltimore Sun
Page ONE
"Who were your literary inspirations when you were growing
up? What did you read? What do you read now?"
Clyde
"My literary inspirations when I was growing up were
the Bible, read to me in church and Sunday School, as well as,
starting in the eighth grade, adolescent novels, mostly about
sports. Now I read novels by my friends,
since I have quite a few writer friends."
Page ONE
"Your natural grasp of the southern psyche is obviously
a result of growing up in the South. Are most of your characters
an amalgam of people you have known? Can you tell us a little
about your hometown and how and why the southern life and culture
have had such an impact on your writing?"
Clyde
"After reading Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty in
my early 30's I realized that my life growing up was worthy of
made-up stories which could be serious and funny at the same
time. My fictional characters resemble real people to various
degrees, just as real people resemble other real people. My hometown
was a community in rural Piedmont, NC. My family (on both sides)
was thoroughly Southern: mill workers and farmers; Protestant,
racist, sexist, caring of old people,
stoic, and family honoring; eating collards,
pork, fried fatback, pies, etc., all cooked at home. I write
about "the southern life and culture" because it was
the water I swam in as a child.
Page ONE
"It's a wonderful experience to attend a Clyde Edgerton
reading. Your talent in front of an audience equals that of your
writing. Gentle satire and humor are a thread through much of
your work. Where did you acquire your talent for the use of humor
in your writing and live storytelling?"
Clyde
"I acquired a talent for humor from my mother's side
of the family--many good storytellers who loved to laugh. I've
always loved to laugh at people like the Williams boys, Jonathan
and Robin, and consequently I like to make people laugh. Some
people like to eat and therefore like to cook. I like to laugh
and therefore make people laugh."
Page ONE
"Do people in other parts of the country (particularly
up North) identify with your southern characters? Is southern
literature universal and does it easily cross over the Mason
Dixon line? If so, why is this?"
Clyde
"People in other parts of the country do identify with
southern characters, though, in general, less so than in the
South, I think, especially on matters of southern norms in
food and manners, etc. Good southern
literature is universal because beneath the surface is hope and
fear which hooks into the unconscious lakes and ponds and islands
of people everywhere."
Page ONE
"RANEY has had such a wonderful reception with readers.
It seems there is a bond between the book and reader. What is
the magic of RANEY and could there be a sequel somewhere down
the road?"
Clyde
"There may be a sequel. I don't know. The magic of RANEY
lies in the hearts and minds of certain readers. For some it
is not magic. So, I'd only be guessing if I tried to
describe the magic of RANEY. For me, as a reader, it has to do
with a certain mix of honesty, certainty, misguidedness, loyalties,
and wonder in a set of characters in a made-up story."
Page ONE
"For the Clyde Edgerton fans who don't know, several
of your books, including RANEY, have been theater productions.
What was it like to see your characters brought to life and did
you enjoy the end result? Has there been any talk of motion pictures?"
Clyde
"RANEY has been filmed, but I'm not sure if it will
ever be released. WALKING ACROSS EGYPT is now (fall 1998) being
filmed and will be released I am sure. KILLER DILLER has been
optioned, and possibilities for a film look good. John Justice
has written play scripts for RANEY and WALKING ACROSS EGYPT.
Both are excellent plays and continue to be performed. I have
greatly enjoyed watching both."
Page ONE
"This question is for Professor Edgerton. You are currently
teaching in the M.F.A. program at the Univ. of North Carolina
at Wilmington. One of your students told me everyone was enjoying
your classes very much and said for one writing exercise, 'Professor
Edgerton had everyone sleep with a lemon.' How does sleeping
with a lemon and graduate studies in writing go together? Was
this exercise your creation?"
Clyde
"This was an idea I got from Sterling Hennis, an education
professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. John Stokes at UNC-Wilmington also uses it. Students
put all their lemons together and each finds his/her own from
the midst of the bunch, then each student writes a description
of his/her lemon which another student must use in order to find
the lemon. From this exercise students take away a certain delight
in learning about writing descriptions."
Page ONE
"This interview has been a real treat, and I want to
thank you very much. In closing, Is there any advice your wife
has for living with a writer?"
Clyde
"My first piece of advice is to you as a writer and
husband: follow no advice that makes no sense to you. (I'm thinking
that my spouse's advice should come 
directly
from her, not from her through me, so I'll skip that one.) My
second piece of advice to you as writer and husband is to fight
with all your might the invisibility that a celebrity-hungry
culture can bring to the spouse and children of a celebrity,
and therefore, if you find yourself becoming a celebrity writer
of sorts, cut the fishing line holding your prize-winning fish,
calm down, and live your life in a quiet way that serves you,
your spouse, and children first, your work, second, and your
"audience," last. Because all writers are human beings
first and writers second, my guess is that any advice for living
with a writer is about the same as advice for living with a plumber
or a refrigerator salesperson. I don't have any such advice at
hand, as I don't know your spouse. But her vocation is potentially
as sacred as yours. (I'd rather be married to a thoughtful computer
scientist than a thoughtless writer.) So I'd advise you to get
advice about living with her, rather than seeking advice about
how she should live with you--but my
guess is, you're already doing this. I met you, and you seemed
intelligent. Last piece of advice for you as writer: above all
else, consider point of view.
Last piece of advice for you as husband: above all else, consider
point of view. Oh yes. Don't give advice. Write stories. I spent
more time on this answer than all the others combined. But then
again, maybe it was the most important. Thanks for the interview."
