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A Conversation with
Martin Malone
Man of the Moment
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He was in the Irish Army for eighteen years. He has published three
best-selling novels: US (2000), After Kafra (2001) and The Broken Cedar
(2003). He has won the prestigious Francis MacManus prize. He has been shortlisted twice for
another prestigious award, the Hennessy Award (fiction). And his The Broken Cedar was longlisted
for the 2005 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Peter Anny-Nzekwue meets
Martin Malone, arguably Ireland's man of the moment.
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tDQ:: The army theme is central to your work, and
as an ex-military how much of your personal experiences and those around you are brought to
bear on the creation of your three published novels: US, After Kafra and The Broken
Cedar?
Malone: I think Us, my first novel, has little to do with the military. The novel
concerns a seriously dysfunctional
family living on the edge of the Curragh plains and its themes of
incest and suicide are not something, which have affected me in a personal way. As I said at
the launch of the book, 'Actually, very little incest went on in my family!' This book did
hit a few raw nerves and put an icy finger to the warm neck of something people prefer not to
see out in the open. I think suicide amongst our young people is a terrible affliction on
society - the other day while visiting the cemetery I was struck by a series of ages on
gravestones that made me wince--21, 22, 24, 28, 18. To make matters worse I have the feeling
that this is not a reversible trend.
After Kafra is a novel that one week my publishers said wasn't
being published and the next week rang to say the book was on its way from Guernsey. Which of
course made me wonder what plans they had for publicity and marketing. Very little, evidently.
Nonetheless the book was favourably reviewed and Jo Calam from RTÉ TV picked it up and I
scripted it for the station - I was disappointed when it didn't reach the production stage, but
grateful that RTÉ brought it as far they did. The book deals with a soldier's return from duty
in south Lebanon, where the investigation of a bombing incident leaves him suffering from post
traumatic stress disorder, compounding problems in his marriage and at work. The story is told
in present tense with flashback scenes to Lebanon--interestingly, a lot of women readers I
spoke to skipped the Lebanon parts, interested only in the domestic battle being played out
on the home front--which of course
| "Characters
determine my approach to writing. I don't usually have a plan or work to plot or anything--I
just write. If it works, it works, if it doesn't--so? If you get a feel for the character then
almost any story shines."
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meant it wasn't possible for them to have sympathy but
more importantly an understanding of the central character--it isn't a superficial read and
I like to think the book has roots that run deep. On a personal experience - yes, I know people
who suffer from the disorder--I've received letters from men who thought I was writing about
them. I probably own a few disorders--but PTSD isn't one of them.
The Broken Cedar - I wanted to tell a story from a Middle
Eastern man's viewpoint, to write about a place that no longer exists - about the effects of
war, to capture this world in a fictional sense thus preserving it in a real sense. The story
of the missing man, his son's return to search for him--a final investigation to recover the
remains before the Irish withdraw its battalion from Lebanon, hinges on Khalil's crisis of
conscience, his own pending death, his self-examination, the inner conflict, the desire to tie
up loose ends before the end. I served five tours of duty in Lebanon, spending a lot of time on
detachment in Tyre and Beirut and spells in Israel; Metulla, Tel Aviv, Nahariya and Netanya--I
got to know both sides of the border, both sides of the argument. I was also in Iraq after the
Iran-Iraq war, staying in Sulaymaniya, driving endless patrols to mountain redoubts, saw many
flattened Kurdish villages. And Halabjah (where an estimated 5,000 people were gassed to death)
the village still standing, deserted, the mass graves outside the village…
tDQ: Another theme in your work is the crisis of conscience. Is
there a particular reason why you are so deeply concerned with the human psychology and
spirituality?
Malone: I think if you don't stop to question, think, pray, wonder, marvel, detest, love
this world you live in then you're shallower than a baby's spit. I question all the time--the
pinched face, the snide remark, the reasons behind them. I believe in God, though He tests,
though he acts as though he may well be dead or oblivious to what's going on in the world he
created. Show me someone who accepts things at face value and I'll show you a people who
elected the current Irish government. I'll also show you someone who isn't a writer.
tDQ: A noticeable technique in US is the use of multiple
narration, can you tell us what determines your approach and technique when writing a short
story or a novel.
Malone: Desperation! When I returned from Lebanon in 1998 I was taken on by my agent,
Faith O'Grady.
We tried to sell a collection of short stories but failed. I wrote Us as a
novella and Poolbeg accepted it on the condition that it ran into a novel. Initially I declined
but then went for it. I'd never harboured any ambition to write a novel--my sole ambition was
to have a collection of short stories published and never thought beyond that.
Characters determine my approach to writing. I don't usually have
a plan or work to plot or anything--I just write. If it works, it works, if it doesn't--so? If
you get a feel for the character then almost any story shines. For instance my story in The
Fiddlehead (Can) was told from an American juvenile's viewpoint. A story told in the second
person related the tale of a man cheating on his wife with her sister, this won the K 25O and
a version of it was published in the Dublin Review. These worked because the characters came
across as being authentic. As an aside - my three novels originated from short stories.
tDQ: Some writers practise art-for-art-sake; others think that art
should be a tool for social engineering, which of these best defines your own school of
thought?
Malone: I write because of a compulsion to put words down on paper. I didn't always have
this compulsion and
| "My philosophy
is simple: If you can't do good, do nothing. If you're bereft of a kind word, remain silent. If
you don't know how to say sorry, learn. If you don't know how to forgive, start by forgiving
yourself - if you want to be a writer, forget how to quit."
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I might not always have it. But right now I want to write stories. I don't
believe in hard and fast rules concerning the art of writing--I think an artist has to steer
with his head but look at things with his heart. My story that won the Francis MacManus Awards
in 2004, "The Mango War", concerned a young man working with foreign nationals in a warehouse
distribution centre--a slice of life tale. I wanted to write a story where no one died, no
one really got hurt, no one was visiting someone in hospital, no junkie stuff or woman living
alone struggling, none of that--Jesus--I've read and heard too many of them. Written too
many of them, too. So I wanted to write something original, to put something different on the
menu, to afford readers and listeners, and indeed, the story judges, a choice - a refreshing
change from the endless body count. Life is about change - a writer has no business staying
with material that he has flogged to death. I think originality; a different perspective is
what I'm about. Not trying to be clever or different for the sake of it, but to find a way
forward. It's not easy. Nothing about writing ever is.
tDQ: The Broken Cedar recently made the IMPAC Dublin
Literary Award longlist, do you see this as a turning point in your writing career?
Malone: I was delighted to be nominated for the IMPAC, and pleased that the nomination
came from Limerick library. I don't see it as a turning point, really. What it did for me was
to bring the book to TV and radio, on popular programmes whose doors were shut to the book when
it first came out. Maybe the doors will remain ajar in future, I don't know. I remember a woman
ringing to congratulate me on the nomination and then after a pause asking, 'Do you know anyone
in Limerick?' Praise and then the back-handed slap. I don't know anyone well enough to pull
strings. But it told me something about her - that's how things work in her world.
But you know, it was a great boost to see my name alongside some
of the world's great writers.
I work hard at my craft, don't make much money from it, don't
expect that I ever will. And I've had my share of put downs so I appreciate the plaudits--but
am always prepared for the hard landing. The world I live in; well, there's more respect for a
person night-packing in a store (which I've done and will do again) than there is for a writer.
Another sting: this lad congratulated me when my first book was published and in the next breath
said, '…sure anyone can have a book published these days.'
I think every writer could tell you similar stories. The IMPAC--
in terms of eating out on the strength of it--there's more bread to be got from scavenging
bins. I'm lucky to have an agent that keeps me on her books full of the knowledge that it's
unlikely I'll ever be a commercial success. However, we live in hope. The Arts Council of
Ireland has been most helpful in keeping my pen in ink. I am now a part-time writer and write
for about two-three hours daily. About the same when I used to write full-time!
tDQ: What is your artistic vision as a writer?
Malone: What I want to do is to write one beautiful novel, peopled by fully-rounded
characters, a good story-line and to love every word of it.
tDQ: Does your artistic vision reflect your philosophy of life?
Malone: I would say it does in many cases. My philosophy is simple: If you can't do good,
do nothing. If you're bereft of a kind word, remain silent. If you don't know how to say sorry,
learn. If you don't know how to forgive, start by forgiving yourself - if you want to be a
writer, forget how to quit.
tDQ: Are you working on a new novel now? If so can you please tell
us what the novel is all about.
Malone: I've just finished assisting a psychic healer medium to write his life story. I
was highly sceptical at the outset of this endeavour but have seen enough to be able to tell
you the following: he was uncannily accurate about a lot of things about a lot of people. He
was uncannily inaccurate on some occasions. He is a spiritual healer as well as a physical
healer--I have witnessed his work and he has cured people I know of eczema, severe back ache,
rashes, headaches. A lot of these people had been attending consultants for years without
success. He is I believe able to commune with spirits. He is well known at grass roots level
countrywide and has a sizeable clientele from all walks of life.
I have just started to write a novel. That's all I'll say on
it for now.
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2004-2005 the Dublin Quarterly--to see familiar things with unfamiliar eyes!
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