Emma Cline
Writer
WHAT’S ONE BOOK, WORK OF ART, ALBUM, OR FILM THAT GOT YOU THROUGH AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE?
As a child, I obsessively watched The Wizard of Oz. I think it was probably my first understanding that art could create a world beyond the one I knew.
WHAT’S COMING UP FOR YOU IN 2024?
I’m starting work on a new novel, which is always an interesting moment—you’re testing the floorboards of this idea and seeing if the structure will hold up for the long haul.
““I will read any trashy memoir or biography—groupies, drug-addled film producers, child stars.””
NAME AN INFLUENCE OF YOURS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE PEOPLE.
I will read any trashy memoir or biography—groupies, drug-addled film producers, child stars.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SURPRISED YOURSELF IN YOUR WORK?
Every time I write, I’m looking to surprise myself—I want that element of unknowability or mystery. Even if I might know where a story begins, or have an idea of where I want the story to land, whatever happens in between is usually a surprise, almost like a dream—I want the unconscious to surface.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS YOUR BIGGEST CONTRIBUTION TO CULTURE?
I don’t think of myself as contributing to the culture—I understand that idea, but I don’t find it a personally helpful or conducive framework for writing. I don’t really picture a life for the work beyond that intimacy with a single reader—otherwise I’d go crazy, I think.
in your life?
