Zombie infestations have reached our friends down under. The NZ Herald interviewed Seth Graham-Smith (at left), Jane's co-author of the recent bestseller, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Here are a few quotes from the newspaper's interview with the author. (Drat, we wish he'd answered our questions when we sent them in several months ago. He actually gives good interviews.)"Zombies are a sign of the apocalypse. So says writer Seth Grahame-Smith. Well, more or less. More precisely, he says zombies tend to start appearing in popular culture when times get tough. "They are a walking metaphor for the ills we find ourselves up against. They've been used to represent everything from the threat of communism to the Aids epidemic and crass commercialism."
Why did he write the darned novel? "Grahame-Smith was so excited at the idea of writing "gratuitous, violent, gory sequences in the imitated style of Jane Austen" that he rushed right out and bought the original to reread. He'd read the book just once before, at high school as a 14-year-old, and was not a fan. When he reread it though, things changed. "I suddenly got it."
How does he feel about writing a best seller? "Grahame-Smith is unrepentant. "I do feel like I did her a favour because becoming a zombie was probably not as poor a fate as being married to Mr Collins."What's next for Mr. Grahame-Smith? - Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. Hah! "It will have that same comic spin and it's a very different thing to write a biography and have it read funny - that's my goal, to have it a mix of fiction, humour and factual accuracy."
Read our reviews of the novel in the links below:- Vic on Jane Austen's World wonders how Jane's other novels can be converted into cold hard cash. Willoughby's Tell-Tale Heart, anyone?
- Laurel Ann wonders which audience the book is actually targeting.
Aw he never responded? That's too bad. I'm convinced he's the alter-ego of a friend of mine who not only is obsessed with zombies but also is constantly in a zombie-Lincoln shirt. Maybe there's something in the water in California
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by that book and should probably read it soon, though I know I'll love the original more. Who can compare with Jane?
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm doing a giveaway of another book about Jane Austen on my blog, http://belletrinsic.blogspot.com so if you stop by and leave a comment, you may win a personalized copy of REMARKABLY JANE by Jennifer Adams.
The key to this bestseller is the title...although I am glad to see people reading a very different take on Austen, I can't bring myself to read it.
ReplyDeleteHeather Carroll,
I grew up in California and there IS something in the water there...luckily, I am immune to it's effects ! LOL
I have been torn over whether to get this book or not. I have a feeling I would be thoroughly disturbed by it, but on the other hand, it sounds pretty hilarious. Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteGlad to see so many of Heyer's books are being reissued. I LOVE her. I am attempting to collect all her books in hardcover.