Gareth Ludkin chats to Owen Martell about the trials and tribulations of professional writing.
In an age of fast fiction, self-published e-books and internet blogging, it would seem that it has never been easier to become a published writer. Having said this, not everyone is necessarily able to leave a permanent mark on the publishing industry, and it still takes considerable talent and determination to make writing a legitimate and full-time career.
For Pontneddfechan-raised author Owen Martell, winning the Welsh Book Of The Year Award in 2001 with his first novel Cadw Dy Ffydd, was the start of a long journey which has taken in two further Welsh language novels (Dyn Yr Eiliad and Dolenni Hud), plus several short stories and his latest novel – and first in the English language – Intermission. Despite his growing success and recognition as a published author, Owen remains modest about his achievements, preferring instead to let his writing do the talking.
“I’m not so interested in being a successful writer as much as I’m interested in writing good books,” explains Owen as I catch him just before he boards the Megabus for an appointment in London. “What made me want to write was reading good books and being in love with literature and the way in which literature found a place in my life. So in that sense I’m not interested in having a career as a writer, but I am interested in writing books that I think are good and worthwhile.”
Intermission, Owen’s brand new English language novel, successfully takes on the ambitious challenge of imagining the thoughts, feelings and character of post-war jazz pianist Bill Evans following the tragic loss of his good friend and band partner Scott LeFaro. Owen’s fictional interpretation of Evans’ time spent in seclusion is an adept, imaginative and evocative portrayal of one man’s talent and his tumultuous lifestyle. Instead of facts, or biographical accuracy, Owen explains how he is motivated by “the details that only fiction can uncover,” the empty space between truth, and minute details that aren’t covered in any great depth in biographical accounts of Evans’ life. “I was fascinated by the way such an ordinary, respectable looking musician could have such incredible music within him. And also the disparity between his respectable appearance and, in some ways – with his heroin addiction – his tortured character; one didn’t seem to suggest the other.”
Whilst Intermission suggests a more determined move toward a career as a writer, Owen chuckles at the suggestion that he is by any stretch a professional writer. “I don’t think I could describe myself as a professional writer. I’ve mainly written in Welsh until now, and of course, if you want to make money, you don’t necessarily choose to write in Welsh. In a sense I think of myself as a writer, and writing is what I do, or what I think I do best, but that said, I’m a writer when I’ve got something to write.”
To this end, Owen holds down other commitments alongside his writing to help pay the bills, and the thought of becoming a full-time writer has slowly moved into the background. “The way writing is constructed as an industry is quite a bubble in some ways, and I think you can get lost in that bubble. I quite like the fact that I have other things to do and I think that the more influences you have around you, the better your writing will be.”
Cadw Dy Ffydd, Owen’s award-winning debut novel, was written whilst still studying at Aberystwyth University, and he continues to write in Welsh, praising the richness of the language which continues to excite him and hold well the things he is interested in. “Writing in Welsh is a fabulous thing and a fabulous opportunity to have because it’s such an incredibly rich, challenging and complex terrain,” says Owen. “I think it’s quite a different content, and a much more thrilling context in some ways, than writing in English where so much of the preparatory work has already been done and the language itself is a really fantastic, subtle and malleable thing. Of course that’s true of Welsh as well, but it demands more of a writer and it keeps you on your toes much more.”
Modest about his achievements and future projects, Owen hopes that the gap between his next novel won’t quite be the five years seen between his last two, and with a notebook filled with ideas, we can be sure that Owen’s next novel isn’t too far off. With his obvious talent and passion for literature, Owen Martell is one wordsmith with a bright future ahead of him.
Intermission, published by Heinemann, is available now in all good bookshops. Info: www.owenmartell.com