.jpg) |
|
| Nickolas Butler (photo: Jim Ivory) |
|
Nickolas Butler, a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, is the author of the internationally bestselling novel Shotgun Lovesongs and an acclaimed collection of short stories, Beneath the Bonfire. He's also the author of a three-generation contemporary epic The Hearts of Men; Little Faith, an exploration of religion and belief; and a literary thriller, Godspeed. A Forty Year Kiss, Butler's fifth novel, is a passionate, emotionally complex love story that reunites 60-something lovers after four decades. It will be published February 4, 2025, by Sourcebooks Landmark.
Curious... why is your name "Nickolas" spelled with a "k" as opposed to an "h"?
I have no idea why my folks spelled my name the way they did. My brother, Alex, and I are named after the Romanovs. Apparently, back in the late '70s, there was a TV mini-series about the Russian Imperial family, and I suppose my parents were quite taken by it.
Aha. So romantic sagas--ingrained in the womb--might explain why you dedicate A Forty Year Kiss (in part) to the late filmmaker Nora Ephron?
I grew up watching Ephron movies. They celebrated the literary and thoughtful. Her dialogue was smart and sexy. Genuine. And her characters felt like people I would want to hang out with. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen When Harry Met Sally. For me, it's this cinematic touchstone from a time when I was trying to teach myself what good writing sounded like and how to build rich, complete characters.
That movie explored a lengthy time frame. Why a 40-year trajectory in A Forty Year Kiss?
There's certainly a lot at stake for the two lovers. They've spent four decades apart, and there won't be four decades in the future to spare. This builds an immediacy to the story.
So those 40 years dictated the shape of the novel?
Not immediately--the organization became clear through the writing. I knew I wanted to alternate points of view, and once I knew that, then I knew it wasn't any one character's story. This was a braided love story. Late in the editing process, I also realized that the novel could easily be organized into 40 chapters, echoing the title, and providing each of the main characters with equal narrative footing.
Did you draw from any other novels, love stories, to craft your own?
For many years, I kept encountering The Bridges of Madison County. I remember just picking up that novel one night and thinking, "Alright, what can I learn from this story?"
And the verdict?
It's a love story. But it's unconventional. Its form and organization are somewhat unexpected. It didn't just abide by a formula. I liked that.
Do you have a favorite literary love story?
The title that springs to mind is Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf. It isn't a typical romance, either. And Haruf was always so, so compassionate to his characters.
That idea of "compassion" calls to mind that you also dedicate this novel to singer/songwriter Tom Waits, "the heart of Saturday night."
Tom Waits is an extremely underrated writer of love songs--unexpectedly tender valentines. He has a knack for writing about small towns and forgotten places--the same geography that interests me.
Midwest America.
Yes, I'm interested in landscape as a kind of character. And although I feel most at home writing about the Midwest (Wisconsin, in particular), I never want to be defined as strictly a writer who only writes about one place. I'm mostly interested in the plight of working-class characters.
You worked a host of jobs en route to achieving literary success. Do any stand out?
I liked being a coffee roaster--very romantic, sensual work; physically demanding. I traveled to Panama, Costa Rica, and El Salvador, visiting coffee farms, judging a contest, and meeting with farmers and mill workers. I've had a lot of strange work experiences, but all those experiences are reminders of what I have now, how good things are. I don't take my life for granted.
There's a wonderful scene in the book where characters discuss making a list of the "Top Five Things I Want for My Life." What are your top five wants?
1. To witness the establishment of our two children in their adult lives, hopefully happily; 2. Give at least as much (but hopefully more) to the world as I have received; 3. See a whale from a close distance; 4. Continue writing until I can't anymore; 5. Spend my final decades traveling, camping, and exploring with my wife of almost 20 years.
I truly hope those "wants" are granted. What's it been like, publishing six books?
I love what I do. Short of being the bullpen catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers or Minnesota Twins, I have my dream job, and I feel a tremendous amount of gratitude for the life I've built with my wife and family. I love writing. I love solving the problems that arise when crafting a novel. I like the deep focus. I like living a life that isn't really "normal." I don't go to an office. I don't really have a boss, or rather, I am my own boss.
And what does "the boss" do after finishing a book?
I'm generally not very productive. And this lack of productivity gnaws at me until I hit a kind of rock-bottom. Basically, I get disgusted with myself, and then I launch into another period of hyper-productivity and focus.
Has the "hyper-productivity and focus" phase returned?
Well, I just experienced a very tumultuous, very unorthodox summer in which I ran for Wisconsin State Assembly, eventually losing in a Democratic primary. All just to say, my life is only now returning to some sense of normalcy. I was about hip-deep into a new novel before I undertook that campaign, so the work now is to go back to that manuscript and hopefully dive right back in. --Kathleen Gerard