Knopf editor-at-large Marty Asher has worked at Random House since 1987, when he was hired by Sonny Mehta, who had just been given jurisdiction over Vintage by Random House's then-CEO, Bob Bernstein. Asher, who had been running the Book-of-the-Month Club, brought his formidable skills to bear on Vintage, publishing now-classic, handsomely designed paperback editions of novels by Cormac McCarthy, Richard Ford, Haruki Murakami, Nicholson Baker and Philip Roth that many of us have on our bookshelves to this day. In addition to his editing duties, Asher has also published novels of his own, including The Boomer (2000) and Shelter (1986).
How did Glen Duncan's The Last Werewolf come to you for consideration as a title for the Knopf list?
It was given to me at lunch by a literary agent. It required much persuasion from her to think that Knopf would ever publish a book about a werewolf, let alone three. What would Franz Kafka think?
What drew you so strongly to the novel? And, considering how the novel features so many varied qualities, could you list them in order of appeal to you as an editor and/or reader?
The first thing that drew me to it was the quality of the writing. We publish a number of important literary writers at Knopf--Kazuo Ishiguro, Julian Barnes, Graham Swift and many others. Glen Duncan's prose is at that level. Secondarily was the element of surprise: the author convincingly and often sympathetically got inside the head of this creature, and he plays with the readers' emotions--you feel for him because he is the last of his species and is contemplating suicide. One is constantly surprised and startled.
What was it like working with a writer who combines fast-moving plot with lots of sex, humor and literary allusions?
I did not personally edit the book. That was done by Francis Bickmore at Canongate. But we did speak many times and I think Glen knew exactly what he was up to and succeeded brilliantly.
What was the greatest challenge for you with the book, other than controlling your urge to caution the author to keep a fine balance between blood and philosophy?
The first challenge I had was gathering up the courage to walk into Sonny Mehta's office and telling him I wanted to publish a werewolf trilogy. After he read it and loved it much the way I did, I immediately thought of how one publishes a literary book that is an emotional roller-coaster in a genre that has been dominated by silly books like that bestselling vampire series teenage girls seem to like.
Editing humor is a subtle art and would seem to be doubly challenging in a novel centering on a death hunt for a werewolf. Still, many times I found myself laughing out loud at a surprising line in the midst of the chase that depended on timing and context for its effect. Were there discussions about whether some of Duncan's witty asides would work for American readers as well as for British readers?
I think there is enough of a tradition at Knopf for publishing surprising literary novels (we just won a Pulitzer Prize for A Visit from the Goon Squad, not exactly your everyday read), going all the way back to Albert Camus, but also great literary entertainment like Raymond Chandler. The sales department literally grabbed the book out of my hands, and comments started pouring in from booksellers around the country who were grateful for the author's facility. And then the English reviews started. I have never seen anything like the full page we got in the Guardian. And now the American reviews are following suit. I think Glen is at that wonderful point where commerce meets entertainment, where suspense meets comedy--after reading a few pages, you know you are in good hands.
After editing The Last Werewolf, did you find yourself looking around you and thinking, "Could that one be a werewolf?"
Living in New York, one assumes that one is constantly surrounded by dangerous, bloodthirsty creatures of all sorts, vampires, werewolves, space aliens and just plain homicidal maniacs--and that's not to even mention the cab drivers.