Arnon Grunberg
Words Without Borders

The Godfather

A Dutch columnist, Frits Abrahams, recently observed that authors tend to see everything as material: their wives, their neighbors, and their friends, but not their own children.
Yes, Mr. Abrahams argues, when the children are young, cute and innocent, authors love to do a bit about their first teeth and their first schoolday, but as soon as the children reach puberty and start smoking pot, they disappear out of their father and mother’s literature.
How unfair.
Many authors have written about their parents. Maybe the parents didn't like to be used as characters in a book, but the children were happy to take the risk to be kicked out of the family.
I was rather satisfied to read in the New York Times that it never hurts for a politician running for ofice to mention his mother. (“No politician ever lost votes by overreferencing his mother, who, in this case, was not made available for an interview.”)
An author with a mother is as blessed as a politician with a mother.
After my first book came out, my mother refused to speak to me for two weeks. (She had a point, by the way.) Then her neighbor explained that my book was selling so well because my mother was in it. This was reason enough for her to start speaking to me again.
And to her credit, after a reading in Germany a couple of years ago, two ladies came to me and said, “It was very interesting listening to you, but actually we would love to meet your mother.” Mr. Abrahams thinks that the love of a child is less unconditional than the love of a parent. Therefore, authors chicken out when it comes to using their offspring as material.
I tried to resolve this dilemma by becoming a godfather. I wrote about my godson even before his birth, and I plan to keep writing about him until the bitter end. I also plan to pay for his education.
So when he complains about being in my new novel again, I’ll answer, “Who do you think is paying for your university? Who do you think is going to buy my books when you’re not in them?” Of course, this scheme could have been set up with my own son.
In general, I would say it’s perfectly okay to use people as material. But be honest with them. Offer them a deal they can’t refuse.


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