The Godfather: Peter Corris on the mechanics of writing
Radio and television interviewers sometimes struggle to ask sensible questions of writers. ‘Where do your ideas come from?’ is an old stand-by to which most writers patiently reply with a formula answer like, ‘A combination of imagination and experience’....The Godfather: Peter Corris on the decline of the short-story market
In the latter part of the 19th century, after mass education greatly expanded the number of readers, the short story enjoyed a great vogue. In Britain, ‘literary’ writers like Joseph Conrad and Henry James produced them for fashionable magazines and ‘popular’...The Godfather: Peter Corris on a lifetime in libraries
The first library I remember was the Footscray City Library. I was nine or ten and travelled there from Yarraville by tram. I imagine the trip cost a penny for a child. The library was quiet and dark, staffed by unsmiling women. I borrowed heavily – W E Johns, Edgar...The Godfather: Peter Corris on a room of his own
My workroom is spacious, light and airy. It is detached from the house, joined to it by a short, covered walkway. It’s built of brick, is very well insulated, and solar panels on the roof supply most of the power to the electronics. The large window in one wall looks...The Godfather: Peter Corris on preserving the papers
Malcolm Bradbury was offered a lot of money by an American university for the manuscript of The History Man. He’d thrown it out. He produced another version, complete with crossings out and corrections, and got the dough. I’ve never pulled off such a coup, but I have...The Godfather: Peter Corris on the big word-producers
I have published 66 books of fiction and half a dozen non-fiction titles and am called prolific, but I am a minnow compared to the whales of big literary producers. Belgian Georges Simenon published over 200 novels and almost as many novellas. Best known for his books...The Godfather: Peter Corris on the books he re-reads
Like most readers, I have favourite books; by that I mean ones I re-read or at least dip into frequently. Three of mine are: The Bare Knuckle Breed by Louis Golding, The Sweet Science by AJ Liebling and Sober Truth: A Collection of Nineteenth Century Episodes,...The Godfather: Peter Corris on the decline of the Western
We know that video killed the radio star, but what killed the Western genre? Up until the 1960s the Western, in novels, pulp novelettes and short stories, was immensely popular, possibly as popular as crime fiction is today. I never saw my father open a book, but I’m...The Godfather: Peter Corris on large-print editions
Thirty-five years ago, as a result of my neglect of diabetes, I developed retinopathy. This is a condition that can cause blindness. I was lucky; the argon laser had recently become available in Australia and skilful use of it saved my sight. As one doctor said, ‘You...The Godfather: Peter Corris on the ghost who writes
When is a ghost-writer not a ghost-writer? My answer is, when his or her name appears on the cover. I’ve worked with six people to help them produce their autobiographies. Four books have resulted; one that was written remains unpublished and another is nearing...The Godfather: Peter Corris ‘With a little help from my friends’
It’s often said that writing is a solitary, lonely business. Well, I suppose the actual act of writing is done alone, but I never minded the kids coming in to ask what I was doing or to request a peanut butter sandwich; and Christopher Smart and Raymond Chandler had...
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