Junot Diaz is a funny, wise-cracking, easy-going Dominican-American man who went to Rutgers and Cornell. Our book group met at Back Pages Books and heard him read a little of his book, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. He describes it as the story of a kinda dumb guy who gets caught cheating on his girlfriend. The swears and curses flowed from his humorous commentary and throughout his story, especially when describing relationships – “shit you wouldn’t even tell your boys drunk” and “treats me like I ate somebody’s fucking kid.”Diaz is able to poke fun at himself as a writer. He sees himself as an artist who keeps going even though he thinks that 95% of what he does is crap. For everything that works, five or six things don’t. If you are just concerned about the outcome, you will miss all of life on the way.
The story seemed much funnier with the author reading it. He’s definitely got something to say about racism like when he writes about the “massive melanin-deficit in the folks who are on the beach in the company of young, dark Dominican girls.” He also spoke about how this country treats immigrants terribly. Just like you never stop being an alcoholic, you never stop being an immigrant.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
Why do you keep writing about Junior?
Junior is the guy you would make the mistake of marrying because you find out his flaws too late. He’s such a “screw up.” Oscar tried to be a friend to Junior. Oscar discovers that the only way to defeat a curse (which is a kind of story) is to create another story (in this case, the story of his life). Oscar tried his best and had a good relationship with his sister (and it’s unusual to get along with a sibling).
What about the language you write in?
The fact that I’m writing in English makes it hard to relay all ideas. He says he hears himself talking to others with a “five second delay” as he thinks of everything he’s said just after he says it. You don’t get over a “first country.” Native speakers don’t do that.
Did you have an author you wanted to emulate?
I’ve read a lot, like Stephen King (The Stand), but no one loves this country like an immigrant when he/she is in it. African American authors are so prolific (Toni Morrison, Ellison, Thomas) and part of what I have read, too. But the story of activism I read about the was raised on, isn’t what you find in this country. The past and the present work through each other in this book like in Dune, where the present character goes into the past to make sure people don’t find out about him. The present day vernacular is what we use to talk about the past.
You capture history in a humorous way.
History tends to be inflicted on young people, but it’s the worse part of life, it has the juice squeezed out of it. I didn’t learn it that way.
I was surprised that you flew him back to the DR? Why?
His decision to stalk a prostitute isn’t admirable. You are the sum total of what you do well and poorly and you have to embrace them all, otherwise you’re just hugging your little toe. I wanted his decision to be stupid predicated on privilege (American passport) and bad choices, but learn something about intimacy.
The story has holes.
Every piece of the book is about a figure trying to put themselves together even though they are missing pieces. I went out of my way to make this more difficult. If you believe in these characters, you will put up with a lot of shit. The characters have to be real and interesting in order to put up with the story.
Hadn’t really thought about the connection between the Caribbean islands.
Islands are simultaneously sites of isolation and great connection. We weren’t always this fragmented. We have histories of deep connection. This book is meant to be Caribbean, not just Dominican.
Even in defeat, actions turn things around. The Native American’s Ghost Dance reinspired a community.
OUR CONVERSATION ended with a question…
If you knew what was missing in your life, and could travel back in time, what would you go back and do differently?
