An Interview with Fan Wu

What book do you wish you had written and why?
Wuthering Heights if only because it takes my breath away each time I read it.

What writer influenced you most?
I don’t think I’m influenced by any particular writers at this stage of my writing. I read a variety of writers, classical and contemporary, Chinese and non-Chinese. Some of my favourites, to name a few, are Lu Xun, Lao She, Xiao Hong, Albert Camus, Anton Chekhov, Kawabata Yasunari, V.S.Naipaul, Truman Capote.

What’s the last book you read?
Iris Murdoch’s Under the Net

What book would you take to a desert island, and why?
The Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin. It contains all that I look for in a book.

If you were not a writer what job would you do?
Yoga instructor

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?
Jane Eyre

What’s your favourite place in the world?
I’ve not seen enough to name a place, but I remember being in love with Florence.

When and where do you write?
I write whenever I have time, typically early mornings and evenings. Usually in my study, but I also like to write at a coffee house.

Where do you get the ideas for your books from?
Mostly from reading and talking with people.

What keeps you awake at night?
The thought of not being able to understand my characters…and the loud purring of my cat, whose name is Niuniu.

What book are you ashamed you haven’t read yet?
Too many to list here.

What next for you?
Keep writing, a second novel, a short story collection, and more. 

What are your favourite and least favourite things about being a writer?
Favourite things: Flexible schedule; the process of creating characters and a world anew.  Least favourite things: Cannot think of one yet.

Do you read your reviews, good and bad, and do they make a difference to you?
I read my reviews, regardless of their content, but no, they’ve made no difference to me, not yet. 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
Only do it because you enjoy it.

Do you have a website and if you do what is the name of the website?
My website is www.fanwuwrites.com.