Like his complex and cleverly constructed novels, a conversation with British writer David Mitchell is enjoyably cerebral and full of references to books, music and out-of-the-way places he has visited. Sitting in the famous sunken garden Shukkei-en in Hiroshima, the city he now calls home, Mitchell, 32, recounts his debut as a novelist and the excitement surrounding the nomination of his second novel, “Number9dream,” for this year’s prestigious Booker Prize.
The short-listing caught Mitchell by surprise. It “feels a bit like being Iceland in the World Cup,” he says with a laugh. He attributes the nomination to experimentation in the novel, also evident in his 1999 debut novel, “Ghostwritten.” Parts of “Number9dream” were a big risk: “I wanted to test the point of elasticity in what I was writing,” he explains.
Unable to view this article?
This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.
Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.
If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see out this support page.
We humbly apologize for the inconvenience.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.