A l'occasion de la parution du début de l'
adaptation BD de l'
Assassin royal, Soleil a organisé un chat avec Robin Hobb... très intéressant, j'ai trouvé ! j'ai surligné ce que j'ai trouvé particulièrement intéressant. (elle écoute aussi
Nightwish pour écrire !)
Parmi les infos importantes : elle pense ne plus écrire avec Fitz et le Fou.
>I would like to know what is your favorite fairy tale and adaptation of fairy tales in cinema or other medias ?
RH : It would be hard for me to choose a favorite. I really like what Henson did with his series of Myths, but I also enjoy
The Company of Wolves, which is a retelling of
Little Red Riding Hood.
> do you have any news about Hobb & Lindholm short story collection?
RH : The
short story collection will be my next year's project. I have many ideas for it, but right now I am focused on finishing
Dragon Keeper before my
December deadline.
> Hi Robin, I'm from the rivages maudits. Have you read the french comic of Royal assassin and did you like it ?
RH : Hi Louve!
I really enjoy Rivages Maudits as a way to communicate with readers. I will not claim to have 'read' the graphic novel as my French is not that strong!
However, I have looked through it with very close attention and enjoyed it very much.
> What is the last book you have read ?
RH : The very last book I read? It was called "
My Little Sister Ate a Hare". It's a child's picture book that I read to my grandchildren last night! Before that, I read On Pointe by Lorie Grover, a friend who writes Young Adult books in the prose-poetry form. And I'm just starting
City at the End of Time, a SF book by Greg Bear.
> avez-vous envie de faire un roman maritime réaliste ? ou au contraire un pur Space Opera ? would you like to write a realist maritime novel ? Or, on the contrary, a "pure space-opera" ?
RH : I think that all my stories will always have a touch of fantasy in them. I see the world as a fantastic place, so it is very hard for me to stick to the absolute truth! As Megan Lindholm, I have written one SF book,
Alien Earth. I very much enjoy SF, but I think
I am a better fantasy writer than a SF writer.> Hi Robin! Do you know if there are plans to make graphic adaptations of all the Farseer books or just the first one?
RH : This is difficult for me to answer, as the books are published differently in the US than they are in France. I believe the plan is to make graphic adaptations of the trilogy I call
The Farseer Trilogy. It ends with the US book called
Assassin's Quest.
Laurent Sieurac : Hello Mrs Hobb! First, i'm really glad that you enjoyed our adaptation! Thks to allowed us to do it! A simple question, Did you already imagine writing for a graphic novel? Best, and see you soon at The Utopiales at this month's end!
RH : I'm so pleased to 'meet' you here again, Laurent! And I'm very much looking forward to Utopiales, and an opportunity to meet you in person. I have very much enjoyed the graphic adaptation.
> Hello. I am fond of your books. In all your stories What is your favorite character?
RH : Oh, that is like asking a parent, 'who is your favorite child?'
I love them all, even the villains. I think it would be very difficult to spend a lot of time with a character and not come to know and love him or her. So, even
Kennit I think of very fondly!
> quels sont vos illustrateurs préférés ? puisez vous votre inspiration dans des images, des tableaux, des films ou des dessins animés ?
RH : I have a deep envy for people who can do illustration. I certainly do not have that talent. From the time I was small, I was fortunate to have books in my home with lovely illustrations. Wyeth, Edmund Dulac for instance. I have very much enjoyed the cover art that
John Howe has done for my books, and his work in genera.
> vos héros ont l'air d'avoir de lourdes histoires de familles, on est très loin des héros solitaires et sans passé, ou en quête de leurs origines... la famille est une valeur centrale chez vous, êtes vous croyante ?
RH : Every fantasy writer begins as a reader. For a long time, it was hard for me to find a fantasy hero I could identify with. They all seemed to be lone wolves, with no ties or responsibilities to family. I often thought it was easier for them to be heroes because they had only themselves to consider. So when I wrote, I gave my heores a more complicated life.
> Do you think the personnality of a villain should have limits (like in Miyazaki's films)or do you think the extreme villainy is essential for a amazing Fantasy book (like in
The Lord of the Rings) ? (PS: I hate very much Galen, Regal and their minions)
RH : I think that the magical powers of heroes or villains must always have limits, or there is no story. In
The Lord of the Rings, Sauron knows he must possess the Ring to gain his full power. It is his vulnerability and his limiting factor. I think, too, that all villains must retain some humanity, or they are not very interesting.
> I know people probably ask you this question verry often. But will
Fitz and the Fool never see each other again?
RH : This is a difficult question for me to answer. Originally, I had intended to write more about them. I think there are many hints of that in
The Tawny Man books. But for reasons to complicated to go into here,
I became very discouraged with the task. So, for now, the answer is no, I will probably not write about them again.Jean-Charles Gaudin : Bonjour Robin ! Je suis le scénariste de la BD et je suis ravi de vous "croiser" sur ce forum ! J'ai un très grand respect et une grande admiration pour votre travail. Nous devrions nous voir à Utopiales !
RH : Jean-Charles, I am looking forward to that! I think you did a wonderful job with capturing the characters. I am especially pleased with how the Fool visibly grows from childish to being a youth. Wonderful
> en quoi la fantasy vous permet elle d'exprimer davantage (ou mieux) de choses qu'une histoire réaliste ?
RH :
With fantasy, there are no limits. Fantasy allows the writer to take the reader to a world where he enters with no loyalties or preconceived notions of how the world works. Because of that, both writer and reader can consider some very large and sweeping questions.> If you could be any character from any book, who would you be?
RH : But why would I limit myself to one?
When I write a book, it is as if I am not only the producer AND the director of a wonderful movie, but I also get to play the part of Every Single Character! But, if I were choosig from someone else's books, then I think I would go with my childhood favorite.
I would be Mowgli. Or maybe Grey Brother, so I could be friends with Mowgli.
> Mélanie Turpyn : Hi Robin, I'm the person in charge of "Cherche Futurs" Collection, and I'm glad to "meet" you by chat :-) like Laurent and Jean Charles ! I hope we can see each other in Utopiales and take a coffee or more !
RH : Melanie, I will very much look forward to that, and to meeting everyone from the Soleil crew!
> lisez vous et aimez vous des comics, des mangas ou des BD européennes ?
RH : I grew up with
Tin-tin. Does that count?
My favorite US comic when I was much younger was Blackhawk. Right now, most of the
Manga in the house belongs to my younger daughter, and I only get to sample it in passing. Fruitsbasket, Instant Boyfriend, and of course we have a subscription to a Manga magazine. My friends Will and Emma were instrumental in publishing Omaha the Cat Dancer some years back, so I'm very familiar with that.
But I'm afraid I don't have a wide knowledge of graphic novels, in English or French.
> What's your favorite pieces of music when you write your book ? (Personally I am influenced by Loreena McKennit, Nightwish,Joe Hisaishi's music or, be mad, orchestral intrumentals of Disney classics)
RH : I share your enjoyment of
McKennit and Nightwish. Add also
Enya,
Clannad and a lot of other
Celtic musicians. But I also listen to a wide variety of music. I like what we call Country-Western, because the songs tell stories. I enjoy Bluegrass, Gordon Lightfoot. I like Leonard Cohen and Marc Cohn, Dire Straits and . . . well I won't copy down my entire CD rack, but I like a wide variety of music.
> pourquoi utilisez vous des pseudonymes ?
RH : I have always used a pen name to some extent. On my early writing, I used my maiden name, Lindholm, as I had already published some work under that name. When I began writing the Fitz stories, I began to
use a different style of writing. So we put a different name on the books to set them apart from my
earlier works.> Tintin est en vente libre aux USA ? Y compris "Tintin en Amérique" ?
RH : My Mother was English, so many things we had in our home were not common in the neighborhood. But yes, Tin-tin is now widely available in the US, and I still enjoy it!
> Do you have any idea who we fans could approach with the idea of English translation of this comic? Does your US publisher have a comic section?
RH : Hi Nerwende! How rights are acquired remains a mystery to me!
Seriously, this is something I leave to my agent and publisher, as I know that my strength is writing, and not all the rest of it! I think Soleil has a connection to Marvel--- but again, that is outside my area of expertise.
Mélanie Turpyn : I have many things to discuss with you, but I am more confidente in my oral english... sorry about that ! (there is no trace, that's the point ! ;-). So don't be offended if I let others speak...
RH : Not at all, Melanie! You will not catch me trying to write any French beyond a 'bon jour'! And as far as speaking--- well, I am a very good listener for French. I feel like the family dog-I understand three words of ten that are said to me!
> quelle morale voulez vous dégager de vos histoires ? What is the moral of your stories ?
RH : The moral of my stories is always that
readers must find their own morals.
I do not write because I have answers or think I have wisdom and rules to pass on. I write because I have questions, and in a story I can look at those questions from many different angles.
> Do you ever read books from french writers or is it impossible to find french books in english version ? If you do, what french writer do you like ?
RH : Well, do
Jules Verne and
Dumas count? I grew up with them. And of course the fairy tales of Perrault. It IS hard to find translations of contemporary French writers in the US. In the paper today, I read of the Nobel prize for literature, and that his works are not much available in translation. Right now, I am reading a manuscript by Sylvie Miller and Philippe Ward. (They gave it to me months ago, and I lost it on my desk! So I have only now rediscovered it!) But as writers, they had to arrange their own translation of the work. That is very difficult for French writers I think.
> Have you read "
Hurin's Children" the new book of Tolkien's son?
RH : I have not read
Hurin's Children. While I love and treasure
The Lord of the Rings, I have not enjoyed so much the books assembled from
Tolkien's papers. I think he must have very carefully polished his work, and I do not feel the works that were assembled fully succeed as his polished works do.
> What should I read while waiting for
Dragon Keeper? Do you have any recent recommendations?
RH : Have you read
Lynn Flewelling's books? I very much enjoyed
The Bone Doll's Twin [
Le Royaume de Tobin]. (I hope I got that title right!) Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn is another excellent read.
> Thank you verry much for your answers. You often use the internal point of view in your novel. Is it your favorite way of writting?
RH : I think that to write from the
character's viewpoint is the most natural and personal way of telling a story. I think it brings the reader more deeply into the tale, and emotionally involves him. So, yes, it is my favorite way of writing.
> Jean-Charles Gaudin : Comment travaillez-vous ? Faites-vous d'abord un plan général, un grand synopsis où avancez-vous tout de suite sur l'écriture quitte à rectifier lors d'une grande relecture ? How are you working ? Do you first write a general plan of the story, a detailed synopsis, or do you start writing directly (even if you must adjust it later) ?
RH : Usually, a book starts as a
few small notes in a file on my computer. As more thoughts come to me, I add them to the file. When it reaches a point where the characters are talking in the back of my mind all the time, I know I am ready to write about them. So I try to write an outline or synopsis that tells my editor what I have in mind. Very often when I am writing, I go astray from that first outline. But that is how Story is. You have to follow the current.
> When you write about animals, you seem to know them verry well.(Nighteyes is the greatest wolf i have ever read about) Do you take your inspiration from your pets?
RH : I have been very fortunate in having many wonderful animals in my life. In Alaska, where I grew up, it was not uncommon for people to have 'dogs' who were more than half wolf. Some of them were my closest friends. So I write them from the heart. Sam, my Tonkin cat, is insisting on sitting on my lap as I type this.
> would you like an adaptation of your books in a Live film or a animation movie ? Or have you doubts about this support ?
RH : My feelings about this change constantly. Both film and anime are group creative efforts. I do not think I could hand my work over to another group of creative people and expect it to come out precisely as I'd imagined it. So I would have to surrender it and trust that those creating it cared about the work as much as I did, even if they saw it differently. I think a book can inspire a move, but I do not think that a movie can ever BE a book, precisely.
> Mélanie Turpyn : Can you imagine one of your book/saga turned into videogames ?
RH : I think that as a writer, I take great satisfaction in work that has a beginning, a middle and an end. Most of the video games I've seen are very open ended, or else they have numerous, almost infinite pathways to the end. I'm not sure my books would adapt to that very well. But again, I know very little of videogames, so perhaps there would be a way.
RH : You won't see much of me in the coming two months, I'm afraid. I'm trying to push my output up to 2000 words a day, so that I'll be able to meet my deadline and still be able to take time to play at Utopiales. I am very excited about the giant mechanical elephant at Nantes, also! So I will want time to see that instead of scurrying back to my hotel room to write. But I'll probably break my discipline and post too much on Myspace and LJ anyway!
> It is wonderful to talk to you. Thank you for this. Is'nt it strange for you to know that there are so many people reading your books and knowing by heart your stories?
RH : It is strange beyond telling! Over the years, I have come to realize that writers reveal much more of themselves in their books than they intend to. So it is often uncomfortable when my writing life intersects with my real life. To have my grandchild's teacher say, "Oh, I've read your books!" can paralzye me with shyness as I wonder, 'Do they think that's how I raised my children, like
Burrich or Chade!' It's a very strange sensation.
> vous avez passé une partie de votre enfance en Alaska ? vous connaissez
Sarah Palin ;-) ?
Robin Hobb : I do not know the vice presidential candidate, but I knew many women like her. In some ways, I am one. Politics aside, I get a bit offended when people mock that she can hunt a moose, for instance. I can gut and skin a moose probably better than most of the male hunters I knew--I put a lot fewer holes in the hide! And politics aside, knowing the very basic fact that to eat, we kill---well, most politicians don't admit that, do they? So, although there are many places we disagree, I think I would not mind having her as a neighbor. Maybe we could carpool to our kids' soccer games!
Thanks a lot Robin ! It was a great pleasure for everyone and see you at the Utopiales at the end of the month ! Merci beaucoup Robin ! Ce fut un véritable plaisir pour nous tous, et à bientôt aux Utopiales !
> Hi Robin. I'm Saphira of the Rivages Maudits. Do you think you will write another time in the
Realm of Elderlings, after
Dragon Keeper? And, just for laughting, do you thinks
Dragon Keeper will be published before
A Dance With Dragons?
Robin Hobb : Hello Saphira! I do not know if I will return to the
Realm of the Elderlings after this.
As I am trying to finish the book, I am already thinking, 'This story is too big for just one book. I should have said it would take two!' But I think it is good that my committment to only one book is making me tell the story in a more economical and exciting way. After it is done, well, there is a year of short stories. Then we will see. And like you, I am eager for
George R.R. Martin's next work. But I do not want him to hurry! I would rather see it done right than done fast.
