Episode 603 – Nicholas Delbanco

Virtual Memories Show

Virtual Memories Show 603:
Nicholas Delbanco

“More and more I measure success in terms of the distance between intention and execution.”

Nicholas Delbanco returns to the show to celebrate his 32nd book and his first true foray into memoir (or ME-moir), STILL LIFE AT EIGHTY (Mandel Vilar Press)! We talk about how the rediscovery of the 40-page history of art he wrote at eleven years old (!) sparked this project, how he built the book as a mosaic, why he centers it around the homes, totem-objects, and writers in his life, and why he wanted his first memoir to be an act of gratitude rather than a list of gripes. We get into decision to part with some of his library and the books he regrets selling, his long-term interest in literary and artistic reputation and how its study helped him navigate the transition from “promising” to “distinguished” writer, his writing practice and process, and what he learned when recently revising a series of his early novels. We also discuss his embrace of compression and restraint in his later writing, why he’ll write a fictional character’s poetry but doesn’t write poetry on his own, what his family’s history and business taught him about the balance between the dutifulness and risks of art, his surprise at how quickly John Updike’s reputation waned, what he’s learned in his 80s, and a a lot more. Give it a listen! And go read Still Life At Eighty: A Memoir!

“I think this book is a record of contentment, rather than complaint.”

“The good news is that I’m a better writer than I once was, and the bad news is the same.”

“My mother taught us that if it’s in your head, it doesn’t have to be on your shelf.”

“If you are fortunate enough to live to your 80s, your sell-by date is past.”

Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!

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About our Guest

Nicholas Delbanco is the author of more than thirty works of fiction and non-fiction. At the University of Michigan — from which he retired as the Robert Frost Distinguished University Professor in English — he was Director of the Helen Zell Writers’ Program and, for twenty-five years, the Hopwood Awards. As the founding Director of the Bennington Summer Writing Workshops, he created the low-residency MFA program. He is a recipient of the J.S. Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship and was twice awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Grant in Prose Fiction. He has served as Chair of the Fiction Panel for the National Book Awards, and as a judge for the Pulitzer Prize. With his wife, Elena, he divides his time between Manhattan and Cape Cod.

Go listen to our 2017 and 2022 conversations!

Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at Nicholas’ home on Cape Cod on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 microphones feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4 digital recorder & interface. I recorded the intro and outro on a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4. All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC. Photo of Nick & Elena & violoncello case by me. It’s on my instagram.