OCCUPY DARKNESS - Robert Dunbar
What do you envision as your role in the evolution of the genre?
I love this question, because – yes – I believe the genre is evolving, despite all evidence to the contrary. Vulgarity is at the peak of its popularity now. But things will change. Does that sound angry? We’ve had a difficult relationship, the genre and I. So often my work has been criticized for being “literary” or “challenging,” as though these were dreadful attributes. Did I say criticized? Reviled might be the more accurate word. But I’ve always interpreted this as a sort of reverse testimonial. There are many readers of intelligence out there ... with a taste for dark fiction. When such readers discover that my work speaks to them, I’ve often been quite moved by their responses. That such people tend to be insightful and articulate only enhances the impact for me. This is the readership I’ve always imagined. Imagined? Yearned for. Believed in as an article of faith.
What do you envision as your role in the evolution of the genre?
I love this question, because – yes – I believe the genre is evolving, despite all evidence to the contrary. Vulgarity is at the peak of its popularity now. But things will change. Does that sound angry? We’ve had a difficult relationship, the genre and I. So often my work has been criticized for being “literary” or “challenging,” as though these were dreadful attributes. Did I say criticized? Reviled might be the more accurate word. But I’ve always interpreted this as a sort of reverse testimonial. There are many readers of intelligence out there ... with a taste for dark fiction. When such readers discover that my work speaks to them, I’ve often been quite moved by their responses. That such people tend to be insightful and articulate only enhances the impact for me. This is the readership I’ve always imagined. Imagined? Yearned for. Believed in as an article of faith.
