1: It seems that quite a few contemporary British authors have been using classic English literature as the building ground for new modern versions of the original stories. Here I think of the sci-fi writer Jeff Noon (who wrote a cyberpunk version of Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland called Automated Alice) and the comic writer Alan Moore (who wrote the graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in which he gathered a hodge-podge of literary figures from English 19th century fiction). And of course all the Jasper Fforde-books about Thursday Next. I would like to ask if you have any idea, why such literary remixing and recycling is a big thing in Britain right now? And if you don't, then why you have chosen this path?

2: One of the major events in TN3 is the upgrade of the number of possible plots from 8 to 32. I find that to be a trademark Jasper Fforde-joke. But is there not also a great deal of truth to the claim that there only exist 8 possible plots? And doesn't the TN-books support this notion in the ever present toying with - and mixing of - conventional stories and genres?

3: You once gave a very straightforward definition of your own writings. You said: I write silly stories. But am I wrong when I also sense a shred of seriousness lurking beneath the surface? Here I am especially thinking of the satire played upon modern society.

4: People have compared your books to those by Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and JK Rowling among others. Even though I find these comparisons quite true, I myself was hunted by very different ghosts while reading your books. To me the TN-books seem to belong between Andy Warhols famous reproductions and the Schwarzenegger-movie The Last Action Hero (except that movie was never really any fun). Does this make any sense to you?

5: Last time we were in contact you told me that the Danish Prince Hamlet will make an appearance in the, yet to be published, TN4. Could you be a little more specific about what will happen in TN4 in general, and especially about the role of the Danish prince?










1: It seems that quite a few contemporary British authors have been using classic English literature as the building ground for new modern versions of the original stories. Here I think of the sci-fi writer Jeff Noon (who wrote a cyberpunk version of Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland called Automated Alice) and the comic writer Alan Moore (who wrote the graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in which he gathered a hodge-podge of literary figures from English 19th century fiction). And of course all the Jasper Fforde-books about Thursday Next. I would like to ask if you have any idea, why such literary remixing and recycling is a big thing in Britain right now? And if you don't, then why you have chosen this path?

I have to confess that I have a lamentably poor knowledge of contemporary authors or current trends. I had no knowledge of either of the two books you mentioned while writing TN-1, although they were pointed out to me soon enough after I was published! The first and foremost reason for writing these type of books was that the unusual mix of high-brow and low-brow amuses me no end - there is an obscure Monty Python sketch where Wuthering Heights is performed with Semaphore flags - and the idea that you could take the 'hallowed ground' of the classics and deflate the slight pomposity that surrounds them appealed to me no end. I am always irked by the way Shakespeare and Bronte and Dickens and so forth are made into academic subjects to be studied rather than enjoyed, and my respectful mangling of the classics is my way of fighting against this.

2: One of the major events in TN3 is the upgrade of the number of possible plots from 8 to 32. I find that to be a trademark Jasper Fforde-joke. But is there not also a great deal of truth to the claim that there only exist 8 possible plots? And doesn't the TN-books support this notion in the ever present toying with - and mixing of - conventional stories and genres?

Sometimes I think even eight is being a bit over-generous. You could say that every plot is 'Journey of Discovery'. I tried to find out what the plots are but they do tend to overlay one another a bit. The whole idea about inventing new plots is purely abstract - inventing a new plot would be about as easy as devising a new colour. But we're missing the point talking about new plots in the same way that the upgrade to UltraWord is unnecessary - It's the way in which the stories are told that is important, and the almost limitless manner in which the author can vary the theme. After all, 'David and Goliath' is the same as 'Jack the Giant Killer' and 'Ghandi' and 'Rocky' and 'The Eyre Affair' amongst millions of others, so authors are really only icing the same cake just a little bit differently. Come to think of it, 'The Eyre Affair' also has shades of the much-used 'Forbidden Love' plot. In 'Romeo and Juliet' the blocking device is the Montague/Capulet thing; in TN-1 it is replaced by Thursday's failure to come to terms with her brother's death and blame for the charge in the Crimea. Same cake, different icing - but TN1 and R&J are about as different stories as one can get.

3: You once gave a very straightforward definition of your own writings. You said: I write silly stories. But am I wrong when I also sense a shred of seriousness lurking beneath the surface? Here I am especially thinking of the satire played upon modern society.

Here's an even more straightforward definition: 'I daydream with ink.' But yes, there is always a satirical edge running under my books and whether this is an intentional political statement or simply a way of making Thursday's world familiar, amusing and recognizable, I have no idea. All writers would like to think they have the sharp claws of a satirist and to be able to change the world with their pen, but few of us can be so lucky. I just add my politics to the mixing pot and hope that people will ask questions rather than accepting blindly some of the nonsense that our society impose upon us.

4: People have compared your books to those by Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and JK Rowling among others. Even though I find these comparisons quite true, I myself was hunted by very different ghosts while reading your books. To me the TN-books seem to belong between Andy Warhols famous reproductions and the Schwarzenegger-movie The Last Action Hero (except that movie was never really any fun). Does this make any sense to you?

Andy Warhol? Don't see that at all, although I do see the comparison with 'The Last Action Hero' - especially some of the in-jokes regarding the intransigence of movie-making grammar. As I said in question one I am woefully ignorant of contemporary authors - I haven't read any Rowling, Pullman or Pratchett although I do confess to greatly enjoying Adams. It was his 'conceptual zingers' that I loved so much, none more so than the 'Babel Fish' (A translating fish that lives in your ear) I made my own homage to this with Mycroft's 'Translating Carbon Paper' in 'TEA'. What Adams' Babel Fish did for the spoken word, Mycroft's carbon paper did for the written. My inspirations come from all over - art, film, theatre, TV, poetry, songs, sitcoms of the 70's, the real world - everywhere. There is not a lot that doesn't interest me, so I have a lot of material to work from.

5: Last time we were in contact you told me that the Danish Prince Hamlet will make an appearance in the, yet to be published, TN4. Could you be a little more specific about what will happen in TN4 in general, and especially about the role of the Danish prince?

Well, I have always liked the character, despite his constant dithering, and having him in the real world on a 'fact finding' mission sort of amused me; he can never make up his mind about anything but is delighted that Mel Gibson plays him in the movie. I may have to apologize to Danish readers in advance over English Dictator Yorrick Kaine's attempts to demonize your nation to hide the ills of his failing economic policies. (perhaps this another satirical and historical comment; how often in history are nations misdirected by their governments as to the real problems of economic downfall?) But you mustn't call your lawyers - it all comes out well in the end - with the assistance of the greatest Dane of them all.

Questions set by Morten Scholtz

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