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Congrats on the prize, tell us a bit about the build-up for you - the anticipation of the announcement?
There was buzz that I was a front-runner along with Ian McDonald, but I honestly didn’t expect it. I was hoping for an honourable mention maybe and I’d convinced myself that it was a clear sign that I’d lost because one of the judges refused to make eye contact with me, but was chatting to the other nominees at the cocktail party in the foyer beforehand. (I think now he was trying not to give the game away).
I was sitting in my seat thinking about how it was a huge honour and privilege to have got this far, waiting to hear the words The Dervish House when they announced Zoo City instead. It was a huge shock. It was overwhelming.
…And what you then thought of saying when you accepted?
My publisher, Angry Robot, had nudged me to write an acceptance speech, “just in case”, so I’d prepared some rough notes but when they made the announcement, my brother, who was my plus one for the night, was so excited, he shoved me towards the podium before I could dig them out of my bag.
Self-critically speaking - is Zoo City a better effort than Moxyland? Meaning, do you feel you've improved certain things about your craft along the way?
I’ve had friends and readers tell me very apologetically that as much as they loved Moxyland, they love Zoo City more and I’m always amused by that. I mean, damn straight. If I’m not pushing my story-telling ability, what’s the point. (Of course there are others who liked Moxyland more, but that’s also the risk of writing two such completely different books).
I think Zoo City is much more accessible without the slanguage, with one narrator, without the bombardment of technology, and yeah, I learned a lot writing Moxy, which I brought to the keyboard this time round. Hopefully I can keep improving.
What got you into writing Sci-Fi specifically?
Well, I don’t know if I write sci-fi specifically. I write journalism and short stories and kids TV shows and comics and some of those are sci-fi and fantasy and some of those are quite literal (and the documentary I just directed is very literal). I like to write inventive stories with the capacity to surprise and science fiction is a wonderful way of distorting reality to give you a fresh perspective on the issues of where we are right now that frustrate me, from surveillance society to social divisions and the evils of autotune.
You've spent many years writing in many different disciplines – what would you say are some of the most valuable skills or lessons you've learned as a writer.
Scriptwriting taught me to start the scene as late as possible, pacy editing and to make dialogue work hard to convey not just what’s going on, but to tell you something about who is saying it. It’s all about the subtext.
Journalism taught me how real people speak and speak differently (if you want to really get an ear for dialogue, transcribe hours and hours and hours of interview tapes) and gave me a backstage pass to all the interesting spaces in South Africa from six star wine farm lodges frequented by rock stars and politicos to hanging with electricity cable thieves. Journalism taught me an eye for detail and that real life is more inventive and surprising than even the most imaginative fiction.
Do you think you'd like to be known as a sci-fi writer or do you see the story being told irrespective of the genre?
I like being a science fiction writer but I also like being just a writer. And the next novel is not necessarily going to be in the same vein. I’d like to be a writer like Margaret Atwood or David Mitchell who plays across genre and writes the story demanding to get out, whatever that happens to be.
Finally, do you fancy the idea of your name being prefixed by "Arthur C Clarke Award-winning…". Does that feel like the proverbial million bucks?
Yep. Being ranked among the likes of Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, China Miéville? That’s amazing.
And how about that Booker Prize now?
Here’s hoping!
There was buzz that I was a front-runner along with Ian McDonald, but I honestly didn’t expect it. I was hoping for an honourable mention maybe and I’d convinced myself that it was a clear sign that I’d lost because one of the judges refused to make eye contact with me, but was chatting to the other nominees at the cocktail party in the foyer beforehand. (I think now he was trying not to give the game away).
I was sitting in my seat thinking about how it was a huge honour and privilege to have got this far, waiting to hear the words The Dervish House when they announced Zoo City instead. It was a huge shock. It was overwhelming.
…And what you then thought of saying when you accepted?
My publisher, Angry Robot, had nudged me to write an acceptance speech, “just in case”, so I’d prepared some rough notes but when they made the announcement, my brother, who was my plus one for the night, was so excited, he shoved me towards the podium before I could dig them out of my bag.
Self-critically speaking - is Zoo City a better effort than Moxyland? Meaning, do you feel you've improved certain things about your craft along the way?
I’ve had friends and readers tell me very apologetically that as much as they loved Moxyland, they love Zoo City more and I’m always amused by that. I mean, damn straight. If I’m not pushing my story-telling ability, what’s the point. (Of course there are others who liked Moxyland more, but that’s also the risk of writing two such completely different books).
I think Zoo City is much more accessible without the slanguage, with one narrator, without the bombardment of technology, and yeah, I learned a lot writing Moxy, which I brought to the keyboard this time round. Hopefully I can keep improving.
What got you into writing Sci-Fi specifically?
Well, I don’t know if I write sci-fi specifically. I write journalism and short stories and kids TV shows and comics and some of those are sci-fi and fantasy and some of those are quite literal (and the documentary I just directed is very literal). I like to write inventive stories with the capacity to surprise and science fiction is a wonderful way of distorting reality to give you a fresh perspective on the issues of where we are right now that frustrate me, from surveillance society to social divisions and the evils of autotune.
You've spent many years writing in many different disciplines – what would you say are some of the most valuable skills or lessons you've learned as a writer.
Scriptwriting taught me to start the scene as late as possible, pacy editing and to make dialogue work hard to convey not just what’s going on, but to tell you something about who is saying it. It’s all about the subtext.
Journalism taught me how real people speak and speak differently (if you want to really get an ear for dialogue, transcribe hours and hours and hours of interview tapes) and gave me a backstage pass to all the interesting spaces in South Africa from six star wine farm lodges frequented by rock stars and politicos to hanging with electricity cable thieves. Journalism taught me an eye for detail and that real life is more inventive and surprising than even the most imaginative fiction.
Do you think you'd like to be known as a sci-fi writer or do you see the story being told irrespective of the genre?
I like being a science fiction writer but I also like being just a writer. And the next novel is not necessarily going to be in the same vein. I’d like to be a writer like Margaret Atwood or David Mitchell who plays across genre and writes the story demanding to get out, whatever that happens to be.
Finally, do you fancy the idea of your name being prefixed by "Arthur C Clarke Award-winning…". Does that feel like the proverbial million bucks?
Yep. Being ranked among the likes of Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, China Miéville? That’s amazing.
And how about that Booker Prize now?
Here’s hoping!
