Robert Clark

As a crafter of narrative—both in his fiction and creative nonfiction—Robert Clark is a writer who is never in a rush. His stories unfold slowly, the melodic lines of various characters, themes, and symbols stretching over long arcs as they accrete meaning and emotional resonance. This narrative sweep is vital because it makes possible the process of discovery. As in life, Clark’s characters don’t know the plots of their lives; they simply live them. Their joys and losses and conflicts become the touchstones that reveal glimpses of their inner mystery. One senses the author’s own sense of discovery and his gracious inclusion of the reader in the same process. Perhaps that’s one reason why Clark’s books are not better known: they demand patience, a willingness to sustain a compassionate gaze. But don’t get us wrong: Clark’s books never drag—there are many books that are much longer and yet which, ironically, still seem to be in a rush to dazzle or shock. Nor does Clark repeat himself: In the Deep Midwinter is a family tragedy set in 1950s Minnesota; Mr. White’s Confession is a dark, psychological novel that won the Mystery Writers of America’s prestigious Edgar Award (even though it’s not really a mystery novel); Love Among the Ruins tells of young love in the heady days of 1968. And the nonfiction is even more diverse: a biography of chef James Beard, a history of the Columbia River, a memoir that explores generations of his family and his conversion to the Catholic faith. And now he has produced Dark Water, a multi-layered recounting of the 1966 flood that devastated the city of Florence and some of its greatest masterpieces. The center of the book is a page-turning account of the flood, but it is embedded in narrative strata that touch on art history, Italian politics, and the growth of Florence as a tourist destination. Dark Water’s meditations on the relationships between beauty and truth as well as faith and doubt are solidly rooted in the experience of its many protagonists. In an era when we all bemoan the speed and superficiality of our daily lives, Robert Clark is the perfect antidote: his slowness reminds us of how much we miss and desperately need to recapture. 

Read Robert Clark's Downriver --- in Issue 42 --- here.

Current Projects

Just now, I'm two-thirds of the way into a new novel with the provisional title of, at this point, well, "new novel". I've also put the finishing touches on a collection of essays (two of which appeared in Image) called The Angel of Doubt which I hope will be published in early 2010. As I've been doing for the last three years, I'm working with an extraordinary group of writers in the Seattle Pacific University MFA program where I've taught fiction and, currently, creative non-fiction. This isn't gush: I love my students. They keep me inspired and on my artistic track.

Biography

Robert Clark is the author of eight books, the novels In the Deep Midwinter, Mr. White's Confession, Love Among the Ruins, and The Lives of the Artists as well as The Solace of Food, River of the West, My Grandfather's House, and, most recently, Dark Water: Flood and Redemption in the City of Masterpieces. He is the winner, among other awards, of the Edgar for Best Novel and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His essays have appeared in The Antioch Review, Conjunctions, and Image. He lives in Seattle with his wife Caroline and children Tessa and Andrew.