Stephen Dau Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Interview

Author Stephen Dau discusses the inspiration behind his debut novel, The Book of Jonas and how his work in international development has influenced his writing.

• Why did you give the book's sectional titles religious resonances: Processional, Invocation, Remembrance, Communion, Confession, Atonement, Benediction, Recessional? Did you intend the book to have an essentially religious trajectory and for readers to consider the parallels between the novel's protagonist and the biblical Jonah?
  I've heard someone say that it's reminiscent of a Catholic mass. I was brought up Presbyterian, and so it reminds me of a Presbyterian church service. Part of this device is practical. The story needed a structure, and the structure of a religious service allows for a certain amount of flexibility while still imposing an overall form. Beyond practical considerations, I came to see the book, or at least the act of writing it, a little bit like a prayer. That is the best way I can describe it. The religious imagery flowed out of that. The idea of sacrifice flowed out of that. The section titles flowed out of that. That's the best explanation I can give for it. It's a sort of prayer.
  


• How has your work in postwar reconstruction and international development influenced the writing of The Book of Jonas?
  Working in development certainly influenced my fiction, mostly by giving me access to the ...