Virtual Memories Show 337:
Amor Towles
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“In the back of my mind I knew that if I didn’t write a book that I felt proud of by the time I was 50, I’d probably end up bitter in my old age.”
After a 20-year sojourn in the investment world, Amor Towles returned to his first love by writing the bestselling novels Rules of Civility and A Gentleman In Moscow. We get into how he managed that jump, the lessons he learned from his first failed novel, and the advantages of making a later start in publishing (and whether he could’ve written either of his books when he was young). We talk about his intense outlining and planning process for novels and how it allows for more creativity within the writing itself, his relief at showing his writing teacher (Peter Matthiessen) his books before it was too late, the symphonic model he applies to novels, his best practices for book tours (writing short stories and getting out and seeing the cities he was visiting), the perpetual nostalgia that is New York, his use of recurring characters in his fiction and whether it means he’s creating a Towlesiverse, and more! Give it a listen (conversation begins at 8:05)! And go buy A Gentleman In Moscow and Rules of Civility!
“For a young artist, you don’t need a chorus of support; you need one person.”
“History is not very good at capturing all that is of quality in art. However, history is very good at filtering out all that is mediocre in art.”
“People are always attracted to a New York that’s gone.”
Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!
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About our Guest
Born and raised in the Boston area, Amor Towles graduated from Yale College and received an MA in English from Stanford University. Mr. Towles’s first novel, Rules of Civility, which was published in 2011, was a New York Times bestseller and was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best books of 2011. The book has been translated into over 20 languages, its French translation receiving the 2012 Prix Fitzgerald.
Mr. Towles’s second novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, which was published in 2016, was on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year in hardcover and was named one of the best books of 2016 by the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR. The book has been translated into over thirty languages including Russian. In the summer of 2017, the novel was optioned by EOne and the British director, Tom Harper, to be made into a 6-8 hour miniseries starring Kenneth Branagh.
Having worked as an investment professional for over twenty years, Mr. Towles now devotes himself full time to writing in Manhattan, where he lives with his wife and two children.
Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at Mr. Towles’ home on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 Microphones
Just discovered your podcasts via Twitter, loved this first one and plan to listen to more!! A humble favor to ask you—In podcast 337, Mr. Towles mentioned Gabriel Garcia-Marquez as an author whom he read and perhaps influenced his writing in some way. However, he is not mentioned in your hashtag list. GG-M is my favorite author, may I ask you to include him? ?
Done! I try to put in as many of those as I can when editing the show, but sometimes forget a couple in the flow of it. Thanks for the reminder, and glad you enjoyed the episode!