Michael Mullin, author of the modern day Hamlet retelling Simon was kind enough to answer my questions regarding his novel and – of course – Shakespeare.
Synopsis of the novel:
His father is dead. His
mother has remarried. His uncle is . . . his new stepfather? When the
ghost of Simon Elsinore's father returns and claims he was murdered by
his own brother, the nineteen-year-old film student must determine what
is true and exact the revenge his father demands.
You can check out my review of Simon here.
Why Hamlet? Do you have a special relationship with
this particular play?
I’m a bit of a Hamlet
geek for sure, but not so much one of Shakespeare on the whole. I’ve always
loved the depth of the story and the character in Hamlet. As a graduate student, I designed and taught a freshman writing
course that was (oddly) called The Myth of the Hero. Along with some Joseph
Campbell, I taught Hamlet, Frankenstein, Frank Miller’s Batman
graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns
and a near-final draft screenplay of Star
Wars. (Cool course, I know.) I also wanted my son’s middle name to be
Hamlet. That idea, however, was shot down.
How much did you lean on the original text?
I mostly used the Hamlet
text for story arc, major plot points and characterizations. While writing the
novel, there were certainly no questions as to what will happen next. It was
more like: “How might that happen in
a modern world?” What I tried most to avoid in my adaptation was anything that
would come across to readers as me trying to be clever, matching up scenes and lines
and interactions and such. The joke in my pitch is that I swear, Simon’s last
name (Elsinore) is like the only
time!
If you taught your book alongside Hamlet in high
school which similarities/differences would you put emphasis on?
It’s interesting how universal themes like revenge and
mortality translate over centuries and across cultures. I think discussions and
analysis of this type would best engage students. Also, much-studied aspects of
the original play like Perception vs. Reality could be looked at with regards
to how we are “shown” the theatrical drama of Hamlet and how the fictional public in (and readers of) Simon are “shown” the story’s aftermath
via the sensational news media.
Which character was the hardest to write? Why?
I’d have to say Juliana was the biggest challenge,
evidenced by the fact that her scenes were rewritten the most. It was important
to me that she was much more than merely a member of some supporting cast. Her
familial backstory and her demise were of my own design, and I hoped to
translate some of Ophelia’s reserved, mysterious qualities in a young woman who
rings true as her own, interesting person.
How and/or why did the movie aspect come in?
I must confess a little bit of a “write what you know”
autobiographical approach there. I studied film and filmmaking as an
undergraduate (like a century ago), so it wasn’t too difficult to revert back
to my nineteen-year-old self in that regard. That said, I went with the theme
mainly for two reasons: first, it worked with today’s “YA” generation. Everyone
films everything now, but Simon is “above” the common folk in his serious study
of the medium. And second, Simon lives (just as Hamlet does) mainly in a world
of his own creation. Every bit of dramatic action – and inaction – is crafted
for a purpose. His purpose.
Do you yourself prefer written, performed or screened
Shakespeare?
I haven’t even read all the plays, and I’ve only seen a
couple of stage productions. I imagine theatrical versions must be the hardest
to do without the highest level of talent (acting and production). I’m looking
forward to seeing an onscreen version of the recent theatrical production
starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet. That’s here in Los Angeles in
November. That counts as performed, I think because it’s not a movie!
Do you have a favourite Hamlet movie adaptation?
Give me the Kenneth Branagh full-text film from the
mid 1990s any day.
If you had to choose a death from Shakespeare’s
tragedies for yourself, which one would you opt for?
If recollection serves me, it’s mostly stabbings and poisonings,
right? I’d say one in which I get to give a speech while it’s happening. That
narrows it down a little, but perhaps not that much.
Would you consider retelling other stories of
Shakespeare?
Not any time soon, no. I just don’t have that level of
investment in any other work. Simon
was the proverbial labour of love for me.
What project(s) are you currently working on?
A couple of years ago, I published a YA collection of
three twisted fairytale retellings called TaleSpins.
The first story (featuring the 8th dwarf no one knew about) has a
graphic novel adaptation already out called 8:
The Untold Story. I’m currently working on comic book versions for the
other two TaleSpins stories.
I’m also throwing darts at the wall on an adult,
thriller novel. Years ago, the story idea produced several unfinished drafts as
a screenplay, so I’m weeding through that content, deciding on a direction.
Simon on Goodreads
Simon on Amazon
