Before Jane Smiley won a Pulitzer Prize for her 1991 novel “A Thousand Acres,” she was just a kid in the St. Louis suburbs, learning about herself amid the cultural realities of 1960s America.
The protagonist of Smiley's latest novel “Lucky” does the same. Growing up in St. Louis’ rich music scene, folk-artist Jodie Rattler rises to fame and finds her independence despite life’s misfortunes.
“I wanted to set the book in St. Louis. I wanted it to be about someone who's my age, and I wanted her to have some of my experiences, but to react to them in a different way,” Smiley told St. Louis on the Air.
The fictional autobiography gave Smiley the chance to reflect about her upbringing, imbedding into the text meticulous details about John Burroughs High School and her Webster Groves neighborhood.
The story also allowed her to fantasize about things she wished she'd done, like live in New York City or play an instrument.
“I understood that if I went to Burroughs, I would probably be very literary or very scientific,” Smiley said. “But it was interesting to think about a girl who doesn't want those things, who wants to be a musician, and to see what it felt like for her.”
She also tried her hand at writing Jodie's love songs.
“I loved writing the lyrics, but I wished that I actually knew how to write some of the music,” Smiley said. “I thought about asking somebody to make some songs out of these, but I haven't done that yet.”
Smiley is the author of a number of other novels including her recent trilogy “The Last Hundred Years,” as well as several works of nonfiction and books for young adults.
For more about novelist Jane Smiley’s novel “Lucky” and how it reflects her own journey as a writer, listen to the full St. Louis on the Air conversation on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or by clicking the play button below.
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