Steven Culbert
at Book People
Ask Steven Culbet a theoretical question — one about his new
novel Lovesong for the Giant Contessa — and you’ll get an answer, in time. Culbert has
a uniquely roundabout way of getting to the point; for example, when you ask him how the
gawky but toughened teenaged protagonists of Contessa can utter their worldly
witticisms, Culbert’s answer is likely to involve about four cities, three wise mentors,
and several schools of thought. And Culbert himself is the first to acknowledge
that the “rational” is not his strong suit. His writing style, a wild
alloy of poetry and prose, is ample, welcome evidence. His long-windedness,
however, did not prevent a small but doggedly interested group at BookPeople on July 12
from querying the author about his influences, methods, and the origin of his characters’
names. They had reason, at least, to ask about the names: Contessa, his third
novel, has characters named U-U, the Countess Eileen, Gus and Stinky (mules), Happy
Hutchin, and Mrs. Stud Mingus. BookPeople’s author-reading area on its third floor
offers an intriguing set-up for a talented but basically unknown author like
Culbert. Since it’s in the very center of the third floor’s space, the reading area sees
much traffic, and occasionally, customers who had no intention of listening to the author
are caught by his or her words and persuaded to sit down and listen. This happened to
Culbert, who is an attentive listener to an audience’s questions. He is also very
earnest, so that while he acknowledges he may not be answering precisely the question
an audience member sets before him, he is also concerned to let that person know how hard
he is trying to give a straightforward answer. This articulated earnestness is
at odds with the subtlety with which Culbert practices his craft, resulting in a
seemingly inexplicable but harmonious clash of Culbert’s personality with what one
would expect of his personality having read Contessa.
— Claiborne K. H. Smith
This article appears in August 1 • 1997 and August 1 • 1997 (Cover).