Why bestselling writer Sheila Heti's favourite journey is inside her own mind
Heti's novel Pure Colour is a finalist for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction
This interview originally aired on April 2, 2022.
Toronto author and playwright Sheila Heti pushes and expands the boundaries of what a novel is and can be. Her novels Motherhood and How Should a Person Be? are often called autofiction because they blend fiction and reality, often from Heti's own life. Her characters probe big questions and debate within themselves.
Heti continues to experiment in her latest novel, Pure Colour, in which her protagonist wrestles with art, love, death and the nature of creation.
Pure Colour is a finalist for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. The winner will be announced on Nov. 16, 2022.
Heti recently took The Next Chapter's version of the Proust questionnaire.
Tell me about your favourite character in fiction.
There's a character in Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles named Christina Goering. And the way that she's described is so funny and so good. On the first page of this novel, Jane Bowles says, "As a child, Christina had been very much disliked by other children. She'd never suffered particularly because of this, having led even at a very early age, an active in her life, that curtailed her observation of whatever went on around her to such a degree that she never picked up the mannerisms that were in vogue and at the age of 10 was called old fashioned by other little girls. Even then, she wore the look of certain fanatics who think of themselves as leaders without once having gained the respect of a single human being."
I just love that sentence so much. That kind of characterization just continues throughout the whole book.
What do you value most in your friends?
Their willingness to love me and talk and have a good time and just enjoy life together. That kind of playful, loving spirit that they all have — and their affection.
On what occasions do you lie?
When I'm breaking plans with somebody for no reason, except that I just don't feel like doing something that day. I might lie, make up an excuse for why I can't see them — I have to help my mother or whatever, when in fact I just want to laze around.
The best thing for me about the pandemic was that I became much less of a liar, as I had a built-in excuse to not see anyone.
The best thing for me about the pandemic was that I became much less of a liar. I had a built-in excuse not to see anyone. It was sad to have to go back to lying to everyone.
Where would you like to live?
I'm quite happy with where I live. I love Toronto — it's my favourite city in the world. I feel very happy and at home here. But if I couldn't live here, I'd like to live in Los Angeles. I love the weather, I love the sun, I like the vegetation, I love the sea. I feel so free and and happy there. Toronto, I love it because it's home and it's a really great city. But I think that I also just love it because it's home.
LISTEN | Sheila Heti dicusses her novel Motherhood:
What is your favourite journey?
I like that feeling right between sleep and waking, or rather waking and sleep. The journey of going to sleep — that passage where you can detect the way that your brain normally works start to break down.
I like that the journey into the dream world is always something I look forward to every day going to sleep.
I love those moments — that kind of noticing when you're still thinking, but the logic doesn't really make sense. I like that that journey into the dream world is always something I look forward to every day going to sleep. That's a nice journey.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
I'm sure there are lower ones, but I have found that extended moments of estrangement with people that I love very, very painful. Especially if you're the cause — if the reason is something that you've done, that's quite miserable.
What is your favourite occupation?
Writing books. Writing books uses every part of your humanity. I love how hard it is, and I like the challenge. It's like people who love doing the crossword or something. It's that feeling of some particularly delicious puzzle to work out.
I like that books take years to write because it doesn't matter if you are not so good at it on any given day.
I like having a long project. I like that books take years to write because it doesn't matter if you are not so good at it on any given day. All that matters is the cumulative effort, and I think that's relaxing.
Sheila Heti's comments have been edited for length and clarity.
