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Audio Interviews with Martin Cruz Smith |
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Martin Cruz Smith tells Don Swaim in this 1986 interview that writing stories always came easy to him, but it never was something he thought he'd do for very long, despite having earned a degree in creative writing from the University of Pennsylvania in '64, a degree he later referred to as, "the most useless invention on Earth." He tried sports journalism, a job selling popcicles, and later painting in Portugal. Nothing seemed to fit. Just to make ends meet, he settled at the Associated Press back in Pennsylvania. That career was short lived once he found himself falling asleep during budget meetings hosted by the governor. In New York, Cruz Smith edited a men's magazine where he frequently published his own material under various pseudonyms. But when the day came when the publishers changed the manly magazine to include sexier content, Cruz Smith decided to move on. Ultimately, Cruz Smith came back to creative writing. Going against the advice of his publisher, he pursued a novel about a Russian detective in Russia called Gorky Park, which was later made into a movie. His next novel would take a twist even before its publication. Cruz Smith spent one year researching what he thought would be his next novel. In one day, he decided to throw away all that he had accomplished. This novel would become Stallion Gate, a fictitious, suspense novel based on true events set in 1945 New Mexico, the year the first atomic bomb blast. He follows the life of a Pueblo Indian, who is one of many Indians to work at Los Alamos during this time. To find out more, click on the link below. Listen to the Martin Cruz Smith interview with Don Swaim ,May 7, 1986 These files are for your personal use only. Three years later, Cruz Smith returns to chat with Don Swaim about the repercussions over his novel Gorky Park in the Soviet Union. After being referred to as "anti-soviet scum," Cruz Smith realized he would not receive the same appreciation for his work as he did in the United States. In the Soviet Union, his book was confiscated and people went to jail for reading it. These acts continued until a couple of years before this 1989 interview. But when Cruz Smith returned in the late 80s, everything had changed. He was treated well, given grand tours, and his book was finally being published. He also talks about his new novel, Polar Star, which is also the name of a Soviet boat. Cruz Smith came across boat after reading an article in his college alumni magazine. So, his first instinct was to go to Soviet Union To hear more about his times in the Soviet Union, click on the link below. Listen to the Martin Cruz Smith interview with Don Swaim, July 12, 1989 These files are for your personal use only. Arkady Renko is back in Cruz Smith's new novel, Red Square. In this last interview in 1992, he tells Don Swaim about his encounters with the black market, government corruption, and the mafia while he researched for this novel in Russia. Cruz Smith says what he writes doesn't have to have taken place, but he prefers to know it's possible. To ensure this, he makes every attempt to see what he's writing about. For this novel, Cruz Smith spends a day with a mafioso in an unlikely situation - at a picnic. He also follows detectives while on duty. His time there exposes the darker side of Russia during its most vulnerable state. In one portion of his book, he describes a scene at a discount store that exemplifies the life of many Russians. "When I went into this discount store, I found a dead light bulb," he describes. "You can't find a functioning light bulb in the stores. So, you take a working one from work. But, don't dare have a missing bulb. You buy the broken one and To hear more exciting and strange tales of his time in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, click on the link below. Listen to the Martin Cruz Smith interview with Don Swaim, October 28, 1992 These files are for your personal use only.
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