Evelyn Grill
Evelyn Grill was born in
1942 in Upper Austria, and
studied law in Linz. She has lived in Freiburg, Germany,
since 1986. Her books include Winterquartier (1993),
Wilma (1994), Vanitas (2005), Der Sammler
(2006) and Schoene Künste (2007). Winterquartier
has been translated into English and published as Winter
Quarters, Ariadne Press.
PageOneLit.com: Can you tell us a
little about your novel, On the Phone? Why did you write this
book, and what is its major theme or what were you trying to say in it?
Evelyn Grill: In On the Phone,
I wanted to portray a woman who makes her way in life despite adverse
circumstances, doesn’t let these circumstances demoralize her, and
succeeds in her law career. At the same time, however, I wanted to
depict her doubts, frustrations, and longing for love, as well as her
fear of loneliness and growing old.
PageOneLit.com: Can you tell
us a little bit about your own life and background that is of particular
relevance to this book, and how it is reflected in the narrative? Like
the main character, Elfriede Schweiger, were you a housewife who
transformed herself into a career woman? If so, are you happier as a
result?
Evelyn Grill: I married early in
life and raised three children. During this period, I had no opportunity
to be professionally employed. I only began my law studies in Linz when
my youngest child finally went to school. I met a lot of women in law
school who also had been housewives for years and were now trying to
start over again. I wanted to use this material in a book because it
seemed to me that the depiction of such problems could be of
significance to many other women. I got divorced from my first husband
before I began my studies, and then married for a second time. I moved
to Germany with my second husband, who is a literary scholar. There I
was finally able to dedicate myself completely to writing. I’ve
nevertheless stayed in contact with some of my former fellow female
students, who keep me informed on their careers and give me insights
into their private lives. On the Phone came about as a result of
such contacts.
PageOneLit.com: On the Phone
seems to have a strong feminist message. Do you consider yourself a
feminist, and if so, in what sense? How important do you feel feminism
is today? Has its importance for you diminished? Do you feel that women
have become more empowered in recent years and, if so, when did you
begin to notice this? Do you feel that Austria is particularly resistant
to feminism?
Evelyn Grill: I advocate somewhat indirectly for
women’s rights in my books. I see the injustice of the lack of equal
treatment that still affects many women and am sensitive to misogynistic
remarks. Such experiences are definitely a part of my writerly impulse,
so in that sense I can describe myself as a feminist. I’m convinced that
feminism—I don’t mean the radical, anti-male kind—still has great
relevance, and I view with some concern the fact that many people say
feminism is dead today. Of course, women have achieved a lot in recent
years. Even in Austria many laws have been changed to the benefit of
women. Without militant feminism, that wouldn’t have occurred. I was
already more than 30 years old when I came in contact with the Vienna
Women’s Press, which published my first book in 1985, and where I became
friends with a number of dedicated women. I learned that one could
resist oprression, and that I, too, had a right to gratify my needs, as
well as to write and educate myself. The story “Subplot,” in which I
depicted my former situation as a housewife in a very patriarchially
structured marriage, was a success in Austria, although it’s been out of
print for years. As a consequence of that, I dared to step out of my
marriage and into freedom. In Austria, you can definitely still find
such patriarchal relationships, especially in the country, which would
be unimaginable in Germany.
PageOneLit.com: How personal
a project was On the Phone for you? Was it therapeutic?
Evelyn Grill: Every issue that I use as a subject for a
book is personal for me, even if the events that I deal with are ones
that I haven’t experienced myself. Social conflicts—particularly family
conflicts—offer me material to master in literary fashion. As soon as
I’ve written about them, they no longer exercise power over me. In that
sense, all my books are therapeutic, even though I don’t wish to view
literary writing as therapy. Such a limitation is contrary to formal
literary pretensions that demand distance between the novelist and his
or her characters.
PageOneLit.com: Can you tell us
about some of your other books? How do they differ from On the Phone?
Do they differ widely in terms of style, theme, and plot? If so, what do
they all have in common? Do you have a favorite? If so, which one, and
why?
Evelyn Grill: Different themes require different style,
plot, characterization, and structure. For this reason, my books differ
quite strongly from one another. In all my books I implicitly take the
side of weak and powerless, which occasionally are also men. In some of
my books, such as Vanitas or Winter Quarters, I depict
strong women who aren’t always sympathetic, but I like to endow them
with power, which they sometimes also misuse. It seems to me that there
is a continuing need for such literary figures.
PageOneLit.com: Since this
interview is for English-language readers, we won't ask you about your
German or Austrian literary influences. However, have any
English-language writers influenced you? If so, which ones?
Evelyn Grill: First of all I‘d cite Virginia Woolf.
I’ve been preoccupied with her for years. Whether and how she has
influenced my writing, I don’t know. The novels of William Faulkner,
Henry James, and Julian Barnes are still important to me. More recently,
I’ve been impressed by the novels of Alan Hollinghurst, Edward St.
Aubyn, and Ian McEwan.
