Hua Hsu: An Interview – The New York Times

Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the first time?

I was moving offices a few months ago and came across a copy of André Breton and Philippe Soupault’s “The Magnetic Fields” that I bought in college, no doubt because of the band name, and for some vague sense at the time that “automatic writing” was an extremely cool thing for a 20-year-old to claim for themselves. I never opened it until a couple weeks ago, when I was engaged in a book purge, playing that game where I calculate life expectancy versus odds of truly, finally grasping Hegel. I picked up “The Magnetic Fields” to skim — more an exercise in logging data and flipping pages than anything — and I couldn’t put it down. I forgot language could do that. And then I went down a rabbit hole of reading about Surrealism and the practice of “automatic writing.” It sounded like magic to me; I am so much less creative or open to experimentation than I was when I was younger. I wish I had read this back then.

What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?

I’m going to stretch the definition of book and put out an SOS: In the late 1990s, an author who went by “M.” wrote and published a zine called “Secret Asian Man.” Each issue consisted of letters to a loose constellation of friends in Seattle, New York and Paris, journal entries, and digressions about East Village art shows, random conversations at cafes or music. A lot of it is about the romance of being out in the world on your own, exploring cities, searching for friends, wondering where your expectations about growing up came from. A collection of these issues would undoubtedly be my favorite book that no one has heard of. I’ve always wanted to know who made this zine, and if there are any issues I am missing, and if I could republish them. If you are reading this, please write me!

You performed your own audiobook narration. Did reading the book aloud change your perception of it?

It was a strange experience. Because of some scheduling issues, the only free days to do the audiobook came at the end of July. The day I had to narrate the book’s central trauma landed on the actual day it had happened 24 years earlier. We broke for lunch right before that section. The process of turning life events into a book can be bewildering and disorienting. The recording session felt like just another part of a busy schedule. It’s hard to put into words, but it felt so spooky and peaceful to have a moment of stillness on that day, to sit in this soundproof studio, reflecting on what was going to happen next, and all that would come later.

What writers are especially good on friendship as a theme?

I love Andrew O’Hagan’s “Mayflies,” Ann Patchett’s “Truth and Beauty” and Gail Caldwell’s “Let’s Take the Long Way Home.” I also think books about bands are actually books about the complexities of friendship, and Tracey Thorn’s “My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend” is one of my favorites. But the best form of creative expression that takes friendship as a central concern is rap music.