Profile of Larry Woiwode, North Dakota Poet Laureate

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March 6, 1996
Dan Gunderson - Reporter, Larry Woiwode - Interviewee and Profiled Subject
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MPR’s Dan Gunderson presents profile of North Dakota Poet Laureate Larry Woiwode. Report includes interview with poet, who discusses faith.

Transcript:

(00:00:00) Larry why would he says faith is an essential part of The Human Experience because everyone has faith in something. He says his own struggle to Define faith has formed much of his writing.
(00:00:11) I'm working to Define why people have faith or why people keep on living or what the what the reason is behind life. And the way I try to do that try to figure out is to string together a bunch of words.
(00:00:27) Why would he lives on a small ranch in the southwestern corner of North Dakota? He says he gathers strength from the Solitude of the ranch where writing and horseback riding consume most of his time the 54 year old. Why would he spent his childhood in North Dakota his teen years in Illinois, and he began his writing career in New York City while in his early 20s, why would his first two novels won numerous Awards and High Praise from critics about beyond the bedroom wall. One critic wrote the novel is destined to become an American classic then in the early 1980s reviews of his books became more critical a New York Times review of the book Papa John said, why would his personal religious views overshadowed his prose? Why would he says that criticism has followed him ever since
(00:01:17) I wrote a couple of good books and then had some sort of mystical spiritual experience and this has changed entirely. Am I not only my internal attitude but it's certainly ruined every book since and I think that that's you know trash. I've never had any kind of mystical experience of that sort. I'm not a Mystic. I've never personally cared for either fundamentalism or fantasy both of which are very closely connected. They're both kind of intimated a prison people are locked
(00:01:54) in. Why would he says His writing reflects his own spiritual journey, not some undefined religious experience. And why would he says his writing never changed the culture did in 1981 he wrote pappajohn about an elderly man's spiritual rebirth
(00:02:11) those the Jerry Falwell earlier and I think anything that dealt with that kind of experience was immediately branded right-wing fundamental and somebody probably said that in Summer View in fact somebody He did and then it seems that journalists are not to original and they get a picked up that idea on Down the Line. Why
(00:02:35) would he says such criticism did not directly affect his writing but a few years later. He expressed his distrust of the media inborn Brothers creating a character who found his words twisted and misrepresented by reporters.
(00:02:49) I don't think it's an internal. Reaction or swinging out at those who have reacted to my own writing. I think it reflects what many writers are feeling in many in the media are feeling to about ways or many who are handled by the media are now feeling now saying I'm not fairly represented here, but writers and artists it felt that for decades. Why would he says the best
(00:03:22) Revenge is to keep writing as he has all his life uncluttered stories that touch the elemental human struggles heat races to the Bible a book. He says is the greatest compilation of stories about The Human Condition ever written in the last 10 years. Why would he contends American literature has lost Clarity he be moans what he calls flash over
(00:03:45) substance. It's like how you dress and how you move you know, it's how you look so there are some of that flash and Pizzazz I think is going to be embarrassing a decade or two from now. And those who? Those grumpy old people who just sat back and told the good old stories. You might say are probably going to have a better chance that the brass ring if there is one
(00:04:16) out there Larry. Why would he says he's ready to begin wrapping up the storylines. He's carried through several books over the past 30 years. Then he wants to write stories about the west and the rough unforgiving land. He loves whatever he writes. Why would he says he wants to be remembered as a dependable? Abel honest teller of stories about the most basic human struggles. I'm Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio, Moorhead

Transcripts

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DAN GUNDERSON: Larry Woiwode says faith is an essential part of the human experience because everyone has faith in something. He says his own struggle to define faith has formed much of his writing.

LARRY WOIWODE: I'm working to define why people have faith, or why people keep on living, or what the reason is behind life. And the way I try to do that, try to figure out, is to string together a bunch of words.

DAN GUNDERSON: Woiwode lives on a small ranch in the southwestern corner of North Dakota. He says he gathers strength from the solitude of the ranch where writing and horseback riding consume most of his time. The 54-year-old Woiwode spent his childhood in North Dakota, his teen years in Illinois. And he began his writing career in New York City, while in his early 20s.

Woiwode's first two novels won numerous awards and high praise from critics. About Beyond the Bedroom Wall, one critic wrote, the novel is destined to become an American classic. Then in the early 1980s, reviews of his books became more critical. A New York Times review of the book Papa John said Woiwode's personal religious views overshadowed his prose. Woiwode says that criticism has followed him ever since.

LARRY WOIWODE: I wrote a couple of good books, and then had some sort of mystical spiritual experience. And this has changed entirely not only my internal attitude, but it's certainly ruined every book since. And I think that that's trash. I've never had any kind of mystical experience of that sort. I'm not a mystic. I've never personally cared for either fundamentalism or fantasy, both of which are very closely connected. They're both kind of intimate a prison, people are locked in.

DAN GUNDERSON: Woiwode says his writing reflects his own spiritual journey, not some undefined religious experience. And Woiwode says his writing never changed, the culture did. In 1981, he wrote Papa John, about an elderly man's spiritual rebirth.

LARRY WOIWODE: That was the Jerry Falwell era. And I think anything that dealt with that kind of experience was immediately branded right-wing fundamental. And somebody probably said that in some review. In fact, somebody did. And then it seems that journalists are not too original. And they picked up that idea on down the line.

DAN GUNDERSON: Woiwode says such criticism did not directly affect his writing. But a few years later, he expressed his distrust of the media in Born Brothers, creating a character who found his words twisted and misrepresented by reporters.

LARRY WOIWODE: I don't think it's an internal reaction or a swinging out at those who have reacted to my own writing. I think it reflects what many writers are feeling and many in the media are feeling, too, about ways-- or many who are handled by the media are now feeling, now saying, I'm not fairly represented here. But writers and artists have felt that for decades.

DAN GUNDERSON: Woiwode says the best revenge is to keep writing, as he has all his life, uncluttered stories that touch the elemental human struggles he traces to the Bible, a book he says is the greatest compilation of stories about the human condition ever written. In the last 10 years, Woiwode contends, American literature has lost clarity. He bemoans what he calls flash over substance.

LARRY WOIWODE: It's how you dress and how you move. [LAUGHS] And it's how you look. So there are some of that flash and pizzazz, I think, is going to be embarrassing, a decade or two from now. And those grumpy old people who just sat back and told the good old stories, you might say, are probably going to have a better chance at the brass ring, if there is one out there.

DAN GUNDERSON: Larry Woiwode says he's ready to begin wrapping up the storylines he's carried through several books over the past 30 years. Then he wants to write stories about the West and the rough, unforgiving land he loves. Whatever he writes, Woiwode says he wants to be remembered as a dependable, honest teller of stories about the most basic human struggles. I'm Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio, Moorhead.

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