Dave Eggers / Features / Untitled Books

"If you’re an educator who has never written a line of poetry or is skeptical about the value of cartoons, then there’s a danger that you’re going to discourage the next Bill Watterson or Charles Schulz or John Ashbery."

Dave Eggers

This week, Dave Eggers was awarded the Literarian Award for 'outstanding service to the American literary community'. After nearly a decade of sniping, his critics are finally laying down their barbs and acknowledging his far-reaching contribution to American literature and education. He talks to Eugenie Teasley about inspiring the next generation and the importance of creative collaboration.

In the last few years, Dave Eggers has emerged as one of the most influential figures in American literature, thanks in part to his own writing, but also to his quirky but increasingly powerful publishing empire, and his pioneering brand of literary philanthropy. Since he burst in to public consciousness in 2000 with his first book, the audaciously titled A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, he has divided both popular and critical opinion. Considered a precocious literary upstart full of ambition and willing to turn his had to anything by some, to others he is, well, a precocious literary upstart full of ambition and willing to turn his had to anything. The main charge against him seems to be that his profile exceeds his talent. Recently, however, his critics have largely fallen silent as early accusations of style over substance have begun to look increasingly baseless and mean-spirited. A stable of projects, once viewed by his detractors as a vehicle for his profile as a literary wunderkind, have crystallized in to a set of significant and established enterprises motivated by genuine demiurgic and altruistic intent.

This month sees publication of his latest book The Wild Things, based on Maurice Sendak's surreal picture book, the much loved Where the Wild Things Are. Unusually, the book grew out of the screenplay, which Eggers co-wrote with director Spike Jonez. In both the book and the film, Max, the furious little boy in the wolf suit, is tugged into the 21^st century (the original was written in 1963) and given a whole new set of problems. Where once he had only to worry about being sent to bed without any supper, he now has an absent father, a mardy teenage sister, and his mother's new boyfriend to contend with. It's a brave writer who meddles with such a well-loved classic, no matter how cult and quirky, but Eggers brings new life to Max and the Wild Things, without ever becoming too clever or arch. His version is intended for all ages; a childish story written in smart, snappy, intelligent prose. The film arrives in UK cinemas next month, hot on the heels of Egger's first film Away We Go, directed by Sam Mendes, which opened to largely approving reviews in September.

This shift into film, coupled with the McSweeney's spectrum of books, magazines and quarterlies, seems to defy early expectations that Eggers would settle into building a nice résumé of quirky novels. Now 39, he has emerged instead as an expert facilitator with a taste for collaboration; is his own love for books waning? "I believe and love so many forms of creation, filmmaking of course, all that," he answers. "But my home is in books and always will be."

Perhaps his most significant venture is 826 Valencia, a fast expanding educational charity founded by in San Francisco with teacher Nínive Calegari in 2002. It runs after-school programs, workshops and drop-in tutoring with the intention of supporting and developing writing skills in young people. Kids can come to the centre to write their own stories and see them published as beautifully produced books to take home and show off. Publication is an integral part of the process; "For a lot of students, finding a way to send their work out into the real world is game-changing," Eggers recognises. "It confirms the existence of other eyes and ears who are and will listen to their thoughts. They can write themselves into existence."

As a boy in Chicago, Eggers worked on his own high school magazine. It was when an enlightened teacher decided to submit it to national contests that he first recognised the power of a wider, genuine audience; a light-bulb moment for him, and something that is now at the core of 826 Valencia's ethos. There are huge annual projects, during which the organization works intensively with state school classes to write, edit and publish books that are made available right across the States. There are also daily publications, written by primary-schoolers, complete with professionally illustrations drawn right in front of the children's eyes as they produce the story.

To reach the San Francisco centre's writing lab, visitors must pass through a Pirate Supply Store--a whimsical space intended both to inspire young people before they start writing, and to raise funds for the free programs. Customers browse piratical paraphernalia, wide-eyed, furrow-browed, trying to figure out what Peg Leg Oil is and how to avoid being mopped, and maybe, just maybe, spot Eggers as he meanders through the store to go see what the kids are getting up to in the back. It's exactly this kinds of space--unlike any classroom, or any other room for that matter--that Eggers believes can inspire kids to write. The weirdness is deliberate: there to stimulate kids rather than to drain them. "Writing, painting, cartooning, filmmaking--all of these creative endeavours rely on a recognition and validation of the weird, a point of view outside the mainstream," he says.

What was initially a kitchen table idea notable largely for its absence of traditional structure and applied pedagogical theory, has cohered into a successful educational model. There are now six centers in key cities across the US, mobilizing a network of over thousands of volunteers. "I think it's important that there are some eccentric creative people in the leadership at the core of any such organization. They don't have to be writers or professional artists, but they should know and be able to recognize what it takes to create something--whether it's a book or story or painting or cartoon. People who haven't done or attempted these things in their careers might be less likely to recognize the value of this kind of work in their students," Eggers insists. The founding principles of common sense, creative pursuit and free-thinking remain firmly in place and ensure 826's continued success, along with Eggers' mantra, "Keep it weird".

After such a prolific year, Eggers shows no sign of slowing down. Already published in America, Zeitoun, will arrive on our shelves next spring. Like What is the What, his 2006 'fictionalized biography' of Sudanese refugee Valentino Achek Deng, Zeitoun traces someone else's story. This time his subject is Abdulrahman Zeitoun a Syrian-American immigrant who was living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. Eggers' background in journalism, coupled with his literary bent, seamless blends factual detail with Zeitoun's emotional reality to present a story that reminds us, once again, of the inequalities that storm over us in the West. The work was tough, but not lonely. "I do like working with actual people on telling their stories. For one thing, it staves off some of the isolation you can feel when working alone on a book for three or four years."

It's understandable that after a mammoth project like Zeitoun, Eggers craved doing something less intense, more whimsical. "Writing Zeitoun wasn't very often fun," he answers. "With that kind of book, the research involved and the responsibility you feel to the people you're writing about precludes much in the way of personal enjoyment. I was pretty anxious to change gears a bit after that." Luckily, there were the finishing touches to be done on The Wild Things. "It was a great relief to be able to just make things up about a boy playing around with mythical beasts on an imaginary island." And if there a novel or film on the go, then relief may also be sought in short stories, or even drawings. "I've been drawing more than I have in many years," he tells me. "Every night I do five or six drawings of common mammals espousing revolutionary political slogans. It sounds stranger than it is, actually. But it soothes me at the end of the day."

There's an accessibility to writing, he suggests, that doesn't exist with other creative media. "It's the most democratic form, in that incredible novels have been written in prisons on toilet paper, and can be written with no investment of money and no formal training." And it's that accessibility that will ensure that books don't disappear the way of cassettes. "It's the most intimate of art forms, I think, in that it's one mind connecting with another, and it relies on no equipment, no electronics."

That accessibility, of course, is only available to those who have the conviction or self-belief in their own writing. Goodness knows there are the precocious kids in the well-heeled schools who've written three novels before hitting double figures. But what about the majority of kids, who are never made to feel that writing is available to them, and whose teachers and parents don't necessarily consider writing stories to be an educational priority? Does he believe that writing really is a viable way these days to empower these young people? "We teach writing to kids who need that leg up. Without the ability to express themselves effectively, they'll be at a considerable disadvantage, because they're certainly not going to be handed opportunities in [America] when they're from poor immigrant families. They'll be fighting for every chance they might get. But if they can write well, speak powerfully; they very well could be the next Sotomayor or Obama. Now more than ever there's clear empirical evidence to prove that words matter."

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The Wild Things is published by Penguin. Where the Wild Things Are will be in cinemas next month.

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Thursday, 19 November, 2009