Interview with Virginia Evans, 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award Winner, Part II
Q: Please explain your concept for the novel The Correspondent. Why did you choose to make it an epistolary novel? How did you choose which authors to include?
I had a book out for sale, and it wasn’t selling. I read 84 Charing Cross Road, and I loved that book, and I thought, “I could do that.” The Correspondent was written in a mentality that I thought no one would ever read it. For the most part, the books that were talked about in the novel are ones I loved.
Q: What is the first Hemingway story or book that you read, and what do you remember from that experience? What is your favorite story or book by Hemingway?
I think my first was The Old Man and the Sea, and I do remember it very clearly. I have this very strong relationship to the sea, and books with a strong connection to the water are very meaningful to me. I read it in one day. It was a full-body experience for me, coming out of the book and almost feeling sweaty, it was so intense.
Have you read The Boy from the Sea, a book which came out last year by the Irish writer Garrett Carr? Some scenes in it are evocative of The Old Man and the Sea.
The Old Man and the Sea is still my favorite Hemingway work.
Q: Could you tell us a little about your writing process?
I write six days a week when I’m writing. After I finish a draft, then I’ll be talking about something else or catching up on life. I try to block off the morning through lunch. I’ll be quiet; I don’t see people; I’m at home. I’m really good five days a week when the kids are at school, and Saturdays I have to try to fit it in. I write on computer. I also have a notebook for every novel. I jot down all the frenetic ideas.
Q: Are you working on a new project at this time? Can you tell us about it?
I am working on a novel set in modern times.
Q: Where can people keep in touch with you?
You can reach me through my website (http://virginiaevansauthor.com) or my Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/virginia.l.evans/).
The PEN/Hemingway Award is supported by the Hemingway Foundation and Society, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, the Hemingway Family, the Ucross Foundation, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and the Friends of the Ernest Hemingway Collection. The members of the Hemingway Society support the award through their continued membership and through their donations. For more information about the PEN/Hemingway Award, visit this link to the website of the PEN/Faulkner Society, which administers the award:
05/06/2026
How to cite this blog in MLA 8:
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of Post.” THR Blog, The Hemingway Foundation and Society, Date blog was published, Link to blog entry (omit http:// or https://).
Continue/Read Original Article: Interview with Virginia Evans, 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award Winner, Part II | The Hemingway Society
Discover more from DrWeb's Domain
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
