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Pomona College Magazine is published three times a year by Pomona College
550 N. College Ave, Claremont, CA 91711
Online Editor: Mark Kendall
For editorial matters:
Editor: Mark Wood
Phone: (909) 621-8158
Fax: (909) 621-8203
PCM Editorial Guidelines
Contact Alumni Records for changes of address, class notes, or notice
of births or deaths.
Phone: (909) 621-8635
Fax: (909) 621-8535
Email: alumni@pomona.edu
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Myth Maker
Vera Nazarian '88 draws on the real world
to create lyrical fantasy tales ...
By Hugo Martin '87
VERANAZARIAN ’88 SPENT
MUCH OF THE FOURTH GRADE HOLED
UP INDOORS WHILE BOMBS EXPLODED
OVERHEAD.
Born in Moscow, she and her Russian-Armenian
parents had fled to war-torn Lebanon. Then the family
bounced across Europe before finally settling in
California in 1976.
But that unconventional childhood gave birth to
an extraordinary storyteller, a novelist of vivid fantasies
that take place in surreal worlds of unsinkable
ships, cities that reshape every time a king dreams,
oases of worthless gold, wizards and trickster goddesses.
 Perhaps it’s not surprising that Nazarian dwells in
the world of fantasy. Escapism seems a natural
response to a refugee childhood. Plus, as a youngster,
her mother—a teacher—plied her with dense reading
material, including French classics, Greek mythology
and the Bible. She had her first short story published
as a freshman at Pomona. She graduated in ’88, as an English
and psychology double major.
“I think I read the Iliad before I read James and the Giant
Peach,” she says during an interview at a Studio City café. Nazarian has piercing blue eyes and speaks fast and eloquently, a
hint of Russian still coloring her speech.
Although she has produced two novels, a novella, a compilation
book and several short stories, she is self-effacing about her
success, calling herself a “published small fry.” At least half a
dozen unfinished novels remain
swirling in her head, she says,
waiting for those mysterious and
untenable triggers that unleash
tales onto paper.
Today, Nazarian, 41, is a veteran
in a genre of literature that is at
a peak in popularity. Computer-generated
imagery, the movie
magic that allows filmmakers to
create virtually anything on screen,
has helped propel into the public
arena the works of such modern
fantasy writers as J.K. Rowling and
J.R.R. Tolkien.
Despite tough times in the
publishing world, the popularity of
fantasy movies like the Lord of the
Rings trilogy has given fantasy
writers a much needed boost, says
Matthew Dickerson, author of several
books on the genre, including From Homer to Harry Potter: A
Handbook on Myth and Fantasy.
“There are a lot of people who
just see the movies, ” he says.
“But a lot of people are drawn back to read the books, too.
Nazarian admits she has been tempted to jump on the coattails
of Rowling and Tolkien by scratching out a Harry Potter
knockoff or a Lord of the Rings guidebook. But she resists in
the hope that, with patience and hard work, her time will come.
“All you can do is do your best and write what you enjoy,”
she says.
Nazarian enjoys working in a genre that allows her to create
entire worlds, filled with creatures unlike anything seen before.
In contrast, she feels restricted and bound by the confines of
what she calls “mainstream writing.”
“Fantasy is really asking ‘what if’ and answering it with
something that is not possible in our world,” she says.
The roots of fantasy were sown by the Greek mythology of
the 7th and 8th centuries B.C., with tales such as Homer’s Iliad
and the Odyssey. Since these early works, fantasy has been a
potent player in shaping popular literature. Examples range from
Grimm’s fairy tales, to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s
Dream to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.
Nazarian considers herself a “hard fantasy” writer
who uses her stories to explain life, its meaning and
patterns. Regardless of how strange and otherworldly
the setting, Nazarian believes a memorable fantasy
must stay true to itself. Even within magical worlds,
she says, logic and consistency are essential. For example,
Nazarian says she would never give a character a
third ear unless she could provide an explanation.
Perhaps, she says, the third ear is a
punishment imposed on the character
by a god for refusing to listen.
“Everything is consistent,” she
says. “You have to have a reason for
everything. When you don’t do that,
it’s bad writing.”
Of her collection of short stories, Salt of the Air, Publisher’s Weekly
said: “Sumptuous detail, twisty plots
and surprising endings lift these
extravagant tales.” John Grant, coeditor
of the Encyclopedia of Fantasy,
called Nazarian “a writer seemingly
so full of story that it just comes
bubbling uncontrollably out of her.”
Of course, stories don’t spring
from Nazarian’s mind like a rabbit
from a magician’s hat. The ideas
develop from everyday events. She
can see a white book on a black coffee
table and imagine a world of
black and white, devoid of all other
colors, as in Nazarian’s second book,
Lords of Rainbow. But then comes
the hard part: coaxing the right
words to express that idea.
Nazarian often suffers from bouts of writer’s block that can
hold a story hostage in her mind for years. Sometimes, the block
inexplicably shatters while she is gardening in her San Fernando
Valley home, doing Tai Chi or shopping for vegetables. And
when it happens, she says, she can write nonstop for as long as
24 hours.
“One little thing can be a break,” she says with a smile. “The
best way to break a block is not to force yourself. Everyone has
a well of resources.”
Hugo Martin '87 is a features writer for the Los Angeles Times. |
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