By writing a brilliant and funny novel about poets, Debra Weinstein may have created a new genre.
Weinstein's first book, "Rodent Angel," was a collection of her poetry, written during the days when she was "obsessed with rats." Her first novel, "Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z," is a satirical tragedy that further defines her unusual talent.
"Poetry is really a struggle," she said by phone from her New York University office. "No one is going to pay you to write poetry."
Which is one of the reasons she has shifted her interest to the writing of novels. "When I graduated from college, I told my parents I wanted to write poetry, and my father would say, 'What is poetry?' That was a question I couldn't ever answer. He would say, 'You, of all people, ought to be able to answer that!' "
No wonder Weinstein's main character in "Poet Z," a young college student named Annabelle, is constantly asking, "What is poetry?" No one can provide the answer for her either.
While in college, Weinstein progressed from writing about rats to writing about flowers. It just so happens that is the obsession of "Poet Z" in her novel — Z has built her literary fame on flower-related poetry. "I imagined that Z (short for Elizabeth) also lost interest in flowers, but she was not bold enough to take a risk on another subject.
"The character, Z, came more from imagination than real life. Z is a human being who is sick of her work and sick of her husband. She is a mere mortal. I also wanted to create a story about New York City, because I love New York, and, especially since 9/11, I have wanted to convey the city to those do not know it."
In her novel, Weinstein writes poetry on behalf of Annabelle, who writes thoughtful poetry with great speed. In real life, the poems came slowly, says Weinstein. "I always wanted Annabelle to write some great poem — it involved a lot of patient waiting. Then one day it came. It took five years! It happened in a bar, and I wrote it on an envelope — but not before I had studied a book about Math formulas."
The novel took seven years for Weinstein to write — not because the research was arduous, but because she labors so hard over her writing. "I wrote a first draft, and it really was bad. So a lot of what I did was to get it to flow properly. I'm a minimalist writer, and the speeches in the book were far too long. I also changed the ending."
Weinstein said her characters are "off the wall . . . people whose behavior you don't quite get. I was perhaps a little too absurd, but I meant them to be 'over the top.' They are trying to help Annabelle navigate the adult world. The idea that the adults around her were not afraid to be who they were — which is pretty neurotic — is eye-opening for her. She is afraid to tell her therapist about them."
Those people include Z, her husband Lars, their daughter Claire, the poet Braun Brown, and Annabelle's boyfriend, Harry. Each character is fully developed and each is outrageous.
Annabelle wants to be a poet and wants to be as close to her favorite poet, Z, as she can. So she becomes an assistant to her, although she prefers the word "apprentice." Annabelle doesn't realize that Z will eventually take her ideas and put them into her own poetry. "I really wanted to ask a question about influence. In any generation, people know each other and there will be influence. Where does influence stop and plagiarism begin?
"If Z pays Annabelle two dollars a line, is she completing her responsibility? Is it OK to use Annabelle's stuff? I'm raising the question but not answering it."
Z, however, uses Annabelle as a slave, constantly exploiting her to do mundane tasks such as shopping and cleaning, as well as to produce flower-related phrases. Harry, who also aspires to be a poet or a novelist, also exploits Annabelle by asking her to "play Nora Joyce to his James Joyce.
When asked about the objectification of women that is apparent in the book, Weinstein said, "Poets always objectify women. Annabelle's never been desired before. It appeals to her that Harry desires her and will write a beautiful poem to her. I see Harry as a growing experience for Annabelle." In Weinstein's opinion, the people who exploit Annabelle are helping her "to become an adult and learn to be responsible."
"I thought I was writing a satire," Weinstein said, "but I found that, in that form, you can get to deeper emotion. It's an avenue I hadn't realized. I'm not sure why. I had delightful surprises in writing the book. I wasn't sure what kind of animal the book was when I finished it."
Weinstein is doing research now for her second novel, one that will almost certainly focus on her beloved New York City. "The novel is a fine vehicle, because you can puzzle out all these questions. That's what interests me now. I have fun creating characters and writing dialogue."
Her real job, ironically, is in the public-relations department of New York University. Like Z, she looks out her office window at Washington Square.
Weinstein writes and edits a university newsletter. That means her books are written in the early morning or late at night. She doesn't foresee ever quitting her job and writing novels full time, "because having these responsibilities makes my writing more urgent. I would be afraid to have an entire day to write."
E-mail: dennis@desnews.com