'I never write to disappear or escape'

 

“I never write to disappear and escape. The truth is exactly the opposite. Most people strike me as escaping and disappearing in one way or another - into their jobs, their daily routines, their delusions about themselves and others.” – Steven Millhauser

 

Born in New York City on Aug. 3, 1943 Millhauser won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Martin Dressler.  And while he has had several successful novels, he has earned even more accolades for his collections of short stories.  One of his best-known short stories is Eisenheim the Illusionist, made into the critically acclaimed film The Illusionist.   And his 2012 collection We Others won The Story Prize, honoring the best book of short fiction from the previous year.   

                           
A resident of Saratoga Springs, NY he taught writing at Skidmore College until retiring in 2017.  But he has maintained his short story writing, his most recent collection being 2023’s Disruptions.  Millhauser has a writing routine that he’s followed for decades. 

 

“When a story or part of a story comes to me, I turn it over in my mind a long time before starting to write.  I might make notes or take long drives or who knows what?  By the time I give myself permission to write, I know certain things, though not everything.  I know where the story is headed, and I know certain crucial points along the way.”