The State Ann Beattie Is In

Ann Beattie is one of America’s foremost masters of the short story. Her first novel, Chilly Scenes of Winter, came out in 1976, followed by a string of short stories in The New Yorker. Her characters — a lot of them aimless, uncertain yuppies — all seemed to be suffering from a post-1960’s hangover. Ever since, her characters’ average age has probably increased, but the human insight and spare, uncluttered style haven’t budged. Her latest collection of short stories set in Maine, The State We’re In, is her first in a decade.

Kurt Andersen: When you were in your30s, you were called“a voice of your generation” many times. Was that kind of emblematic praise a burden?

Ann Beattie: I thought it was extremely funny, of course. For better or for worse, I’m not an egomaniac. I know it sounds really strange — as though I’m disassociated from my own mind and body or something like that — but when I sit down to write all of those things absolutely fall away.

Ateenage character named Jocelyn recurs throughout thebook. What made you decide to do that?

Literarily, I think the way teenagers are always a help is that they do tend to tell you — even if you’re not very happy with how they express it — what’s on their minds. Friends my age are not going to argue to the death about something we disagree about, but a teenager will.

Has the way you write changed over the years?

I had been teaching in an MFA program until a couple of years before this book, and by the time I sat down to write what turned out to be these stories I really wanted to write more simply. I didn’t want to be having that voice of the teacher in the back of my mind. I wanted to do something that was as direct as I could possibly make it.