Author Janet Fitch poses with her novel in a
local bookstore.
By Sophia Whang
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Janet Fitch runs her finger along the spines of books at
Dutton’s Bookstore in Brentwood. Not finding what she wants,
she checks another shelf, browsing in a way different from most
readers.
She turns the corner and spots a familiar name, a recognizable
cover, and excitedly finds her book next to those of Fitzgerald.
Fitch poses with a copy of “White Oleander” at the
photographer’s request and downplays a smile while holding
the short story, turned novel, turned film, that turned into a
dream come true for the author.
No wonder she beams when talking about the new prospects for her
book on the big screen. But the fame is only hinted at in the glow
of her cheeks and the excitement in her voice, appearing in no
make-up, no fuss.
Fitch, graciously accepting the continued success of her first
and only novel, is making a return appearance at the L.A. Times
Festival of Books held on the UCLA campus this weekend.
“The festival is, for me as a writer, one of the most
delicious things,” Fitch said.
She mused over previous years when she and her “writer
friends” went to the festival, sometimes relegated to lawns
as a result of not having tickets to the panel discussions. This
year she will speak at one of the featured discussions titled
“Fractured Lives: Love and Culture in Collision.”
“To actually be able to participate, it’s just
something especially wonderful when you have to wait for something
and work for something,” Fitch said. “And when you do
get it, you appreciate it so much more.”
Looking at her past reveals a history of long waits and hard
work, including many rejections, according to Fitch. She has been a
proofreader, a freelance journalist and the managing editor of
American Film magazine, among other jobs. Her first short story,
“The Luncheon,” was published in 1990 in a UCLA
Extensions literary journal. Later, “White Oleander”
was named as a distinguished story in the Best American Short
Stories collection in 1994.
Fitch decided to extend “White Oleander” only after
fellow author Joyce Carol Oates critiqued the story as being more
like the beginnings of a novel. At the completion of the book four
years later, “White Oleander” became a national
best-seller, a selection in Oprah’s Book Club and the
receiver of a Readers’ Choice Award in 1999.
With this extension, now the full story of Astrid’s
childhood guides readers through her journey of self-discovery,
ambition and finding love. Little did Fitch know that among her
wide audience, producers from Warner Brothers were also falling in
love with the characters she had crafted with the help of traits
taken from her own personality.
A representative from Warner Brothers, which is releasing the
film later this year, attended one of Fitch’s book readings
and made an offer.
“(My reaction was) holy shit,” Fitch said with a
laugh. “This was so far from anything I’d ever
envisioned for this book.”
Although she did not have a say in the casting, she is pleased
with Kosminsky’s choices, including Alison Lohman (Astrid),
Michelle Pfeiffer (Ingrid Magnussen) and Renee Zellweger as one of
the foster mothers.
Knowing that the film is going to be different from the book,
Fitch believes that every tiny choice Kosminsky makes is part of
his bigger vision for the film and that her book only serves as a
starting point.
“I think that people are a little bit too literal when
they think in terms of the translation from literature to
film,” Fitch said. “I think the worst films are the
films that try to faithfully bring to the screen some work of art
because the language of film is so different.”
But no matter what the language, that of literature or of film,
on the page or on the big screen, her story will be told. This
outlives the “narcissistic terror” that more than
haunted Fitch during her childhood, wanting to make that mark
before she goes. Now, that obsession has simmered down into a
tremendous ambition to do something.
“I’m never satisfied because I’m always
struggling with the next thing,” Fitch said. “Because
as an artist, if you become satisfied, that’s the moment you
stop being an artist. So the very thing everyone else is trying to
do ““ become satisfied with their lives ““ is the thing
you’ll never do.”
So in the midst of “White Oleander’s” success,
Fitch retreated back inside the bookstore to continue reading and
is currently working on her second novel, feeding her never-ending
hunger as an artist.
LITERATURE: “Fractured Lives: Love and Culture in
Collision” is on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in Rolfe 1200. Limited
tickets will be available at the festival.