Edward Carey, "A Portrait of an Unnamed Man"

It’s December 24. Edward Carey, author of The Swallowed Man, writes his phone number on his hand for just such an occasion.

How would you describe your story?

EDWARD CAREY: Not very pleasant. A lost person gets even more lost. It is set underground. There are a lot of strange creatures.

When did you write it, and how did the writing process compare to your other work?

EC: A couple of years ago, after I'd discovered a book by a Scottish priest written in the seventeenth century called The Secret Commonwealth, an essay on the nature and actions of the subterranean (and for the most part) invisible people, heretofore going under the names of elves, fauns and fairies. I wrote this story in a darkened room, not knowing where on earth it would go. I wanted to get a little lost with it. I usually write with more light and more structure.

What kind of research went into this story?

EC: None, really, other than being inspired by the above book.

What, to you, makes the short story a special form? What can it do that other kinds of writing can’t?

EC: It can give an extraordinary emotional punch and keep you thinking for ages. I love wonderful small narratives, and fairy tales—I could get lost forever in fairy tales, and I prefer them when their meanings or messages are not evident.

Where should people go to learn more about you and your work?

EC: https://edwardcareyauthor.com.

What's the best gift you've ever been given?

EC: A small drawing by Mervyn Peake.

* * * * *

What did you think of today's story? Use the hashtag #ssac2020 on Twitter and Instagram to check in with your fellow advent calendarians.