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placeIwantedtogetawayfrommostofthetime).Buttherewasanother
landscapethatwasmuchmorecolourfulforme,andthatwasmymother,shome
landscapeofruralOntario,NorthumberlandCounty.Myuncleshadfarmsthere
(asdidmygrandparents),andmyparentseventuallyboughtasummerhouse
nearbyonthegreatlake.Ispenteverysummer,therefore,intheplacewheremy
motherhadspentherchildhoodandhadthenbeenforcedtoleave.Inaway,
Iguess,thiswasherownabandonedlandscape,onethatshemythologizedinthe
storiesshepassedontome.Alotofmywritingissituatedatleastpartlyin
NorthumberlandCounty,aboutanhourandahalfeastofToronto.
D.F.:Oneofthethingsthatintriguesmeaboutyourcommentisthemotifofprospecting.Icould
teaseawholeinterpretationoutofit,becauseitsoundslikeprospectingforcreativeresourcesin
thelandscape.Wouldthelandscapeprovideanaccesstocreativityandinspiration?
J.U.:Yes,insomecasesthat,sverytrue.Forexample,whenIwaswritingThe
UnderpainterIknewthatIwasgoingtohavemymaincharactercomeacross
thelakefromRochestertotheareaofNorthumberlandCountywheremymother
grewupandwhereIspentmysummers.But,duringtheperiodwhenIwas
writing,IhappenedtotakeatripbacktothenorthwithmybrotherNick,whois
alsoaprospector.And,whilewewereintheNorthwevisitedtheplacesofour
childhood.WewenttoseethelittlesettlementofSilverIsletwhichwasinmany
wayssimilartothesettlementthatwouldhavebeenmychildhoodhome.That
changedthecourseofTheUnderpainterforme.Isuddenlyknewwheremy
maincharacter,AustinFraser,wasgoingtobespendinghissummers.Iknewhe
wasgoingtoheadforthenorthshoreofLakeSuperior.Yes,oftenthediscovery
ofaparticularlandscapecaninspire,oratleastenrichoraddtowhatisalready
thereintermsofinspiration.
D.F.:Nowthatyou,vementionedTheUnderpainter,Iwanttoaskyouaboutthewholeconceptof
theNorth.I,dliketoknowwhattheNorthmeanstoyou.Howdoyouseeyourselfinthecontext
ofotherCanadianwritersexploringtheNorth,e.g.ArithavanHerkinTheTentPeg,orMargaret
AtwoodinMalevolentNorth?
J.U.:IshouldaddthatArithaismarriedtoageologist.
D.F.:Right,Iknowthat.
J.U.:whoknowsmybrother.
D.F.:Oh,really?Whatacoincidence!
J.U.:Yes.Geology,prospectingandminingcoveragreatdealofterritoryin
Canadabuttherearenotthatmanypeopleinvolved.Theyallknoweachother.
