The Republic of Nothing (53 page)

The sea is my own ally and enemy almost on a daily basis. I live at Lawrencetown Beach on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. I surf on some of the finest waves on the planet — when the conditions are good. During those times, the sea is my best friend and conspires with me to create some extraordinary experiences. On the other hand, I've surfed some dangerous big waves in icy water during the winter here and nearly drowned a couple of times. The
power of the surging water has held me under, and at such times, the sea is a deadly adversary.

Living close to the ocean, my home also gets slammed by massive storms generated off the coast here, and I endure some heavy weather — rain, snow, wind that can knock you down and rip the shingles from your roof. The sea is never a static character.

The sea, though, can be whimsical too. Things wash up on the shore here all the time. Part of my 200-year-old house is made from the wood of shipwrecks that was once scavenged from the beach. In more recent times, I've seen plenty of unusual things washed ashore. I once watched hundreds of lemons bobbing up and down in the waves. They fell off a ship, I guess, and looked quite comical. Yet on another occasion, I walked the shoreline picking up pieces of the cabin wall that had once been part of Swissair Flight 111, which had crashed at sea on the South Shore.

Still, on other occasions, a calm, serene sea at dawn or sunset has consoled me like a kind old friend during times of personal sadness and tragedy.

3. The Republic of Nothing
is set during the philosophical and political upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s. What interests you about this period of time and why did you chose it as the setting for this novel?

I graduated from high school in New Jersey in 1969 and went to university in North Carolina and later near New York City. These were heady turbulent times, and I was immersed in the protest movement against the Vietnam War. I marched in demonstrations in New York, Washington D.C., and even one right into the midst of 3,000 soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C. — a protest led by Jane Fonda. It was an amazing time full of idealism, adventure, recklessness, political activism, revolutionary notions (good and bad) of all sorts, and of experimentation with just about everything imaginable.

In some ways, I never lost the idealism of that time period. In the novel, I put Ian on the fringe of those events, but I realized that it would be impossible for him to fully isolate himself on
his island from the impact of important international events and movements.

The Republic of Nothing
is also a very ‘60s notion in that it is an alternative place — its own nation with its own quirky eccentric rules. Or, I should say, it has no rules, since it is intended to be a place of anarchy. Anarchy as a ruling principle can be good or bad, but it can probably never be sustained. Whalebone Island is as close to Utopia as I can imagine. Sad to think that Utopias can't be sustained.

4. How has the country of your birth, the United States, influenced your writing and your creation of the fictional world of The
Republic of Nothing?

I have a true love/hate relationship with the U.S. I had to leave it behind in order to maintain my sanity. As an avowed pacifist who tries to live by his principles, how could I allow my taxes to be used for nuclear and biological weapons and to pay soldiers who were invading independent free nations? How could I allow my income to be used to wreak such harm and create so much pain? I had to leave, and Canada was very attractive to me — not perfect, but somewhat kinder, somewhat saner. I think I almost believed my home on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia was a kind of Republic of Nothing. This, for me, is an idealized place, but that's because I invented my own version of Nova Scotia to keep me going.

Nonetheless, I grew up in New Jersey during the 1950s and 1960s and had so many positive influences from the U.S.: my parents, some teachers, some books, some powerful ideas. I truly believed I was capable of succeeding at anything and that I was free to live my life however I chose to live it. That's partly why I moved to Nova Scotia and reinvented myself as a writer, surfer, teacher, publisher, musician, TV host, and father. My motto remains, “All things are possible,” despite the evidence to the contrary. I'm sure a big chunk of my optimism and creativity comes from having grown up in the States during the time I did. I'm thankful for that.

5.
Individualism seems to win out over conformity to authority in this novel. Is this a product of the time in which the novel is set or the place where it is set? Does it still resonate today?

I think individualism must always win in the end. Almost all novels are about the power of the individual who must face adversity and who must be out of step with the times or with the view of the majority. Nova Scotia is a province inhabited by some of the most independent-thinking people I've ever met. Nova Scotians have taught me to be humble and self-sufficient.

All individuals are responsible for their actions. It is of utmost importance that individuals stand up against authority when it acts immorally, even if it is acting on the will of the masses.

Ian is struggling with his identity and, in some ways, is weak, but in the story, he knows he must act to save the island, and he uses what he has learned from his parents, from the island, from the sea, and from what is in his heart. Like me, perhaps, he knows that we all ultimately lose the things we are most: attached to in this life when we eventually die, but we must fight the good fight to preserve what we love.

The Prince of Tides
by Pat Conroy.
This powerful American novel reminded me how much psycho-logical insight can be packed into a contemporary story about a family. It is richly emotional, eloquent, and taught me some good lessons about writing novels.

The Last Temptation of Christ
by Nikos Kazantzakis
This somewhat difficult and controversial novel reminds us all that fiction is about exploring lives in all their complexity and that a fictional story, even one about an historical figure, can provide new ways of contemplating the past and examining human nature.

The Politics of Experience
by R. D. Laing
This mind-altering non-fiction book by the Scottish psychologist opens up an investigation into the infinite ways of viewing the world and suggests that there is no fixed dividing line between sanity and insanity and that, in an insane world, the sane person may be the outcast.

Any book by Farley Mowat
Here is an original, passionate writer who lives what he writes. His writing is evocative and eloquent, and his stories are captivating. He taught me that we change the world one story at a time.

Any book by Alden Nowlan
When I first came across Alden's works after moving here, I was wildly excited. He is a truly unique and profound writer who is able to expose the crucial excitement and suffering that is the nature of being human.

The Way of Zen
by Alan Watts
There are some rather Zen ideas in
The Republic of Nothing
and, in creating its alternative view of the world, I borrowed from everywhere, including books like this that enlightened me to non-Western ideas.

Trout Fishing in America
by Richard Brautigan
Brautigan taught me when I was young that you could use language in unorthodox and exhilarating ways and that fiction need not be a fixed form.

Siddhartha
by Herman Hesse
This is a kind of ultimate coming-of-age story that awakens awe and a sense of possibility in a reader.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
by Annie Dillard
This power-packed little “nature” book inspires the reader to ob-serve everything with more intensity, and it illustrates how truly interconnected everything is. Dillard is also a remarkable writer who shows what can be achieved in a single sentence.

Leaves of Grass
by Walt Whitman
Whitman has a great spirit and takes you on a wild ride — celebrating everything and anything. This landmark volume of poetry is the great reminder that sometimes you can break all the rules and create a monumental work of literature.