Books
Despite steering clear of Instagram and Twitter, the author has amassed a wealth of cultural currency.
I resist the urge to lay on the horn.
The author herself is standing on the terrace, dressed all in white and finishing a cigarette.
Her East Pasadena home,a historic Pueblo-style propertyenveloped by palms and pines, serves as an attractive backdrop.
Not that she minds.
I love books as objects, Moshfegh tells me over another cigarette.
I love books as experiences as well.
People no longer just want to pose with her books; they want to align themselves with Moshfegh herself.
In person, Moshfegh plays down theRest and Relaxationhype.
Its a good book, she says.
But I dont think its the best book Ill ever write.
In fact, shes much more excitedby the medieval-setLapvona,her fifth novel, out now via Penguin Press.
The bubble that I thought I was living in smashed, she says.
In other words, she woke up from her nap.
In a 2016 interview withThe Guardian,you said that you wroteEileenas a way to achieve commercial success.
Looking back, how do you feel about the decision to write something with the goal of achieving fame?
No one can build a career writing short stories, except for maybe …
I dont know, Edgar Allan Poe?
But Im not Edgar Allan Poe.
I got $100,000 forEileen, and that was mind-boggling at the time.
But now lets break it down: I had to pay my agent.
I had to pay taxes.
I had to pay rent.
Its not like I walked away and said, Im rich!
I had been living off almost nothing, so it barely took me above the poverty line.
Well, I shouldnt say poverty line.
And I had an education …
I think that was my fault.
I did not know how to operate in Los Angeles.
How did you feel about being asked?
Flattered, scared, and grateful for the opportunity.
I am someone who has not had a well-tuned opinion of my exterior.
I grew up with so much dysfunction in terms of my body image and food issues, and self-loathing.
I just thought it was like the universe telling me, Okay, get over it.
Also, do you mind if I smoke?
I was offering it.
Ive always been a fashion nerd.
But if Im not doing that, then Im watching old runway shows.
Were you one of those kids who was runway-walking up and down the hallways of your childhood home?
I was always short.
Ive been this height since I was 11.
So I knew I wasnt going to be a model … my runway walk is nothing.
It was just me walking.
I thought I was going to fall over in my shoes.
And then I went the wrong way.
I was very stressed.
Have you heard or read about the phenomenon of book styling?
Essentially, its about the aesthetic value of literature as objects.
I mean, okay.
Whatever floats your boat.
Its like a branding thing.
Do you think of yourself as having a brand?
Yes, because that comes up in conversations with the people who I work with.
I would never worry that something that was my idea would be off-brand, because thats impossible.
So I stay away from certain things.
Like, I wouldnt want to write on a TV show that I didnt like, you know?
Im really happy with what I get to do.
Im writing films, novels, and short stories … and some journalism too.
Right now, Im working on a profile forGQ, and thats been sucha fun assignment.
The stuff that Im doing in fashion is really interesting and fun.
I really dont mind thinking about the usefulness of writing in a commercial way ifits interesting to me.
Do you still lurk?
Theres never anything really good, so I kind of dont care.
I think its a little self-destructive to do that, so I try not to.
Whats the worst thing youve read about yourself while lurking?
I cant think of anything.
I think the thing that would hurt my feelings the most is someone calling me ugly.
Yeah, thats personal.
Its not even about your work at that point.
Like when someone says something sh*tty about me, I generally just hate them in response.
And then I forget about it.
Like, Shes a f*cking moron.
And then walk about grumbling or whatever, and then I forget.
What would you say is the most unhinged thing you did during lockdown?
In my head, I was like, Im about to go totally insane.
I was still angry at him for shaking his stupid f*cking finger at me.
Anyway, he said, If youre really a spiritual person, you wouldve been wearing a mask.
And thats when I kind of flipped.
And Im sure he thought I was really mentally ill …
But that was probably the most unhinged moment for me.
Is there any connection between your unhinged neighbor and that quote?
Im a God thinker.
I think about God all the time, so it wasnt a freak accident.
Like, do I feel stupid when I pray because Iamstupid, andthisis my true stupidity?
This interview has been edited and condensed.
