One way to speak of identity is by creatively responding to different texts. But a big problem I faced while writing the book was: how to speak of identity? On the one hand, “identity” is this term that’s so freely (in fact, often indiscriminately) used yet, on the other hand, identity is a pretty abstract concept, which can be intimidating because it doesn’t let us in very easily. I consider my book’s central theme to be identity, particularly personal identity. In my book, I playfully re-imagine the universes of different texts, including some pop cultural works of which I’m a fan, such as The Muppet Show. Tom: I wouldn’t call it a master statement, but here’s one word that comes to mind: re-imagining. Is there a master statement here about (re)appropriation, or idealization, or imitation and identity (or something else entirely)? And the title story is about characters who can morph into anyone they see on television.
Tom Cho‘s collection, Look Who’s Morphing, was originally published to acclaim in Australia, where it was shortlisted for multiple awards and is now in its second printing in North America and Europe, it has just been published by Arsenal Pulp Press, and launched in Toronto last night. In addition to Look Who’s Morphing, Tom’s fiction has appeared widely, in publications including the Best Australian Stories series, Asia Literary Review and The New Quarterly. He stopped by the blog this week to expand on a few thoughts his book provoked in this reader.īWS: You’re a writer who has quite literally stepped into the shoes of a different person in stories like “Dirty Dancing,” “The Sound of Music,” “The Bodyguard” and more, using plots not so different than the source material but inserting a new narrator in the place of Baby, Maria, and Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner).
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