Ben H. Winters, sci-fi author and screenwriter for The Tracker, elicits Duchovny’s insights about his newest book, ‘The Reservoir’
In the Ukrainian language that is native to some of his ancestors — his paternal grandfather Moshe came from Berdychiv, which is in modern day Ukraine, author David Duchovny’s surname means spiritual.
In literary circles, his meaningful works, which artfully allude to spirituality and sometimes metaphorically refer to fate, intrigue enthralled readers, adroitly ensnaring them in worlds of introspective main characters who valiantly strive to overcome obstacles and to comprehend their surroundings, all the while delving in perplexing metaphysical concepts.
Duchovny strode into Malibu Village Bookstore on July 7 and sat down with Ben H. Winters, an entertaining, highly imaginative and prolific alternative history and mystery/sci-fi author, whose most recent work, “Big Time,” has received rave reviews from critics.
Although the two men had never met, their meeting with the excited group of attendees who filled the small bookstore soon morphed into one of those magical Malibu gatherings wherein everyone immediately feels camaraderie with the speakers, and they with one another.
A man of many endeavors
Where to start when conversing with Duchovny, Winters wondered aloud, noting that Duchovny is, of course, an accomplished author — he has penned six books, most recently “The Reservoir” which offers readers a riveting, yet unsettling glimpse into the mind of an isolated elderly man alone in his New York flat during the pandemic as he helplessly spirals down into an abyss of self-doubt that culminates in his insanity.
However, Duchovny is also a highly respected Golden Globe-winning actor who has appeared in “The X-Files,” “Californication,” “The Chair,” “You People,” and “What Happens Later,” and most recently, in “Reverse the Curse,” now streaming on demand.
Then, there’s the fact that he also excels at directing (“House of D” in 2004), a movie about an American artist living in Paris, and “Reverse the Curse,” among others.). Then, yet again, he’s a musician who has produced three rock albums and expects to release a new album soon — again.
No matter. Ultimately, all those assembled in the small bookstore’s standing-room-only crowd reveled in the lively colloquy that touched on all of Duchovny’s creative worlds as the jovial and affable Winters kiddingly prodded his subject to elaborate on various aspects of his prolific creative pursuits.
So, one attendee wondered, how does Duchovny decide when to write, as opposed to act, as opposed to work on an album, as opposed to direct?
Well, he essentially responded, things just happen organically and he varies his creative pursuits, if for no other reason than to assist him in navigating the vicissitudes of the movie business. That is similar to a response Duchovny once gaveto a full room of students at his alma mater, Yale, years back. There, he explained that he never meant to pursue a television acting career, “But life has a certain way of happening to you, as much as you try to steer it.”
Turning to the matter at hand — they were, of course, gathering in Malibu’s independent bookstore — Winters wondered if the author would discuss “The Reservoir,” a work centered on the main character’s high-rise apartment above Central Park’s reservoir. Did Duchovny ever live above Central Park? Indeed, the author did. Could he speak a little about the work’s central thesis. Indeed, the author could, and he did so, explaining that the book is ultimately “about our own sense of historical primacy and how we all changed in unprecedented circumstances during the pandemic.”
His main character, Duchovny divulged, “descends into the beginning of history, where the alpha makes love to the omega — although I’m not exactly sure what that means, although I wrote the phrase and the character gets subsumed into one-ness and essentially comes to realize that we only have one another in the end.”
Generous with their time, the two speakers delightedly participated in a vibrant Q&A where attendees probed into their writing processes.
Can Duchovny pursue two or more creative projects at a time, such as acting while also writing, one attendee queried.
“My acting and writing don’t overlap,” he responded. “I can’t do both. When I’m writing fiction, I get up at 5 a.m. and work until the wee hours of the next morning — it’s glorious when I’m in that process.”
Duchovny spoke about his academic career, not in order to laud his scholarly pursuits themselves, rather to characterize them as integral to his writing acumen. He attended Princeton University, where he earned an A.B. in English literature and earned a Master of Arts in English literature from Yale University, where he’s a dissertation short of a Ph.D.
“Writing is hard! Very hard!” Duchovny shared. “But writing books is my core accomplishment. It’s like a genetic code of myself — if my kids really want to know who their dad is, they should read my books. Like Neil Simon says, it’s all autobiography — even the stuff you make up!”
Gracious and humble, although concurrently somewhat sardonic and hysterically witty, Duchovny began to inquire of Winters about his creative process. What is his secret sauce for being so prolific?
“I got into time travel as a genre — it really should be its own genre.” Winters opined. “Having a great editor made all the difference!”
Then came the audience’s questions. Will “The Reservoir” become a movie, this writer wanted to know. Perhaps, Duchovny implied, emphatically noting that he had no interest in adapting the work for film. What of forthcoming works? They will come, Duchovny replied, adding, “I’m most interested in writing about the deepest part of ourselves.”
For his part, Winters notes, “at the base level, any act of creativity requires one to summon self-confidence — you have to think it’s good and nurture it long enough and believe in it and it will become so.” For him, the process begins with takingan initial creative impulse, making a rough outline, and building on that nascent concept to create a work in further detail.
Agreeing, Duchovny said, “I don’t write unless I have an idea. So, I write a very basic sketch and I often reverse engineer the first couple chapters of a book.”
As for his musical endeavors, he said, “We’re recording another album and working on vocals now. I enjoyed playing at the Latitude Festival.”
To begin working on an album, he shared, “You have to pick up the guitar before you write the chords.”
The two authors’ lighthearted colloquy really struck a chord with those in attendance and proprietor Michelle Pierce wrapped up the wonderful meeting by announcing that Malibu Village Books invites readers to attend its regular programming, including storytime for youngsters on July 27 at 10:30 a.m. On Aug. 6 at 6:15 p.m., a new book club will meet for the first time and attendees will discuss “You Are Here” by David Nicholls. The classics book club meets on Aug. 13 at 6:15 p.m. to discuss “The Last Unicorn.”