5 Questions with Kaylie Saidin
Today, we published the final installment of Kaylie Saidin’s novelette, “A Portrait of Silas Fox.” Emily Lowe spoke with Kaylie about ekphrastic writing, how she came into this story, and what’s exciting to her in fiction these days.
The Rejoinder: What was the kernel of this story for you? How did it originate?
Kaylie Saidin: I stumbled upon the Diego Velásquez painting El bufón el Primo (1645) which depicts a court dwarf. The painting is notably different than other depictions of court dwarves at that time: the subject is painted head on, shadowed with a black backdrop, and his expression reveals a stoic, resigned anger. I ended up in a black hole of research after seeing the painting, and I learned all I could about the historic lives of people with dwarfism and their relations within royal courts. Incidentally, I had the privilege of seeing that painting at Museo del Prado in Madrid a few hours ago from writing this.
TR: You did an impeccable job exploring the life and mind of Silas Fox who diverts from your past narrators and is also remarkably different from yourself. How did you find your way into this voice?
KS: The first pages came as an ekphrastic scribbling after seeing the painting, so the voice initially found me. After that it was a matter of tapping into it. I only knew I was writing a story about exoticization and otherness as a means of power. It also helped to let go of the idea that it had to sound like literature from the era it’s set in.
TR: This story has an especially interesting framework between Silas and the painter. Why did you decide to organize it this way and how do you feel it ultimately better contextualized the narrative?
KS: That came naturally through the painting that inspired it. I liked the idea of Silas telling his story to a listener, and if the listener is the painter, then the reader knows he’s hoping to be artistically depicted in a certain way. Writing it this way also helped me format the story into sections. I thought, how would this person verbally organize each era of his life?
TR: What's exciting to you in fiction right now? What are you reading?
I just finished Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors, which I loved. I also enjoyed Emma Cline’s new novel, The Guest, and My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin. I like a good character driven narrative.
TR: What else are you working on these days?
KS: I’m trying to put together a story collection. I’m also attempting a novel, but I ended up about 15000 words into two different ideas and now I can’t decide which one to commit to. I think I’m better at the shorter form.