Scottish Sunday: On Cloud Nine

David Mitchell's Latest Offering - Cloud Atlas

Subheading: Discovering the Novice British Author

It’s snowing in London. The effect is much the same as nuclear fallout – the city, ever unprepared, simply stops functioning. Incoming trains slow and freeze in their tracks. So I am one, two, three hours late to meet hyper-imaginative British novelist David Mitchell.

Waiting in Zen

“Don’t worry,” says Mitchell over the phone, exceptionally polite and sympathetic. “I’ll just take a nap while I wait.” I’m much less Zen about it. To cool my rail-rage, I re-read Ghostwritten, Mitchell’s startling debut novel from 1999. Experimental, poetic, synchronistic, it stirred the minds of pre-millennial critics and readers with its narrative game of Chinese Whispers, passing between characters like a breeze, seeing the world through the eyes of a Japanese death-cultist, a Russian art thief, an Irish physicist, the disembodied spirit of a murdered Tibetan monk.

A World of Chaos and Patterns

Mitchell seems to observe human events as expressions of the same chaos that shapes weather – a system of violent, beautiful, mysterious patterns and connections. When I eventually make it to the bar of his hotel, he is fresh from his nap, endearingly mild-mannered and gently spoken.

Mitchell's Journey as a Writer

Subheading: From Japan to Ireland

David Mitchell developed his basic technique – a questioning echo that carries far across different times, places, and characters – during his first attempts at fiction. He finally acquired the "necessary discipline" while teaching English in Japan, where he lived for eight years. After sketching out short stories set in noisy Far Eastern cities, Mitchell noticed the same theme murmuring beneath different narratives.

Threading the stories together into Ghostwritten, Mitchell made an impact with his unique approach, engaged with the spinning Earth rather than specific neighborhoods. His second book, Number9Dream, also showed his techno-literate, mythological style of the near future. It explored the story of a Japanese country-boy searching for his father amid the digital confusion of modern Tokyo.

Recently, Mitchell left Japan to settle in Clonakilty, in the west of Ireland, with his wife Keiko and baby daughter Hana. He believes that Ireland provides a lovely environment to raise a child.

The Power and Truthfulness of Cloud Atlas

Subheading: Mitchell's Magnum Opus

David Mitchell's new novel, Cloud Atlas, uses a range of styles to imagine a chain of narrators, each coming to their own conclusion about where the human race is going. Mitchell believes that each chapter is about a different form of predacity, highlighting people preying on each other and the struggle of individual will. Cloud Atlas is another firework-display of big thinking, with a series of false documents building a cumulative kind of power and truthfulness.

Although individual chapters can seem a little clumsy and generic, Mitchell weaves them together in such a way that later characters discover earlier documents and question their authenticity. Mitchell comments on how fiction, even if not real, can still be true. He believes that the essence of the human condition remains the same throughout time, and that good fiction set in other times and places has a timeless quality that resonates with readers.

Hotels: A Haven for Creativity

Subheading: Inspiring Spaces for Writers

Hotels have long been known as havens for creativity. Many famous authors, such as David Mitchell, have found inspiration among the comforts of hotels. These temporary refuges provide a change of scenery, a place where authors can escape the distractions of everyday life and immerse themselves in their craft.

Hotels offer a quiet and peaceful environment, where authors can focus on their writing without interruptions or responsibilities. The comfort and luxury of a hotel room can foster a sense of relaxation and freedom, allowing creative ideas to flow more easily.

In addition to the physical space, hotels often offer additional amenities that can enhance the writing process. Services like room service, housekeeping, and concierge assistance allow authors to focus solely on their work, without the distractions of daily chores or mundane tasks.

For authors like David Mitchell, the serene atmosphere and dedicated space provided by hotels can be instrumental in the creative process. Whether it's a cozy room tucked away in the countryside or a bustling hotel in the heart of a vibrant city, hotels offer an escape from the outside world and a sanctuary for writers to delve into their imaginations.