Heart of ice – Andrew Miller finds a way to continue in his novels

Andrew Miller

By He Jianwei
“Whatdoes the world need most – a good, ordinary man, or one who is outstanding, albeit with a heart of ice?he question is at the heart of UK novelist Andrew Miller’s first book,Ingenious Pain, published in 1997. It brought him three awards, including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and Italian Grinzane Cavour Prize.
Miller visited Beijing to meet Chinese writers during the Beijing International Book Fair this week. Jiangxi Education Publishing House is publishing the first Chinese edition of his novel.
Wearing traditional Chinese black cloth shoes, Miller, 50, looked more like a hutong resident than a world traveler.
“When I started writing, I believe very much in the importance of writing as a way to change lives,” he said. “My first writ hero was D. H. Lawrence. He was interested in transformation, both personal and social. For me, my politics was literature. I didn’t involve myself in politics. My usefulness is to share the thought in literaure that not everybody does.”Among his five novels, three deal with history ?two in the 18th century and one during World War II. His latest book, completed last month, is again a historical novel about the French Revolution.
He grew up in Bath, a city surrounded by 18th century architecture.
“History always excited my imagination,” Miller said. “As a young boy, I loved classical history and I used [to pretend] to be a Roman soldier. I th people feel history is remote. Yet it is the unbroken line between what has happened and what is happening.”His novels explore how flawed, vulnerable, but basically decent, people are as they try to survive in difficult times.