By BRUCE DENNILL
Roger Ashton-Griffiths‘ debut novel The Case Of Cat Adam centres on Dusa Mathavasi (DM), a fictitious Indian state squeezed between today’s Pakistan and Iran. A timely invitation from an old school acquaintance, the Rajah, finds Cat Adam taking on the role of cultural adviser to the country. He views this as a perfect opportunity to hide from the Royal Academy of Music’s trustees, who require the urgent return of the priceless double bass loaned to him since his graduation. Little could anyone know that the consequences of his decision would still be felt decades later. Ashton-Griffiths read music at Lancaster University before joining English National Opera as a singer. Migrating into acting, his screen roles include PT Barnum in Gangs Of New York, Alfred Hitchcock in Grace Of Monaco and Mace Tyrell in Game Of Thrones.
When, and under what circumstances, did the idea for your latest book come to you?
I had had an idea about writing the legendarily awful schoolboy Billy Bunter (Cat Adam in my story) as an adult, but couldn’t see the way to bring such an anachronistic character to life for a modern audience. Re-reading Heat And Dust, I saw that the thing to do was to write a modern character – in my case a great-great-nephew – who goes in search of his lost ancestor, intertwining their two stories.
Did it initially feel like something to commit to, or was that something that took time to develop?
It took years and years to develop, although I had been vaguely connected to the idea continuously.
How did you conduct your research or other preparation before writing – was it more experiential or more academic or desk-based?
I had some practical experience in India and Pakistan but, in addition, my doctoral research was into Anglo-Indian literature, so there had been a lot of book-reading involved too.
If resources (money, time, whatever) were no object, what additional groundwork would you like to have completed?
I would like to have travelled to the actual location of my invented state, but it’s as remote in reality as it is in my fiction, and not
necessarily in the most stable part of the world.
When considering influence, do you find yourself wanting to write like someone (in terms of their style, tone or use of language), or aiming for a kind of perspective or storytelling approach you admire or enjoy?
I don’t aim to write like any other person in particular, but there are authors whom I admire for their polished use of language, and I aim to achieve something similar. I am greatly influenced by my many years of working in film, and consciously aware that I tend to build stories in discrete, interdependent scenes. For the same reason, I find myself allowing characters to act out their roles in my imagination before I commit them to paper.
What’s in your to-read pile – and what upcoming book (other than yours!) are you most looking forward to?
I’ve just finished The Case-book Of Sherlock Holmes, and waiting for me are Voss by Patrick White, U.S.A. by John Dos Passos), Courting India by Nandini Das and The Ottomans by Marc David Baer. I’m excited about learning about the Ottoman Empire, a new interest.
Do you have a favourite character that you have created? Or if you’re writing non-fiction, do you have a specific topic that you find endlessly fascinating?
I’ve become very attached to Enoch in my novel. Although he’s a pretty ghastly character in many ways, I find him both intriguing and amusing.