Great books don’t necessarily make great films. So what is the mysterious alchemy that comes to bear in the process of adapting a novel for film? Deborah Moggach, who has scripted her success as a bestselling author and a Hollywood scriptwriter, has the answer. “I think of a novel as a noun and a screenplay as a verb. In a novel, you can explore a person’s memories and thoughts. In a screenplay it is all action; you must push the story on.” Moggach has developed a dedicated fan base and does not like being marketed as a popular novelist, or being called a women’s writer. A storyteller for more than two decades, she radiates equanimity, friendliness and goodness, if that doesn’t sound too Moggachish.
It is “Tulip Fever”, a love story set in 1636, that changed her life. In 1999, the bestseller “opened doors on to whole other worlds” for Moggach.
She has now written 16 novels and a fistful of screenplays for small and big screens, including “Pride and Prejudice”, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and “The Diary of Anne Frank”, earning her accolades.
In 2005, she won a Bafta nomination for her adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”, directed by Joe Wright and starring Keira Knightley. Last year, her novel “These Foolish Things” was adapted for the big screen: “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” has a marquee cast that includes Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy. The film was nominated in the Bafta “best British film” category this year.
“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is a romantic comedy about British pensioners who move to an affordable retirement hotel in India; Moggach says the fictional notion of outsourcing care for the elderly is not as mad as it sounds. The 64-year-old novelist believes India has everything going for it. “It’s warm, cheap and beautiful, and they [Indians] respect the elderly there. English is largely spoken and there’s a residual respect for the Raj and Brits in general.”
In an interview with Weekend Review, Moggach talks about reworking the greats, her writing process and her Hollywood aspirations while adding that she is game for a retirement home in India.
Do you believe stories are a universal mode of communication?
Yes, the urge to tell, and listen to, stories is one of the oldest human emotions.
What triggers an idea for a novel?
It could be a painting, as in “Tulip Fever”, or something I’ve seen or heard in the street, or a big sociological idea, as in “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, where I was wondering who would look after us when we’re old.
Do you think of an adaptation when you write a book?
I do, at the back of my head, just a little. I try not to, though — a novel is such a different creature and one should abide by its own rules.
What is the difference in your approach in writing a novel and writing a screenplay?
A screenplay is much more collaborative — other people are involved, they get you to change things all the time, and finally it’s taken on by the actors who change it even more and make it their own. A novel is utterly your own creation, a very private process. I think of a novel as a noun and a screenplay as a verb. In a novel very little needs to happen; you can explore a person’s memories and thoughts and fantasies. In a screenplay it’s all action; you must push the story on. That interior life is supplied by the actors, who can communicate through their faces what’s happening in their hearts. Film acting is reacting rather than acting, and when the actors are top class, such as the cast in “The Best Exotic ...”, it’s wonderful to watch the nuance they bring to their roles.
Do you get a writer’s block?
No, only when I try to write a stage play. I just can’t do it.
Which book changed your life?
Virginia Woolf’s novels, though I can’t read them now because she’s so terribly snobby. But her prose was a revelation.
Do you think the craft element of writing can be taught?
Yes, the craft element — editing oneself, disciplining oneself and things like that like that. But real talent can’t be taught.
What about your future aspirations in Hollywood?
I’m more interested in writing for TV; Hollywood has not been a happy experience for me.
You always strive to entertain in your books. Do you think “entertainment” has become a dirty word among purveyors of high culture?
It shouldn’t be. The greatest artists know how to entertain, or else nobody would read them.
Like in “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, will you think of retiring in India?
Yes! Our cross-continental love affair, chequered though it has sometimes been, runs very deep. When I arrive in India I somehow feel more myself; I feel closer to it than any other country, and I think many other Brits feel the same. I hope the same goes for Indians. After all, second-, third-, fourth-generation Indians have totally assimilated into our national life and a lot of cross-fertilisation goes on — chicken tikka, for instance, is our national dish. In addition to this, air travel is absurdly cheap nowadays. We are a truly global culture, and one’s grandchildren are scattered over the world; they’d be just as happy — probably more so — visiting us in India and having a holiday thrown in, than visiting us in some dismal care home in the English countryside. And Indian young people are not nearly as threatening as British ones — there’s a noticeable absence of hoodies on Indian streets. All in all, what’s not to like?
What is your daily writing routine?
I work every day from 9.30 or so until lunchtime. In the afternoons I become a normal person — go shopping and do the garden and look after my grandchildren.
What are you most proud of writing?
I think I’m most proud of a novel called “Porky”, which tackled the difficult subject of incest long before it became generally talked-about.
If you have to, what would you change about yourself?
Goodness — I think I’d try not to be so anxious to please.
How would you earn your living if you had to give up writing?
I couldn’t. I’d like to be a jazz singer but I couldn’t possibly do it; nobody would want me anyway.
Where is your favourite place in the world?
The women’s swimming pond on Hampstead Heath, near my house.
Emirates LitFest
March 8: Deborah Moggach in conversation with Chris Cleave at 1.30pm-2.30pm
March 9: Deborah Moggach on “Page to Screen to Page” at 11.30am-noon
