| ALEX PUGSLEY: |
There’s a similar structure in the last few novels, where there is a protagonist obsessed with some romantic hero: the Boy Wonder in Duddy Kravitz, or Joey in St. Urbain’s, or Solomon Gursky. Were you at all uncomfortable with this similarity?
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| MORDECAI RICHLER: |
No, but it’s a legitimate point.
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| AP: |
And Solomon is such a fantastic character that—oh, who shot Willy MacGraw?
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| MR: |
Who shot Willy MacGraw?
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| AP: |
Yeah. It’s not really a crucial event but . . .
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| MR: |
Well, actually Mr. Bernard sent someone to shoot Solomon, and Solomon was the one who was supposed to go down to the railway station. Except he didn’t go down to the railway station, he was playing snooker and he said to MacGraw, Look, I can’t leave now, you go down to the railway station.
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| AP: |
Well, you know that Solomon is the target.
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| MR: |
If you look at it again, you’ll see that it’s fortuitous. Solomon as I recall has won so much money he doesn’t feel he can leave, everyone will be angry, and so he’s saved by accident. And then he phones Mr. Bernard later from his hotel room and you know he knows what’s happened. If you go through it, it’s really quite clear.
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| AP: |
That’s something that I missed then. . . . My brother suggested that I tell you that three thousand salmon were taken out of the Margaree in the fall run, so if you’re ever east you should check Cape Breton—are you quite a fisherman?
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| MR: |
Well, I’m only an adequate salmon fisherman, but I do enjoy it. I have to rely on invitations, though, because I haven’t got access to those clubs. After I finished this book, in the autumn, I went up to Scotland for the first time and fished, but I was too late in the season. However I had a very good time and—you know anything about salmon fishing?
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| AP: |
Yup.
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| MR: |
Well, I used that two-handed, fifteen-foot rod and that was a lot of fun. It’s easier in some respects. I thought it was easier. But I found once you got the knack, it was almost easier to handle than a ten-foot rod. It was a lot of fun.
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| AP: |
Does it lengthen your cast?
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| MR: |
Yeah, lengthens your cast and there’s a longer pause for the back cast. And it’s got more heft. But there were only black salmon left in the river. It was too late, it was the end of September. But we were in a wonderful lodge and had a great time. Then we went up to Shetland and Orkney, fished for trout, lot of fun. Where do you fish?
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| AP: |
In the east. Nova Scotia.
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| MR: |
It’s not catch and release, is it?
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| AP: |
Two a day.
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| MR: |
But just grilse or are you allowed to keep a salmon?
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| AP: |
Just grilse.
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