The Lightning Room with Lena Bertone

 

Welcome  to the Lightning Room, where DeWitt Brinson & Simon Jacobs take turns asking PANK authors extremely difficult questions about their work.

 

“Self Portrait,” by Lena Bertone – a story written in mirrorings – showed up in our April issue. To celebrate, Simon and Lena discuss narcissism.

1. What is the most narcissistic piece of artwork you’ve ever seen?

I love that Frida Kahlo’s relentless self-portraits feel so self-indulgent, yet they’re so vibrant and full of pain and story. I love her painting of her sitting next to herself, holding hands with herself, both of her hearts exposed.

2. “Self Portrait” has a marvelous, reflective quality to it – what was the first image or line that struck you to begin writing it?

The first line was the first line—I liked the idea that Leo’s wife would be disturbed that he painted himself as a woman. He promises he hasn’t done it before, but he doesn’t promise that he won’t do it again.

3. Someone catches you in the middle of a self portrait – what features are you emphasizing, and what are you dialing back?

I have another piece called “The Magician” in which I fleetingly appear as a character, thinly veiled, with a big nose and a weak chin. I have a great rack, though.

4. In tiny fictions like these, it’s especially important to stick the landing – how do you decide when a piece of flash fiction needs to end, and on what note?

I might start a very short story and write most of it quickly—often in one sitting—and then rework the ending for weeks or months, having no idea what I want it to sound like. I think the ending tells the reader what the story is about in a different way from the rest of the story, because it has to echo after the story ends.

5. On one level, this is a story about a communicative disconnect between husband and wife, in which they stop communicating directly with each other. What I mean to ask is, how many portraits of myself do I have to create before I remove everyone else entirely?

Are you TRYING to remove everyone else entirely? Because if you’re trying, and you’re good at it, probably just one. But then it’s just you and your art/writing/collection of ceramic elephants for company and that wouldn’t be a very interesting life. Maybe it’s better to talk things through. Maybe Leo’s trying to figure himself out and Margaret and Bettina just aren’t willing to entertain his self-discovery. I don’t know though; I haven’t really thought that much about it.

6. Are you ever sure the person you’re communicating with over a vast space (via phone, internet, letter, emotional gulf, etc) is there at all? Aren’t we just asking for someone to lie to us?

I invite you to lie. Do it genuinely, please.

 

***

Simon Jacobs curates the Safety Pin Review, a wearable medium for work of fewer than 30 words. He may be found at simonajacobs.blogspot.com.