Creation in Isolation: David Perlmutter

There's Writing History, and Then There's Living in It

By The Editors

People say they wish they could live during a historical event...until they do. But historians know it's a lot of more observing from a distance. 

David Perlmutter, the author of two history books and a freelance writer, knows this firsthand. He worries that a world with COVID-19 is a world that makes an already tough livelihood tougher. We ask about his past writing about the history of animation, the essential roles libraries and bookstores play in supporting indie authors, and more in the latest segment of Creation in Isolation. 
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You're the author of America Toons In: A History of Television Animation. How can animation present stories in ways that real life cannot?

The most obvious way animation can present stories in ways live-action cannot is that it allows for physical impossibilities here to become realities in their environments. Talking animals walking upright is the clearest example, but there are others as well, such as the fact that the rules of operation defined by science can be discarded in the name of creating jokes or special effects. Also, it can present its material in a wide variety of atmospheres and tones, from very simplistic for extremely young children to raw and crude for discerning adults, and therefore displays a versatility a lot of other media genres do not possess.

How do bookstores, libraries, and book reviews keep books and their creators alive? 

Bookstores, libraries and reviews keep books in circulation among the public, and therefore keeps them on their minds. Particularly now, many books (including mine) get under-covered or ignored by the mass media, and the reading public may not know they exist unless they are pointed to their existence. If a book gets a good review or more than one positive one from people on Amazon or Goodreads, it's more likely that they may want to check out that book for themselves. First-run bookstores such as Barnes and Noble exist to serve immediate needs for a product, and fill that need well. For older books, there are plenty of used and second-hand shops where they can be found at cheaper prices. Libraries are even more essential, however, because the presence of a book in their collections signifies, to the readers, to the publisher, and especially to the author, that the work has permanent value, and keeping it in print matters.

How has COVID-19 affected your career and your personal life?

COVID has affected my life personally chiefly by cutting me off from using the services of my local public library, which I dislike. "Social distancing" measures mean that I haven't been able to see as much of my extended family as before, which I also dislike.

I wasn't exactly selling a whole lot before the pandemic, so it hasn't affected me financially as much as others. However, it has led to new opportunities. I have ebooks of my fiction on Smashwords, and was therefore able to participate in their "Authors Give Back" sale (on until Apr. 20) by making my books available at a 60% discount.

Why is it important for people to support the arts, even during times of uncertainty?

Arts are a reflection of the society that produces them, whatever form they take. Having read and studied history much of my life, I am aware of the fact that they flourish as much in times of despair as plenty, and that it is often in times of despair that they reflect the darker side of society as much as the lighter one. But as someone who has specialized in studying forms of art that have been often unjustly and arbitrarily subjected to biased interpretation and regulation (animation, film, television, theatre and music), I am also aware of how precarious their existence can be if someone in political power decides they are, as the current phrase puts it, "non-essential" industries. If the important role various art forms play in society is ever ignored or minimized, it has an enormous impact on the psychology of the people making it, and makes it appear that what they offer to the world does not matter, and that they cannot make a living doing it. I do not believe any artist in any field should be made to feel that way or be put in that position, or we might not have any more arts.

What are your other book recommendations for those who are looking for material to read during mass quarantine? (In addition to your own, of course!)

That is a hard question to answer, because I'm always reading and discovering new authors in all fields.  Chiefly, I have been reading speculative fiction anthologies and short story collections because they have more finite lengths than novels and help me understand how I can write my own better. The annual "Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy" series supervised by John Joseph Adams has much of the most revelatory work in the field right now, and anthologists like Ellen Datlow and the Vandermeers have been putting out good themed ones with regularity. For single author collections, finding the ones that have the Complete or Collected versions of the authors' stories is usually your best bet. The most recent one of those that impressed me was the one by Flannery O'Connor, a very talented woman who died far too soon.
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