Interview with Art is Dead Author David L. Gersh

Question: The title of your murder mystery novel is “Art is Dead”. What is the meaning behind the title?

David Gersh: It's a fun title. "Art Is Dead" is a quote from one of the founders of the Dadaist movement in the early 1900's. It also happens that the artist who is killed is named Arthur. Coincidence, of course. One of the central themes in the book deals with the art of Marcel Duchamp, one of the leading Dadaists. And the artistic idea underlying the mystery is the meaning of art as is schews away from being beautiful and technically artistic. Gosh, the title appeared to be relevant and seems to be a quadrupal entendre. Darn.

Question: What inspired you to write “Art is Dead?”

David Gersh: Not to make a lot of money. This is an awful business.

I guess the real motivation was to see if I could do it. I love to write. It's a joy. There was this art idea that I had been pondering for a long time that I wanted to explore. And I wanted to explore it in a humorous and entertaining way. That's a tough proposition in detective fiction where pace is critical. So it was a challenge to make real characters come to life while keeping the plot moving and exploring real ideas. Particularly where a pug is one of your central characters. How could he not be when the first line of the book is "It was the dog that did it." All of the Jonathan books explore both art and business. So tying it all together was a treat.

Question: “Art is Dead” is the first novel in a series about Jonathan Benjamin Franklin. Tell us a little bit about Jonathan.

David Gersh: Jonathan is a middle aged guy who is a lineal descendant of Benjamin Franklin, my only hero in life. He has thinning hair and glasses and smiles with his eyes. Jonathan's a whiz at law, but pretty haplice at anything else. About seven years ago he burned out in a big Wall Street firm after making a lot of money and accepted a teaching job at Harvard Law School, which he finds has its own problems. Jonathan gets sucked into helping Mimi Aaron, the divorced wife of his billionaire friend, Simon Aaron, who is suspected in the death of the artist Arthur DeRuk.

Now Jonathan was an inveterate womanizer before he met his girl friend Nicole four years ago. At this point in the story, Nicole wants to get married and have a child. It throws Jonathan for a loop. It all makes for a disconcerting romp for our friend Jonathan who bumps his way towards a solution, as always, the hard way.

Question: What was the inspiration behind making a pug dog – Rufus – one of the central characters in “Art is Dead”?

David Gersh: I love pugs. I love the way they look and the way they walk. I thought anyone would love a pug puppy. I needed a puppy as a focal plot point. Once I thought of the idea, Rufus just took on a life and personality of his own. Rufus pretty much runs any situation in which he is involved. Cute little devil. And he is central not only as a character, but in the solution.

Question: For you, what was the most difficult part about writing this mystery novel?

David Gersh: Writing is rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. In addition, I lived the book, so it wouldn't leave me alone at night. I keep a note pad by my bed and I became very good at writing notes in the dark with my eyes closed in the middle of the night. I could read some of them in the morning.

There was another thing. When I wrote something my characters wouldn't do, they rebelled. It was the damndest thing. They made me tow the line.

Perhaps there's another way to look at this question. It wasn't a task to write. I love writing. The task was to write well.

Question: “Art is Dead” has a lot of appeal for a lot of people - Wine lovers, dog lovers, mystery fans, lawyers, art lovers, past and present Harvard and Harvard Law School students. Did I leave anyone out? How did you bring so many interests together?

David Gersh: That's an easy one. Those are my interests and I enjoyed wallowing in them with my characters. I got to explore things and do research and learn things about matters that deeply interest me. Or I got to share memories that were dear to me. Or even make some up. What more can you ask?

Question: What do you see as the key ingredient to a great murder mystery novel?

David Gersh: Ah, now that's a really hard question. I don't think I can comment on what makes a great mystery. Maybe a good one. A mystery is a novel, so it requires the same thing as all good writing. In long-form writing (as opposed to poetry) you need to sustain the story and the characters. A sustained voice is critical. You also need to tell a good story and keep the reader interested. Words have a music and grace of their own. I try, I think all writers try, to compose the music. If I can get someone to feel nourished by my words, I've succeeded.

Then you get to other elements in a mystery. How good is the plot? Can you figure it out in the middle? That sucks. What kind of information is in the book? That's what carried the D' Vinci Code in my view. I loved the ideas.

You need the reader to want to turn the pages but you want the reader to feel the scene and the people. To see it in their mind. That's the hard balance to strike in genre writing. Pot boilers are like Chinese food. You enjoy them, but you're hungry an hour later. I'm trying for something more satisfying.

Question: What is the title of the next book in this Jonathan Benjamin Franklin series and when can we expect to see it?

David Gersh: Actually, the next book is the prequel to "Art Is Dead". It's called "Going, Going, Gone" and it's about the art auction business as well as leveraged buyouts. I expect it to be published a year after "Art Is Dead", in September 2007.

Question: Three time Emmy winning television writer and producer David Rintels said about your book, “Anyone seeking to solve a most unusual murder by following Byzantine paths of modern art, high finance, fine wine and pug dogs should run to pick up David Gersh’s novel and match wits with a brilliant new hero, Harvard Law School Professor Jonathan Benjamin Franklin.” How does it feel to have someone as accomplished as David Rintels heap such high praise on your work?

David Gersh: I blush. He's a very good friend. I haven't gotten his bill yet.