Author Claire Messud has some thoughts on success — and who she’d want to portray her beloved characters on the screen.
Speaking with PEOPLE at the Texas Book Festival, the author of acclaimed novels like 2006’s The Emperor’s Children, says that her idea of success has changed over the years.
“I think a couple of [my] books had been briefly on the bestseller list, but there was one that was really on the best list,” Messud says, of The Emperor’s Children. “And it was an amazing experience that I hadn’t anticipated or imagined.”
“But I think for me, the aim is to write books that feel humanly true, and that are in that sense achieved, rather than focusing on the marketplace,” the author adds. “So I feel very lucky to have been able to do that in a world that maybe cares less and less about that as a goal.”
The Emperor’s Children was named a best book of the year by outlets like The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, according to Messud’s Penguin Random House author page. Her 1995 debut novel, When the World Was Steady, and her 2001 collection of novellas, The Hunters, were both named finalists for the prestigious Pen/Faulkner Award.
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The author’s latest novel, This Strange Eventful History, was published in May and was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Messud also notes that though she feels “very lucky” to have had the bestseller experience, it is still a confounding one.
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“It’s a weird experience because it’s not real, in some way,” Messud says, of the accolades she’s received. “It’s not people who are choosing what to read. They’re reading something because somebody told them. They read it the way you do math homework. Maybe less onerous than that.”
“With [This Strange Eventful History] I’ve had probably a dozen letters from people who said, ‘This was really meaningful to me.’ And some from people I know a little bit, but also from people I’ve never met,” Messud adds. “And that means a lot to me.”
Success also appears in different ways, the author notes. Messud says that The Emperor’s Children was optioned for film, and has seen different iterations over the years (the film is currently in development, according to IMDb). Messud, however, says that the process was still an informative experience for her.
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“That was instructive because just the very fact that it was so fantastical,” Messud says. “And it all just seemed very pretend.”
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Messud also says that she has some dream casting in mind for This Strange Eventful History, if it were to be adapted for the screen. She says that she could see Timothée Chalamet as the character, Francois.
“For the Barbara character, she’s Canadian, and I can’t help but think of Rachel McAdams, who is also Canadian,” Messud says, adding, “It’s a fun game to play.”
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