Philomena: I guess one of the main things that made me write it was living in Tasmania over the years and aware of having such a vital link with Antarctica. How the Antarctic explorers left from here, and how many of the Antarctic researchers still live here. As I read books and studied a map of the world, it became clear to me that we are so close to Antarctica, and to me I started to see the world in a different way. That is why I chose the name of the book, and I wanted others to see this relationship to Antarctica. I suppose it was a shock when I read about the whaling boats, those small convict boats, and the adventures they had, – it was a real surprise to me – I wasn’t expecting to find that. This is a whole part of the world which has been neglected from a literary perspective. I suppose it comes from that European orientation, and the feeling we have in Tasmania of being stuck out in the middle of nowhere, even though we may not be directly conscious of it, it still has an influence on us. You’ve only got to put your foot in the water to be reminded of the proximity to Antarctica
Maggie: You cover a lot of ground in the novel, from sea birds, to boat navigation, the flora and fauna of many countries, puppetmaking, etc. Tell me about the kinds of research you had to do for this novel.
Philomena: I guess I did do a lot of research, but research sounds a bit boring. I think wool gathering is a better description – picking little bits up here and there until I have something. it is just something I do and love to do it, and when I’m writing a book, I just gradually build up a store of knowledge. It is usually the facts that fascinate me. I guess that has a fairly interesting outcome in the end. As I go along I do research – I’ll write for a week or two and do research for a few weeks. I also do other things. I collect books and put pictures on the walls, to surround myself with the material I’m working with.
Maggie: Why the pseudonyms Esmania and Incognita? You don’t use mythical names for Tierra del Fuego or Paraguay?
