Lecture
B.J. Novak reads from his book “One More Thing,”
7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 21
$30 for members, $40 for non members, which includes a copy of the book
Atlanta History Center
130 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta
404-814-4000, www.atlantahistorycenter.com
130 West Paces Ferry Road NW | Atlanta,1
As a writer and producer (as well as actor) for NBC’s “The Office,” he’d jot down his ideas in tiny notebooks he’d keep in his back pocket.
But many of B.J. Novak’s thoughts extended far beyond the world of Michael Scott and Dunder Mifflin Paper Co.
Once “The Office” ended its eight-season run last year, Novak wasn’t sure what to do. But he had all those random ideas in these notebooks.
So he turned them into a book, “One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories.” He’ll read selections at the Atlanta History Center Friday, where the price of admission will include a hard copy of the book.
Critics and fans have embraced the book’s mix of stories deemed offbeat (what if the tortoise and the hare had a rematch?), slightly twisted (what if Comedy Central roasted Nelson Mandela?) or just plain weird (a billionaire creates a mirror above the earth so if you look in the sky through binoculars, you could wave at yourself.).
Novak spoke with the AJC earlier this month by phone. Here are excerpts:
Q; How do you feel about all the critical plaudits? Is this truly a Sally Field moment?
A: I thought this would be and I hoped this would be the kind of book that was discovered in the back of the bookstore one day or left in someone’s lake house and found by some kid a generation later. That was my fantasy writing this book. On a bigger level, I wanted people I really respect to read it.
Q: In the EW piece, you say [actress] Jane Seymour inspired you to write down ideas that didn’t fit into the show. Were they all in one notebook or a Word document or on some random napkins scattered around your house?
A: I had boxes of notebooks, usually those little pocket ones. I didn’t date them or label them. I just had little marks in front of them… It was kind of fun to go through them. I’d find a Dwight monologue or a spinoff of an ‘Inglorious Basterds’ bar conversation. I went through each of them and found ideas I could turn into story form.
Q: Was there a reason why stories were placed in there a certain way?
A: I wanted to arrange the stories the way a musician would arrange an album. It was about the feel of a certain piece after another piece. I wanted to show different tones… I had a few crazier ones. I followed the ‘Saturday Night Live’ philosophy. I put those in 10 minutes before 1 a.m.
Q: Do you think short story books get enough respect as a genre?
A: I’m surprised they aren’t more popular at the moment. People love fiction but have short attention spans. I would rather open up a short story book than a novel. Maybe a novel seems more impressive. “The Goldfinch,” a No. 1 bestseller, is 900 pages. Kids love Harry Potter. People love to read epic length things, which is cool. You wouldn’t expect that in the world we live in.
Q: You play around with tropes in this book, like the cliche, “Life is like a roller coaster.” You turn it into an actual roller coaster.
A: I wondered what if a man tried to create a roller coaster about life. What would it be like? I thought Christo the magician. He’d do this. What would he be thinking? What would a focus group say? I had great fun with that one.
Q: How much of your own personal beliefs are in this book?
A: I think I believe everything everyone says in the book on some level, which is true of “The Office.” There’s part of me that wants to build a roller coaster for real and be in that focus group.
Q: You started with the tortoise and the hare story. Are you more a tortoise or a hare?
A: Oh. Completely the hare. All through my life I was told in school I was very bright but it was a warning because I was usually getting in trouble. People would then surpass me … I’d start out strong, then take my eye off the ball. So I wanted to give him a comeback, a rematch.
