The CounterText interview : John Schad

Abstract

As was indicated in the editorial to a previous number of CounterText (7: 2), John Schad’s writings are synonymous with creative criticism and its emergence as a distinct mode of scholarship – and creation. Indeed, it is fair to say that they were significant in deepening and broadening its appeal as a writing practice that makes the boundaries between forms of imagination and critique indistinct, and in helping it acquire profile and recognition. His work draws together, among other elements, lifewriting, history and archivism, Victorianist and Modernist scholarship, and poststructuralist influences, while featuring motifs suggestive of mystery and play, contingency and coincidence. As his work explores the extended scope for experiment with form, genre, mode, and voice, creative criticism has, in parallel, itself continued to grow and evolve, making this interview particularly timely.